pressure washer! how did i clean without it?

[joyriide1113]

friday night i swung by homedepot and picked up a 1500psi pressure washer by "husky". its electric with a pretty long electrical cord. and a hose that extends the distance of my car.


at first i bought it mainly for wheel/tire/well use seeing as i always looked at pressure washers as big concrete writing machines that would take the paint right off. but this 1500 psi washer wasnt scary at all.

it came in a 3 foot tall box and measures only 22inches. the 1500psi rating is for when u use the straight jet tip setting, but with the wide angle setting, it feel more like a really strong mist.

the benefit to this machine it that the flat angle tip allows yo to completely sweep away dirt, where as a hose gun gives a cone shaped spray.

my first use for this machione was on wheels. just by giving it a rinse with the pressure cleaner, 95% of the BD on my wheels and tires came off. this also do to the fact that i have sealed my wheels with poorboys wheelsealant and used Adams VRT to dress my tires. all this thanks to the flat constant spray of the pressure washers tip.

this made clean up of my wheels a million times faster and more efficient as i used less effort, less water, and less time.

seeing as the pressure on the machine with a wide angle tip is very underpower i went ahead and used it also on my paint to sorta sweep away dirt prior to washing. this , in combination with a slick sealant/wax made cleaning a breeze.

something i did notice about this underpowered pressure washer was that it doesnt make the traditional sound of blasting water against the paint like a hose does. very quite if u mute out the sound of the pressure washers machine blaring. making me feel more comfortable about using it on paint, seeing as its worrys me away fromt thinking its gonna damage the clear.

this post was mainly written to express my content with this machine which i presummed at firstto be very dangerous.

the 1500 max psi of this machine is very underpowered when using a wide tip and is perfect for automotive cleaning. its just perfect. of course precautions should always be taken when using machiines near a vehicles paint.

 

[Member0001]

how much did it cost?

 

[joyriide1113]

a hundred bucks flat.

amazon.com has one listed for 80 bucks that is 1300psi.



update:

im intentionally letting my wheels and car get dirty until saturday. i plan on making a quick video clip with my digi cam (allows me up to 8 minutes depending on my memory card). im soo content with this its ridiculous. i still frown tho on car wash places that make it soo obvious their psi is high that u can hear the water blasting on the paint.

 

[CharlesW]

im intentionally letting my wheels and car get dirty until saturday. i plan on making a quick video clip with my digi cam (allows me up to 8 minutes depending on my memory card). im soo content with this its ridiculous. i still frown tho on car wash places that make it soo obvious their psi is high that u can hear the water blasting on the paint.

It is a very good thing to respect the high pressure washes. I saw a girl remove the clear-coat from the hood of an old Chevy Celebrity in one piece. She put the piece in the back seat to see if her dad could put it back on. I never heard if he could or not.

Are you using just the pressure or have you found a soap that you are happy with?

Charles

 

[joyriide1113]

Are you using just the pressure or have you found a soap that you are happy with?

Charles

what do u mean by soap? i still wash the car normally, it just really takes off the majority of the grime off the paint prior.

ive been using zaino car wash with great results.

 

[CharlesW]

what do u mean by soap?

Soap for the pressure washer. Mine injects soap concentrate into the water stream in the wash/soap mode and uses plain water for the rinse. Soap mode can be either high or low pressure as can the rinse mode.
You are evidently using only the water pressure for your pre-wash.

Charles

 

[Miami_Sunset]

A makita rotary once scared me, Know a pressure washer does. But Joyriide" you seem to make it easy.it it really safe on paint & cars with rock Chips & nicks ?

 

[gatightlines]

I also have the Husky electric pressure washer from Home depot but, mine is the 1750 model. I love to use it when washing my truck. The best feature about it is the fact that the motor is only running while you use it and turns off while you are hand washing. Just make sure that you replace the wand back in the holder instead of dropping it on the ground. I had to have mine replaced under warranty and it took several months for them to get me a new one. You can use soap with mine. You have to turn the wand to the lowest setting and it will siphon the soap. Then turn it up to rinse. I do not believe that this model would last for commercial use but, for the home user it is perfect.

 

[G35stilez]

I told you!!!


I don't know how I lasted without mine either.

