General Pressure Washer info/tips/tricks

[phreakingeek]

So, not real sure where to put this, so I'll throw it into the Workbench thread and see where it ends up.

For folks who don't know what this thing is...it's a wall mounted electric pressure washer with a retractable hose reel with 100 feet of high pressure hose. I saw it advertised on some page and found a couple reviews (sort of looked like people got the unit pre-release...maybe for free) on youtube that were fairly favorable. I like the included features, so I am hopeful I'm not buying into the hype and end up with a POS.

I emailed the support address to confirm that it can be mounted outside and they said that it could. I used some pressure treated 2x4's in the ground as a base and screwed the mounting plate to them. Feels pretty solid so far, but I have yet to pull the 100' of hose out...so we'll see if I need to rethink that idea. Since I am setting up a new bike wash station near my shop, I have to get another 200' of garden hose to hook this up. The actual testing and performance review will be posted in a couple days.

Specs:
Specifications
Model Name
Grandfalls Pressure Washer
Rated Voltage
120V~60Hz

Model Number
p106-g30

Motor
13.5amp(1800w)”

Max. Water
Inlet Temperature
104 F/ 40C

Max Flow
2.1GPM

Max. Pressure
2200 PSI

Hose Length
100ft

Size
23.34”*19.17”*13.89”

Cord length
6ft

UV Resistant
YES

Wall Mounted
YES

Leader Hose
5FT

 

[Yinzer Moto]

I keep seeing it pop up on my FB feed. I am interested in how it work for you. I have a very powerful gas powered pressure washer that is totally overkill for bike washing. I dial it down to 800 psi to keep from damaging bikes.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I use a $99 Ryobi pressure washer. No retractable hose, but pretty good. My only real concern would be the retractable hose durability.

 

[phreakingeek]

I've had a bit of a journey with pressure washers...the Karcher gas pressure washer was great for siding and deck cleaning, but too powerful for bikes. I got a cheapo electric from harbor freight that worked pretty well, but I forgot to winterize it and the water split the pump.

I currently have a small Ryobi electric that has been going strong for a couple years. I normally bring it inside during the winter so it wont freeze. Only issue has been that the GFCI plug failed and I had to replace it with another one. It's a bit of a pain to get it out, pull the power and garden hose, and hook it all up just to wash a bike off. Then take it all apart and put it all away...makes me dread doing it and I put it off until I have 2 or 3 dirty bikes to wash.

So, with the new space I wanted a bike wash station that was all set up and ready to go any time I want to wash a bike. I am going to dig a bit of a depression, line it with pond liner, and build a wood deck over the top. I'll use expanded steel grate over the top so the dirt and water will go right through. I will use straw bales to help filter the run off and I'm sure I'll have to shovel out the dirt a couple times a year. But seems like a decent way to take care of my bikes and any time someone brings a bike by to work on, they can wash it before we get to work.

 

[MVI]

So, not real sure where to put this, so I'll throw it into the Workbench thread and see where it ends up.

If I can make a suggestion , consider to edit the thread title and make it more of general PW title of some sort, for all to post up ideas, tips, and tricks.



To that end, we have two PW in rotation for cleaning duty.



Honda powered with an ALUM chassis for concrete, fence and deck work

First time I used the gas PW on the CRF it made short work of all the stickers that needed removal


then got a little el cheapo 'LECTIC SUNJOE for the bikes and gear. Works perfect for that.

 

[phreakingeek]

Great idea, I've updated the thread title so we can get more content than just my ramblings on one particular PW.

If I can make a suggestion , consider to edit the thread title and make it more of general PW title of some sort, for all to post up ideas, tips, and tricks.

 

[Punkinhead]

I've had a Honda powered pressure washer for years. I need to rebuild the pump this year because a couple gaskets are leaking, but it still works fine. One thing I added a couple years ago was this cheap foam cannon off Amazon and this foam. It's great for washing vehicles. I've read that they don't work well on the lower powered electric pressure washers but you can make them work by changing out the internal orifice with something like this.

 

[Yinzer Moto]

Great idea, I've updated the thread title so we can get more content than just my ramblings on one particular PW.

