Best pressure washer

[bshillam]

Sort of connected to boating. I thought I would take advantage of all the wealth of knowledge here and find out before I buy what is the cats meow of pressure washers. My wife and I live in acres so the laundry list of things I could use a pressure washer are long from washing the tractor, to spraying the chicken coop down once or twice a year. I have done some research and found that many are suggesting the Honda GX motor and cat pump. However these seem to start at about $800.00. Does anyone know of a better combo? Northern tool has one that does have the Honda GX motor but a different pump. Any advice, suggestions and direction would always be appreciated.

[TyBoo]

My advice: Costco.

Get the highest pressure model available at your local store with a Honda engine. I got a 3200 psi with Honda 11hp a whole bunch of years ago. It has seen a lot of use - probably not as much as yours will see, but a lot more than a typical user. Sure, you can pay twice as much for an industrial rated pump, but I bet you it won't come close to lasting twice as long.

[babaloui]

We sell those where I work in multiple combinations of motors, pumps, and unloading valves. The ones that have been holding up the best have been the GX Honda w/Cat pump, however the GC series Honda has not had many problems at all and we haven't had many problems with Commet pumps either. Both of which are significantly less expensive. The ones we sell with the GC Hondas have been the smaller HP models capable of right around 3000 psi. The Commet pumps can be on any size machine and run upward 5000+ psi and plenty of gallons to operate things like floor cleaners and turbo nozzles. Also look for one that doesn't have a throttle down feature as these break often and are right around $100 to get fixed.

[journey on]

For those of use who use a pressure washer infrequently, here's a couple of alternatives.

I bought a Speed Clean 2000 psi at (hold your breath,) Wal Mart. At ~$200. Made in the USA (at that time,) by Briggs and Stratton. Gasoline engine. Bought it to clean off the front frame of the truck when I was rebuilding it. Worked OK, but to get old grease off you need steam, not just water pressure. Then I used it to clean off the bottom of Journey On prior to re-painting. Worked great, and for other various chores around the place, like cleaning cement.

Which brings us to the next alternative. A drawback to gas powered washers is that I use them very infrequently, and draining the gas is a pain, changing oil on both the pump/motor is not done regularly. So when we had the boat by my daughter Dorothy, I used her Home Depot electric washer, and it worked as well as the gas powered one. Of course, we had just pulled the boat out of the water, and the bottom paint was still wet, but those things cost ~$100 and for using them twice a year seems a good deal.

By the way, I know the difference between a really well made Honda powered pressure washer and the Briggs and Stratton one. I also know that if I wanted to get a really good one, I'd still be waiting because i really don't use it more than once or twice a year..

Boris

[starcrafttom]

My father picked up a washer at the military auction in Las Vegas a few years ago. It not only pressure washes but it heats the water to boiling using propane and you get really hot high pressure steam or water. We used it to strip the 20 layers of communist paint off his Chinese plane. I don't know the pressure Psi rate but on high it pushes my 220 lbs around it I don't watch it. I think he paid $10 for it.

[Sea Wolf]

I've got a model from my friend's estate that's a commercial model from Northern Tool that has a 5 hp 240 volt motor, pumps 4 gpm at 2750 lbs, and with the turbo nozzle (an extra $200), will blow the pinstriping off your car, clean just about anything, or kill small varmits, if you prefer.

Boat bottoms can be tough, though, especially once the salt water creatures cement themselves on. Will remove old bottom paint, too, in many cases.

The turbo nozzle doubles the efficiency of the washer, pulsating the pressure to loosen the offensive cling on stuff.

Most of these bigger units are two handers, though. You wouldn't want to try to control one with it's thrust with just one hand.

Mine comes in an alternate, but otherwise identical form with an 11 hp Honda motor, which means they can use an electric motor at 95% or more of it's full potential continuously, but can't do that with a gas engine and the considerations for heat build up, engine life expectancy, etc.

Get one with a siphon feed for soap, solvent, insecticide, disinfectant, or classified military solvent co-use. No telling what you might have to use it for someday.

Works great inside the cockpit, too, just don't let it blow anything apart you don't want to separate. It's the only one thing I know that will blow out the crap that settles under the fuel tanks!

I also built a 50 foot extension cord of #8-4 black rubber covered cord, and the original 30 feet of cord on the machine has a built in circuit breaker with GFI circuit, additionally, to protect you.