 

[Brenton]

For pros out there, using the pressure washer commercially, I have a question: do you go electric or gas? I like electric because it is quiet, trigger response, no exaust inside. But I find it less gutsy, whining when I release the trigger. What do people with a shop washing a handful of cars a day use?

 

[joyriide1113]

Soap for the pressure washer. Mine injects soap concentrate into the water stream in the wash/soap mode and uses plain water for the rinse. Soap mode can be either high or low pressure as can the rinse mode.
You are evidently using only the water pressure for your pre-wash.

Charles

mine doesnt have anything like that. it did tho come with a foaming attachment for soaping up the car. works pretty well for that purpose.

im using the pressure washer for the whole wash. from prewashign to rinsing.

its that great.

mine wouldnt survive commercial use, but for 2 time a week use, its great.

 

[joyriide1113]

A makita rotary once scared me, Know a pressure washer does. But Joyriide" you seem to make it easy.it it really safe on paint & cars with rock Chips & nicks ?

absolutely. with the wide angle setting, its safe enough to clean a car. just dont put it into the jety stream setting as i dont know how stron 1500psi could be on chipped paint.

again, it feels like a strong mist more than anything.

 

[CharlesW]

mine doesnt have anything like that. it did tho come with a foaming attachment for soaping up the car. works pretty well for that purpose.

im using the pressure washer for the whole wash. from prewashign to rinsing.

its that great.

mine wouldnt survive commercial use, but for 2 time a week use, its great.

Thanks.
I have a 6 hp gas powered, 2200 lb unit that I use for cleaning the house, deck, docks, boats, and boat trailer, but I haven't been using for the vehicles. Maybe I should be.

Mine probably would strip paint on the high pressure jet setting. I have only used that when cleaning a deck.

Charles

 

[joyriide1113]

what type of psi would a machine like yours give.

 

[CharlesW]

what type of psi would a machine like yours give.

It's a 6 hp gas powered, 2200 psi, 2 gpm unit. Even with that pressure available, you soon learn how to control what you use.

Charles

 

[jason(england)]

Im using the kranzle 160tst 10-140 bar steplessly adjustable permanent overpressure is 160 bar.
This is a quality unit german made weighs in at 36 kilos hose is on a reel 10 year pump gaurantee.
Its electric I prefere these one less thing to fill up with gas and to be honest the genarator is noisy enough as it is.

for the last few years I did manage with cheaper home units must have done 5 or 6 at least and that was all I could afford back then the diference is astounding it makes the job faster nsaves a lot of wheel work exellent for wheel arches ,with this unit you can also convert it to a sand blaster too.

I purchased it also because I can also clean jcb diggers and patios ,im quoting for a large office car park to be re juvinated too this is work that can be done in the nastier weather which is pretty frequent in the uk.
Check out there site www.kranzle.com they do hoovers etc etc.
A cool thing is the lance is easily unscrewed and this then converts it into a hose pipe so if you want to sheet water off ,or fill buckets no problem.

I wouldnt be able to be mobile with out it and would recomend to any one as the previous posts say they are a great asset enjoy!

Regards.
Jay :goodluck:

 

[matthiasj]

i've got one from Rural King i tink, 1200 psi and 2.75 gpm i think. It works great getting the salt and grim off my car, if i cant wash it. I always keep it at the wide angle setting.

If your using an electric one, at least mine is like this, i have to turn it off after the trigger is off, the motor wont turn off auto. and it will burn it up if i dont turn it off.

 

[Joe's Detail]

What do people with a shop washing a handful of cars a day use?

i do a used car lot twice a week...pressure washing anywhere from 15-20 trucks, no soap used, basically just to get the dust off.....My pressure washer is gas with 2400 psi honda engine (w/ a 50 ft hose) that i purchased from home depot. I keep it on the second to lowest setting and use it right on the paint , i have never had any problems...it does wonders on the wheels (no need for wheel cleaner), tires, and wheel wells.

 

[Joe's Detail]

Mine probably would strip paint on the high pressure jet setting. I have only used that when cleaning a deck.

i don't think i've ever used the highest setting...maybe once just to see what it could, i have never had a need for that much power

 

[Djmigs]

i purchased last month(dec) a pressure washer from home depot small mobile electric p.w it was on specail price for 50 bucks i think it was either 1300 or 1500psi it was some what strong when concentrated but i returned it because it was not strong or did no meet my standard....i think i will save for a gas one....