I am interested in how it works out for you. I would like some type of reel up PW setup.

I got careless with my gas pressure washer once and had it slice the side panel on my bike, it was like I cut it with a knife. I did not know it could be used as a water jet too.

 

[phreakingeek]

That's almost exactly what I did with my plug in Ryobi pressure washer. I added a foam cannon and swapped out the orifice so it works much better. Before, the cannon would go through a lot of soap and didnt really produce much foam...it was kind of a soapy water covering my bike. Now I get nice thick foam that sticks and stays in place for a while.

I did try some simple green and it foamed, but after staining a couple aluminum parts, I decided to switch to another soap. The regular carwash soap was super foamy, but didnt really cut the mud very well. I am currently using the Chemical Guys Tough Mudder soap and it smells good, foams nice, but doesnt seem to do any better at removing dirt/mud than other carwash soaps. Once foamed, you still need to hand wash or it will leave dirt film on your paint.

On my bikes, I use Maxima SC1 after washing to keep all the plastic and rubber in good shape...so the dirt and mud seems to wash off a bit better from the bikes. If I'm out of SC1, I've used some regular silicone spray and it seems to work just as well, but doesnt have that awesome SC1 cherry smell.

I've had a Honda powered pressure washer for years. I need to rebuild the pump this year because a couple gaskets are leaking, but it still works fine. One thing I added a couple years ago was this cheap foam cannon off Amazon and this foam. It's great for washing vehicles. I've read that they don't work well on the lower powered electric pressure washers but you can make them work by changing out the internal orifice with something like this.

 

[Punkinhead]

I am currently using the Chemical Guys Tough Mudder soap and it smells good, foams nice, but doesnt seem to do any better at removing dirt/mud than other carwash soaps. Once foamed, you still need to hand wash or it will leave dirt film on your paint.

I agree with you - I don't know that the foam cleans any better than regular soap, but it sure is cool covering the vehicle in foam.

 

[phreakingeek]

I finally hooked up enough hoses to reach my Grandfalls pressure washer. I used an extension cord for power as I havent installed the outlet yet to that side of the shop...will get to that one of these days.

I ran the water for what seemed like 10 minutes until it stopped spitting and blowing air...figured it was pretty well purged. I started up the Grandfalls and it was louder than I expected. Granted it's a 2200psi and my previous plug-in PW's were 1600ish psi. Just as a test I started cleaning up my utility trailer and I'm not gonna lie, it sucked. I started to think I got totally suckered by the ads and youtube videos...or maybe I just got a lemon. The motor sounded like it was working hard, but the actual water coming out the wand was so low that when i put my hand in the spray, it was pretty pathetic. After about 10 minutes the spray was looking better and the dirty film on the trailer fenders was actually coming off. It kept getting stronger and stronger until it was full on blasting and no way I was going to put a hand in that spray.

I pulled out the entire 100' of pressure hose and it made it all the way around the jeep in the driveway...washed the undercarriage and fenders, never dropped pressure the whole time I was running it after the initial low pressure. The retraction on the hose was a little slow and kind of stopped about 10' short, but a quick pull of maybe 10' off the reel and it retracted all 20' back onto the reel. It has a hose management arm that moves back anf forth to keep it organized as its winding but looks kinda flimsy. I suspect that may be the first thing to have an issue in the future.

So, took a bit to get it up to pressure, but seemed to work well once it did.

 

[Yinzer Moto]

I finally hooked up enough hoses to reach my Grandfalls pressure washer. I used an extension cord for power as I havent installed the outlet yet to that side of the shop...will get to that one of these days.

I ran the water for what seemed like 10 minutes until it stopped spitting and blowing air...figured it was pretty well purged. I started up the Grandfalls and it was louder than I expected. Granted it's a 2200psi and my previous plug-in PW's were 1600ish psi. Just as a test I started cleaning up my utility trailer and I'm not gonna lie, it sucked. I started to think I got totally suckered by the ads and youtube videos...or maybe I just got a lemon. The motor sounded like it was working hard, but the actual water coming out the wand was so low that when i put my hand in the spray, it was pretty pathetic. After about 10 minutes the spray was looking better and the dirty film on the trailer fenders was actually coming off. It kept getting stronger and stronger until it was full on blasting and no way I was going to put a hand in that spray.