Get yourself a heavy duty water hose, too, so you can feed hot water from the top of the water heater and turn the temperature up to about 180 degrees (temporarily, of course), and you can again double the effectivess of the unit.

Set your house, garage, RV barn, and whatever else up with 220/240 volt AC single phase power for it's use. This is a bit of extra $$ and work, but then you don't have to drain the gas, etc., that you have to do with a gas motor, either.

Use it on the boat bottom in a sloped driveway if possible. That way you can send all the smelly stuff off the bottom of the boat down and over to the front of your neighbor's house for them to enjoy. My wife hates the smell of decaying algae and aquatic plants mixed in with the aroma of her prized roses.

Have fun with your new toy!

Joe.

[matt_unique]

I too fall into the category of needing a powerwash 2-3 times per year. I went with the Karcher 1800 psi electric model. It did a great job for me and it was under $200.

[journey on]

This is a serious post, no matter what Joe says.

I just realized why power washing Journey On worked so well with the non-militarized pressure washer. A C-Dory should only use ablative paint. That way when you travel through the water at the high speeds a C-Dory can attain, the growth falls off and does not get a chance to build up. That's why Micron CSC is so great. It allows one to let the boat sit on a trailer and yet work when it's in the water. The paint, as far as I know, doesn't let the hard stuff get a hold on the hull, cause the paint ablates.

The sail boat got some gosh awful crud on the bottom, but it had hard epoxy bottom paint which didn't come off with grace. Those barnacles locked right on to the paint. Took a lot of pressure washing. And you had to leave it in the water. When we trucked it across country, the bottom paint flaked off as it dried. Never will use that stuff again.

I guess if you have three months of Right Coast growth on the bottom of a C-Dory one needs the full military version pressure washer. Fortunately we're on the Left Coast, with its cold water, and we haul the boat every 2 mos or so. A 240 VAC motor on a pump; why you could spray concrete with that thing.

Boris

[Sea Wolf]

[thataway]

We use the high pressure, (2750 PSI) high volume gas powered (agree with Cat Pump and Honda)--for heavy duty stuff.

But for cleaning the boat, we use the 1800 PSI Karcher electric unit. No fussing around with the gas, weight, starting the engine etc--and not enough pressure to damage the gel coat. (which some of the really high powered washers will do).

[wailedcentipede]

within the family theirs a couple of dinky ones laying about but if you want something that works ... I've started to go by horsepower these ones i rent, for a chicken coop you need at least 11-13 horsepower (Honda) they will give a 4-6 inch fan that will lift moss and clean cement quite well verse's a 2 inch circle on the small ones that will have your blood pressure at a all time high .. wc

[breausaw]

If you have a Costco nearby they normally have a couple gas models to choose from with Honda engines; what I like about Costco is their return policy and low prices. I bought a 2600 psi 6.5hp Honda pressure washer there a couple of years ago, if ever craps out I’ll take it back and get another, that’s Costco.

Pressure washers are also good for cleaning up volcanic ash, but Anchorage might be spared this go-around.

[SENSEI]

[drjohn71a]

Re: the ablative bottom paint, Micron CSC - I used that on my houseboat for years with good results. You do not want to power spray it, however. Usually just driving the boat around at speed will know off most of the growth.

To remove more, just take the boat out of the water and let it dry. Then lightly sweep the hull with a household broom and all the junk will fall off. Of course we do not have barnacles here, so I do not know how that'd work.

The marina down in Oklahoma put the harder bottom paint on my TomCat, so I just brush around the edges as needed.

As Dr. Bob points out, you can easily damage gel coat and paint/decals with a power sprayer.

I have a big gas powered sprayer on the farm, but have used the $80 discount store sprayer on the boat and even that knocked loose some of the gold/black cabin top trim. Even though I have that small one, I find just using one of those hose mounted car wash brushes to be more effective at removing spider webs, etc., so rarely use a power sprayer on the boat now.

John

[Wefings]

I just washed the 5 boats we had in the water at Baypoint Boatshow in Panama City .Man do barnacles grow fast there . I am used to brackish water where they grow at a more leisurely pace. The Marina lent me their 3000 PSITroy/Honda washer and it rocked!Took the most extreme tip and was careful to not hit the tape or lights and such . Did the boats right as I pulled them out, one at a time while still wet . Worked like a champ.
Marc