Pressure Washer Suggestions.....

[Edward Walsh]

Hi Everyone:

I have been thinking about getting in the near future a Pressure Washer to clean the Prius plus other things around the yard - house, driveway, etc.

With that being said, I have seen in stores and online both Electric and Gas Pressure Washers. Having never used one I am not sure the pros/cons of each. Obviously, from a 'eco' friendly standpoint the Electric wins. However, as I said, not knowing much on this subject I am concerned if they would hold up. As well, can either handle hot water going through them? Getting the build up of 'road film' off with cold water doesn't seem to work well at some of the local spray shops that use cold water only.

So, if anyone presently owns or has owned a Pressure Washer, be it Electric or Gas, could you take a moment to share your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you in advance!

Take care.....

[JkRbbt]

Hi Ed,

I've had a small electric for a long time. Easy to store. No motor to maintain. The darn thing is useful for many things like the driveway, patio/deck, fences, etc. And a pressure wand is great if you have a bunch o' mud on your vehicle, many large bugs, or bird droppings! But I have given up on it for "film"! For that, I have found that the ol' bucket and mitt are still king! Good luck!

Taking delivery in a couple of days,

Loren (a.k.a. Red/ III/V/Nav :>))

[JRitt]

The electric ones are good for 95% of the work around the house like siding, decks, side walks, driveway. The higher pressure gas ones are better for concrete work but you need to be careful around wood. They will eat into the softer pulp between the rings of wood and give you ridges (just keep it 12" away from the wood).

[topkick]

Originally Posted by JRitt

The electric ones are good for 95% of the work around the house like siding, decks, side walks, driveway. The higher pressure gas ones are better for concrete work but you need to be careful around wood. They will eat into the softer pulp between the rings of wood and give you ridges (just keep it 12" away from the wood).

I have a gasoline power washer and you are right about watching the presure when using them. The one I have has 4 presure nozzels. I used the wrong one a year ago and blew a couple of small holes in the clear bra that I had on my car at that time.

They are nice and the presure is critical but managable.

[a64pilot]

Go with the small electric, and rent a big, at least 12HP gas one if you really need it. But be careful, you can do a lot of damage even with the small ones. None of them will ever clean as well as a wash mitt. They are great for knocking baked on mud from dirt bikes etc., but will not get that film off. None that I am aware of consumer wise are capable of dealing with hot water, and none that I have found will spray under high pressure soapy water either, to get soapy water, you use a special low pressure nozzle that siphons the soap up a small hose, but you can't have high pressure soapy water. I don't know why, it wouldn't seem to be that had of a thing to do.
Anybody know of one that will spray high pressure soapy water let me know, I want one.

[patsparks]

You can't draw soap up with high pressure because the pressure in the venturi is too high. To put soap through the pump would wreck it. Te idea is to apply soap, allow to soak for a few minutes, it can't work in an instant, then use pressure to remove.
I have seen large electric hot water washers but they have diesel fueled heaters and make some smoke. The pressure these produce could blow your hand off if your not careful.

[Grateful11]

I just bought an 1800psi Karcher and I've used it for like 30 minutes and so far it's great
If you get one be careful with the rotating pinpoint nozzle, it's best for concrete and brick .
It's very quiet and shuts down when you let up on the trigger. I have an older gas model
that I can't get parts for and I didn't want to deal with a gas model again. I had purchased
a cheap off brand electric and proper operation was hit and miss, took it back. The Karcher
was worth the $160 we spent.

[PriusRos]

Originally Posted by Edward Walsh

Hi Everyone:

I have been thinking about getting in the near future a Pressure Washer to clean the Prius plus other things around the yard - house, driveway, etc.

With that being said, I have seen in stores and online both Electric and Gas Pressure Washers. Having never used one I am not sure the pros/cons of each. Obviously, from a 'eco' friendly standpoint the Electric wins. However, as I said, not knowing much on this subject I am concerned if they would hold up. As well, can either handle hot water going through them? Getting the build up of 'road film' off with cold water doesn't seem to work well at some of the local spray shops that use cold water only.

So, if anyone presently owns or has owned a Pressure Washer, be it Electric or Gas, could you take a moment to share your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you in advance!

Take care.....

I have an electric pressure washer and it works fine for cleaning the house siding, driveway, etc. However, I do not recommend using a pressure washer for the car, except maybe if it has some dried-on mud or is really dirty from the weather or driving conditions. I used it to wash my car when I first got it, but I don't think it makes the job any easier or faster.

[PriusRos]

Oh, and btw, make sure your hose, etc. is very firmly attached! Once, I didn't realize that I hadn't screwed it down properly and when I turned on the washer, the thing flew off and narrowly missed breaking my ankle!