Yinzer Moto
Well-known member
Just watched it. Looks like it was some challenging weather.
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General Pressure Washer info/tips/tricks
- Thread starter phreakingeek
- Start date
Just watched it. Looks like it was some challenging weather.
Yinzer Moto
Well-known member
I got one of these Greeworks pressure washers the other day. I only used it once to clean the bikes and it worked well. I like that it only weighs 30 pounds and easily moved around the garage. I wish it did not have a cord on it at all, and I could just plug an extension cord straight in. The pressure hose could use a quick disconnect too. Having to carefully wrap the hose/cord up makes it a bit cumbersome. Beyond that, it makes enough pressure to easily clean the bikes. It still has more than enough pressure to blow some water past a seal and into a bearing, so use caution. I think I might take the frame off of it and make it hang on the wall of the garage, it is so light that having wheels is not necessary.
Pressure and volume are reduced as pipe/tube length increases.
After nearly a decade of pressure washer frustration I finally sat down and spent some time learning about them.
I disliked the high powered gas units because they were rattly, noisy, and always out of gas.
The cheap electrics just broke every two years.
Finally settled on this style. I bought one used, but they can be found new.
1hp electric motor bolted to a triplex pump. You can get them wall mounted or on wheels. I like the wheels to use it around the house.
Pretty much every single part on the thing is replaceable, or rebuildable, there is nothing serious to break. It just works.
Had it for two years now and it’s been the best I’ve ever had.
1500psi is all I’ll ever need around here with the high gpm vs the Cheapo units.
I usually turn it down to a little under 1000 for washing bikes anyways.
I disliked the high powered gas units because they were rattly, noisy, and always out of gas.
The cheap electrics just broke every two years.
Finally settled on this style. I bought one used, but they can be found new.
1hp electric motor bolted to a triplex pump. You can get them wall mounted or on wheels. I like the wheels to use it around the house.
Pretty much every single part on the thing is replaceable, or rebuildable, there is nothing serious to break. It just works.
Had it for two years now and it’s been the best I’ve ever had.
1500psi is all I’ll ever need around here with the high gpm vs the Cheapo units.
I usually turn it down to a little under 1000 for washing bikes anyways.
Hi,
Having worked for Karcher in my past, one of the common faults is with the length of water feed hose going to the machine.
There is a maximum length of water-feed hose for each machine which the retailer should be able to advise you.
Many people will try to take their machine 80 - 100 metres away from the water source ( tap) and this will generally cause the motor in the water-blaster to go "hunting" for the supply. It will surge and pulsate. A better option is to invest in an extra add-on high pressure hose to lengthen the output side. But of course that is additional cost which is why people would rather add more garden hose to the input side but this is not the best practice.
This way you don't need to lift the blaster on to your roof if house cleaning or take the blaster unit right to the full distance down your drive but rather take the hose & gun to the furtherest point and the motor will perform correctly.
Having worked for Karcher in my past, one of the common faults is with the length of water feed hose going to the machine.
There is a maximum length of water-feed hose for each machine which the retailer should be able to advise you.
Many people will try to take their machine 80 - 100 metres away from the water source ( tap) and this will generally cause the motor in the water-blaster to go "hunting" for the supply. It will surge and pulsate. A better option is to invest in an extra add-on high pressure hose to lengthen the output side. But of course that is additional cost which is why people would rather add more garden hose to the input side but this is not the best practice.
This way you don't need to lift the blaster on to your roof if house cleaning or take the blaster unit right to the full distance down your drive but rather take the hose & gun to the furtherest point and the motor will perform correctly.
phreakingeek
Big Ear Inc custom hearing protection provider
Thanks for the info, I always appreciate when someone shares their personal experience and knowledge.
As for my setup, the Granfalls pressure washer comes with 100 feet of high pressure hose on the reel. So far, I have not experienced the surging while using it. That said, I have only run it for about 10-15 minutes at a time.
I used to have surging with my old gas powered pressure washer, but it was much higher psi and gpm...so I would bet that the supply wasn't up to the demand of that pump.
As for my setup, the Granfalls pressure washer comes with 100 feet of high pressure hose on the reel. So far, I have not experienced the surging while using it. That said, I have only run it for about 10-15 minutes at a time.
I used to have surging with my old gas powered pressure washer, but it was much higher psi and gpm...so I would bet that the supply wasn't up to the demand of that pump.
phreakingeek
Big Ear Inc custom hearing protection provider
Made some progress on my bike wash station. Used mostly recycled materials (bought the pond liner). So far i like the way its coming along and looking forward to getting a bike dirty so i can try it out.
