Any advice for pressure washer ?

[rsutoratosu]

Dont want to spend a ton but like to have something that'll last a while.. any recommendations ? i say 250 tops ?

 

[DesiPower]

why not rent? are you going to use it regularly?

 

[Fiat1]

Get one that has a CAT pump.

 

[NutBucket]

What's your intended use? Gas or electric? Craigslist?

 

[rsutoratosu]

- foam cannon for cleaning cars - 4 cars - neighbors and mine.
- pressure wash deck, chairs (bird poop), concrete driveway, siding (foam cannon and rinse off)
- will be using it regularly, ie at least once a week during spring/summer
- thinking electric
just washing stuff in general

 

[rsutoratosu]

off craigslist, are they all this big ?

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/bfs/4418333385.html

 

[thebestMAX]

I know Ill get flamed for this but I bought the Pacific Hydrostar from Harbor Freight for about $80 with a coupon and its still going strong. Ran 3 long days straight when I first bought it to clean the driveway, curbs and whole house before painting. That alone paid for it and now does cars and whatever. It has mixed reviews but has been a good purchase for me.

 

[NutBucket]

No, that's a gas unit. I saw an electric unit at Home Depot yesterday for $100. Smaller too. Electric is sufficient for your purposes.

 

[rsutoratosu]

got cha, ill check hd on the way home today

 

[DrPizza]

Volume of water is just as important as PSI for cleaning, and can make the cleaning go a heck of a lot faster. A lot of people get hung up on the PSI; sort of like "this camera has more megapixels." If you're planning on using it once a week, personally, I'd go with a better unit than one of those electric ones, but to each their own. Or, to put it another way, power = the rate at which work is done. The tinier the pressure washer, likely, the less power. Do not be fooled by "our pressure washer saves uses less water because it only uses 0.8 gallons per minute." Because it's going to take 5 times as long to wash with one as it does with a 3gal/min washer.

 

[mmntech]

I've had problems with the electric ones over the years. Had a Karcher and a Simonize that both broke after a year or two of just typical use. Gas units are the way to go since they're usually made from more durable metal parts instead of plastic.

 

[DrPizza]

I'd imagine most people haven't used both, hence would be satisfied with an electric one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs8VOiLZ1t8
Don't get me wrong - an electric would do what you want to do. But, having washed the siding on my house with an electric and with a good gas pressure washer, I'd never go back to electric (which cannot do both volume and PSI on a 15-20 amp outlet.)

 

[fjmeat]

http://www.homedepot.com/c/construction_rental_equipment#row7

 

[NetWareHead]

Also agree with DrPizza about gas vs electric. Once you own a pressure washer, you will find all kinds of uses for it. Gas washers deliver both the necessary volume of water AND the PSI. I've used both and electric was hard pressed to remove stains that the gas washer would easily power through. I used a gas pressure washer to remove the stain off of a wood deck that the electric couldn't do. Plus you dont have a pesky electric cord

 

[edro]

Gas powered, Honda engine.

 

[BoomerD]

I'm also considering a pressure washer for occasional use. I really don't want to spend the "big bucks" for a nice gas powered unit...BUT, I know the cheaper electric units (a) don't last long, and (b) don't produce enough pressure and water volume to do a great job.
For me, part of the problem is not having the space to store one of the nicer gas units...plus there's the whole "I'll probably only use it once-twice per year" thing...

Costco has a 3000 psi Simpson for $300...not a terrible price...but the thing is pretty big. They also have a 1700 psi electric unit for about half that price. Lower pressure and lower water volume.
However...buying at Costco brings the "Costco forever warranty" with it...

 

[SKORPI0]

It really depends on your intended usage. BTW, there are HOT and COLD pressure washers too, but are more expensive (usually for commercial use).

http://www.lowes.com/cd_pressure+wa...il-_-SellingTool|Pressure_Washer_Buying_Guide

 

[YBS1]

I have both, I actually prefer the cheap electric one for most uses. I really only get the gas one out now for cleaning the concrete, deck and guttering. The electric might actually be ok for the deck and guttering as well but would take much longer, gas all the way though if you plan to use it for concrete.

 

[mmntech]

It really depends on your intended usage. BTW, there are HOT and COLD pressure washers too, but are more expensive (usually for commercial use).

http://www.lowes.com/cd_pressure+wa...il-_-SellingTool|Pressure_Washer_Buying_Guide

Those 3300psi ones can chip concrete. Quite a bit of power you can squeeze from them.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Volume of water is just as important as PSI for cleaning, and can make the cleaning go a heck of a lot faster. A lot of people get hung up on the PSI; sort of like "this camera has more megapixels." If you're planning on using it once a week, personally, I'd go with a better unit than one of those electric ones, but to each their own. Or, to put it another way, power = the rate at which work is done. The tinier the pressure washer, likely, the less power. Do not be fooled by "our pressure washer saves uses less water because it only uses 0.8 gallons per minute." Because it's going to take 5 times as long to wash with one as it does with a 3gal/min washer.

To build on this, some units report "cleaning power" which is PSI * GPM. Higher is generally better.

If you go with a high pressure unit (anything over 2500 psi), either get one with a triplex pump (adjustable pressure) or if you have to go axial cam make darn sure you use the right head. I once rented a 3300 PSI unit and used the wrong cleaning head when cleaning my deck. The pressure was so high it ripped 1/2" gouges into the decking in a fraction of the second. Be careful!

 

[evident]

i posted a similar thread in the garage. i think i'm just going to rent one or hire someone when i need my house cleaned. to get anything decent will cost upwards of $8-900 it seems. all of the cheaper stuff seem to crap out after a season or two. I was pretty close to getting that $300 unit at costco that has a honda engine, simspon brand i think, but all of the other parts crap out quickly and its tough to get replacements for them.

 

[NetWareHead]

Use an electric if you need to work indoors or enclosed space

 

[rsutoratosu]

I might just get a small cheap electric one for personal use.

My other neighbor offer my neighbor and I to use his gas one. I'm assuming he's got a heavy duty one that isn't good for washing cars.. probably too powerful off the chart above.

Thanks !

 

[mrrman]

Simoniz crapped out twice for me, bought a small Karcher, so far so good...didnt want gas units since I dont want to store gas in my shed.

 

[BoomerD]

i posted a similar thread in the garage. i think i'm just going to rent one or hire someone when i need my house cleaned. to get anything decent will cost upwards of $8-900 it seems. all of the cheaper stuff seem to crap out after a season or two. I was pretty close to getting that $300 unit at costco that has a honda engine, simspon brand i think, but all of the other parts crap out quickly and its tough to get replacements for them.

For no more often than I NEED one, it really doesn't make sense to drop a bundle on buying a GOOD unit...so I think I'm going to stick with renting one when I need one...for now. If my needs change, then MAYBE I'll buy one.