Water tank hose hook up?

F

FiveOhMustang

New member
Is it possible to hook up a garden type hose to a water tank instead of using a pressure washer unit????? I jsut got my 90 gallon tank in the mail and was wondering if it will work with a garden hose instead of me goin out and buying the pressure unit???
 
Sure it'll work.... you will, however, be limited to the Universal Laws of Gravity and Physics ;)
 
You can get 12v water pumps for the tanks to power the water hose. Check with places that sell supplies for RV homes, etc. Also check with farmer supply houses as they will often carry water tanks and accessories for them.

I personally would suggest going with a pressure washer though. Worth the investment as you'll get a lot more pressure out of it than a small water pump. You can get by with using a cheap pressure washer not meant to suck water from a tank by using the above mentioned water pump to pump water to the pressure washer. The high end pressure washers will be able to handle pumping water from a tank though.
 
I would definately get a pressure washer. Even with a 12v utility pump, your water force will be limited significantly.
 
Not to bring up an old subject, but, If I have a water tank and just hook up a regular pressure washer... example... a Karcher 2400 psi model, would I then be able to just run the hose from the tank to the pressure washer with no problems? What I'm trying to say is, will the pressure washer draw water from the tank sufficiently?
 
Some pressure washer pumps are designed to have a minimum psi and gpm going into them in order to pressurize the water. You may run the risk of burning up the pump on the pw if it is designed like that. Like Intel said most "higher end" or expensive pw's have direct drive pumps that will be able to handle the water coming out of the tank via gravity.
 
gentletouch, thanks for the reply. would you be able to suggest a particular model? if not, no worries, i will definitely continue to search.
J.D.
 
seems like it would be better to just buy the whole unit, meaning, pressure washer and tank from a vendor instead of trying to piece something together.
 
As long as the water from the tank gravity feeds into the pump, there should be no problem whatsoever with using any type of piston pump -- provided you do not run it dry. It is also not a bad idea to have the bypass feed directly back into the tank as opposed to it re-circulating through the pump. If, however you plan on using the pump as a suction type device and expect it to feed the water, you can and probably will, prematurely burn out the pump.
 
The Excel line of pressure washers from Home Depot are good. I use the XR2500, which is a 2500 psi. It has a maintenance free pump that is covered in a plastic shell, so I think it cannot be used with just a straight hose to a water tank without a pump inbetween to give me that psi feeding into the pump. I would suggest getting a pw with an exposed direct drive pump. Those are the ones you have to oil with non-detergent oil.
 
Thanks for the replies, I certainly do appreciate it. This is all starting to make sense... I think.
 
It all kinda depends upon the volume of the pump (i.e. GPM), how dirty the vehicle is, and your usage. My pump flows at 1.7GPM @ 1500PSI -- I average 5 gallons per vehicle (this does not include filling the soap bucket). With a 90 gallon tank, I think 6-8 cars would be a good guess.
 
dr detail, are you using a gas pressure washer or an electric? sorry if this is a stupid question, just wasn't sure.
J.D.
 
Gas -- and not that ya asked, but it's 10 years old and still working like a champ (knock on wood). FYI -- My first water tank was a 55 galllon plastic drum turned on it's side, had the screw in bung that was tapped for a spigot. It cost me the whopping sum of $2.50. I would get 6 washes out of it.
 
How well did that work Dr D? One of my suppliers always has empty 55 gallon drums and I was wondering about that the other day.
 
so if i get a 55 gallon drum it can be used as a water tank? no metal i imagine. but plastic . with a little mcgiver action i can make one of those big whit or blue barrels a water tank?
 
Yeah, it worked out fine, and served it's purpose well. You lay them on their side. One end (what was the top) has two bungholes and the screw in plug centers are pre-tapped for standard pipe thread (a little cutting will be needed only on one). Add a spigiot, some hose, 4 eyebolts, two 24" pieces of 2x4's as "chocks" and a pair of ratcheting tie-downs -- if you can't figure out the rest, I'll sell ya some plans for the low cost of $2.95 + postage. :lmfao

You will need to loosen one of the plugs prior to firing up the pressure washer to eleminate a vacuum in the tank -- as well as tighten it up afterwards to prevent slosh. Which one to loosen is included with the plans. :rolling
 
Wow what a money saver huh . im gettin the drift of what your basic plan is . I know theses white or blue poly barrels are 10.00 or 13.00 bucks brank new from a manufacturer , They have the holes on the top and are 55gallon. i have everyhtign but a pump from the barrel to the pressure washer. A spigot hooke up with shjortened hose to the inlket on a pressure washer probly wont flow enough water to be able to use it .i will def. need a decent gpm-ing pump ? thanks again
 
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