I pulled out the entire 100' of pressure hose and it made it all the way around the jeep in the driveway...washed the undercarriage and fenders, never dropped pressure the whole time I was running it after the initial low pressure. The retraction on the hose was a little slow and kind of stopped about 10' short, but a quick pull of maybe 10' off the reel and it retracted all 20' back onto the reel. It has a hose management arm that moves back anf forth to keep it organized as its winding but looks kinda flimsy. I suspect that may be the first thing to have an issue in the future.

So, took a bit to get it up to pressure, but seemed to work well once it did.

Do you think the hose might have been flattened on the reel, and restricting flow? It worked its self out after 10 min?

 

[phreakingeek]

I didnt see any of the high pressure hose that looked out of shape or deformed, so if I had to guess, there was probably bubbles in the hose...had to bleed all of that out before the pressure would be able to build up over 100' of hose. Kind of like bleeding brakes, that air compresses too much to build up pressure until it's cleared out.

 

[Rectaltronics]

So, interesting thing, on my stroll yesterday (in Seoul right now) I happened upon a business called IcePower.

They were using dry ice under pressure to blast the dirt off a Daelim Daystar.

Which to me seems a bit extravagant/spendy considering a current Daystar is like having half a Kawi 450 LTD circa 1985.

The racket was awful by the way.

I found an article on the subject:

What Is A Dry Ice Power Washer? - BackyardWorkshop.com

If you were looking for an environment-friendly, cost-effective alternative to sandblasting for a job a pressure washer can’t handle, then a dry ice power washer may be the solution. Dry ice power washing is a form of media pressure blasting like a sandblaster, soda blaster or pebble blaster...

www.backyardworkshop.com

 

[Yinzer Moto]

So, interesting thing, on my stroll yesterday (in Seoul right now) I happened upon a business called IcePower.

They were using dry ice under pressure to blast the dirt off a Daelim Daystar.

Which to me seems a bit extravagant/spendy considering a current Daystar is like having half a Kawi 450 LTD circa 1985.

The racket was awful by the way.

I found an article on the subject:

What Is A Dry Ice Power Washer? - BackyardWorkshop.com

If you were looking for an environment-friendly, cost-effective alternative to sandblasting for a job a pressure washer can’t handle, then a dry ice power washer may be the solution. Dry ice power washing is a form of media pressure blasting like a sandblaster, soda blaster or pebble blaster...

www.backyardworkshop.com

They use dry ice in home renovations. Usually if there is smoke/fire damage. It does a good job of removing the top layer of damaged wood so it no longer smells. Ventilation is important because excessive CO2 can build up.

 

[MVI]

Channged the oil in the GX200 Honda motor, and the CAT pump yesterday. CAT Pump "requires" special oil.

Cheapest place in town was HD $12.99 for 21 oz. Rocketman Bezos wanted $15.88

Pump only took 13oz,

 

[Yinzer Moto]

Channged the oil in the GX200 Honda motor, and the CAT pump yesterday. CAT Pump "requires" special oil.

Cheapest place in town was HD $12.99 for 21 oz. Rocketman Bezos wanted $15.88

Pump only took 13oz,

Luckily, it rarely needs to be changed if we are just using it for home use. I put an hour meter on my pressure washer the other day to help track that. I was just doing it yearly but I think that was overkill when my pressure washer might average 20min per week of use through the year.

 

[Oldtrialer]

Luckily, it rarely needs to be changed if we are just using it for home use. I put an hour meter on my pressure washer the other day to help track that. I was just doing it yearly but I think that was overkill when my pressure washer might average 20min per week of use through the year.

If you came to Candytown today, it would have been more than 20min.

 

[Yinzer Moto]

If you came to Candytown today, it would have been more than 20min.

That is why I was not there.

 

[Oldtrialer]

That is why I was not there.

I'm sure Jim will fill you in. Posted short video in trials.