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GMK999
Well-known member
Do any of you all have a foam Cannon yet???.. Get one!! if only for the entertainment value.
Anyway be careful even at <1700 psi I managed to corrode my swingers bearings on the YZ.I'm sure the PW was not the only cause, the little bike takes a huge amount of abuse
Foam cannon, foam cannon.. Even sounds fun. LOL
Anyway be careful even at <1700 psi I managed to corrode my swingers bearings on the YZ.I'm sure the PW was not the only cause, the little bike takes a huge amount of abuse
Foam cannon, foam cannon.. Even sounds fun. LOL
phreakingeek
Big Ear Inc custom hearing protection provider
I did this same mod to my foam cannon about a year ago and figured I would post it up in case someone else was having the same issue. With the lower PSI and GPM on the little electric pressure washers, it helps to swap out the foam cannon orifice to go from a thin watery foam to thick foam that stays on and works it's magic on your bike and car. Most foam cannons come with a 1.25mm orifice that work well with the larger gas powered high gpm pressure washers. Switching to a 1.1mm orifice will reduce the water flow and help the cannon generate thicker denser foam.
found a video where a guy shows before/after swapping out the orifice.
found a video where a guy shows before/after swapping out the orifice.
Punkinhead
Well-known member
Has anyone tried one of these undercarriage attachments? I still pay for a car wash occasionally just to wash grime and salt off the underside so one of these would pay for itself in a couple cleanings.
Yinzer Moto
Well-known member
Has anyone tried one of these undercarriage attachments? I still pay for a car wash occasionally just to wash grime and salt off the underside so one of these would pay for itself in a couple cleanings.
I have that exact one. It works well. I do the vehicles a couple times a year. It is strong enough that it knocked a bunch of flaky rust off my work van.
Yinzer Moto
Well-known member
I got one of these Greeworks pressure washers the other day. I only used it once to clean the bikes and it worked well. I like that it only weighs 30 pounds and easily moved around the garage. I wish it did not have a cord on it at all, and I could just plug an extension cord straight in. The pressure hose could use a quick disconnect too. Having to carefully wrap the hose/cord up makes it a bit cumbersome. Beyond that, it makes enough pressure to easily clean the bikes. It still has more than enough pressure to blow some water past a seal and into a bearing, so use caution. I think I might take the frame off of it and make it hang on the wall of the garage, it is so light that having wheels is not necessary.
Quoting myself to update the Greenworks pressure washer. It has an odd behavior, almost like it has air trapped in the pump. It takes 5min of use to clear out. When the air is trapped, the high pressure line will vibrate and jump around. The pressure output will also be low, maybe at about 50%.
FLrider
Well-known member
Position the washer in such a way that the outlet is higher then the inlet. A slight tilt should do. Also run the supply hose to the washer before hooking it up so there is no air in there. Hope this helps..
Yinzer Moto
Well-known member
Thanks, I’ll give that a shot.
Punkinhead
Well-known member
The pump on my 20+ year old Honda powered pressure washer started leaking so I bought a seal kit and rebuilt it a few weeks ago. That didn't stop the leak because the water is coming from where the 2 pump halves meet with no gasket. The surfaces are pitted and just won't seal. But even with the leak it seemed to work OK but a couple hours after rebuilding the pump it stopped making pressure. I'm not sure what the problem is and I'm tired of messing with it so I bought a new Chinese pump off Amazon. I installed it this morning and it seems to work well. So I wasted $35 on a seal kit on the 20 year old pump then spent $80 to buy an entire pump, which I should have done in the first place.
Bill_M
Well-known member
I've discovered that the hoses that shrink when not under pressure don't work very well with a pressure washer... and in general they are garbage. They spring leaks and have lousy output pressure. The only good feature of them is that they shrink to about 1/3 their maximum length, making them easy to store.
One of these days, I'm going to spring for an Ebey hose and reel setup... just never quite been able to drop the cash for that.
One of these days, I'm going to spring for an Ebey hose and reel setup... just never quite been able to drop the cash for that.
I fished one of those Greenworks 1950 psi units out of the dumpster the PO left behind when we bought our VT house. Thing works great, although have the cord is a bit weird, used to gas powered washers. The hose from pump to spool gave way, it was a bit of an ordeal to find the right replacement. Once sorted, I realized the next hose to go would be a wholesale replacement of the spool axle, which uses another short pressure hose between the spindle and the hose lead. considering my investment, which was 25 min of dumpster diving and $25 for a new pump outlet connector, I'll see how long it lasts now. Otherwise a nice little unit. stripped the deck to refinish using it.
