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[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

My electric pressure washer drives me crazy.

Hose and electric leads inevitably get tangled together.

Surely petrol power would make life more easy.

Not sure if a petrol washer can provide good PSI though.

Any thoughts?

[STEMO]

Be more careful with the hose and lead 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Be more careful with the hose and lead 

I've tried, I really have.

[Nick W]

You don't think a small petrol engine can drive a pump as well as a DC electric motor powered off an extension lead that's plugged into a 13amp socket? 3HP is about the limit for that electric setup; it's easy for an engine.



If your current pressure is a <£500 DIY thing, you're going to find using a petrol one to be more faffing about. Once you step up to a permanently wired/plumbed/fixed to the wall thing you have to consider the actual use to decide whether a petrol one is better.

[Viral_Jim]

IMO I think you're likely to have the opposite issue. Finding a petrol one small enough that it doesn't flay the paint straight off your car 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I don't want to spend too much.

3100PSI....but is this likely to remove the paint from the car as suggested by Jimmy?

https://www.parkerbrand.co.uk/petrol-pressure-jet-washer-6-5hp-engine-3100-psi

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

You don't think a small petrol engine can drive a pump as well as a DC electric motor powered off an extension lead that's plugged into a 13amp socket? 3HP is about the limit for that electric setup; it's easy for an engine.



If your current pressure is a <£500 DIY thing, you're going to find using a petrol one to be more faffing about. Once you step up to a permanently wired/plumbed/fixed to the wall thing you have to consider the actual use to decide whether a petrol one is better. [/size]

I hope to pay much less than this.....

[Doctor Gollum]

What do you currently have?

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

What do you currently have?

A crappy Nilfisk C110 which is about 15 years old.

Not sure how much PSI it can can dish out but it rarely gets all the dirt off.

[Nick W]

I don't want to spend too much.

3100PSI....but is this likely to remove the paint from the car as suggested by Jimmy?

https://www.parkerbrand.co.uk/petrol-pressure-jet-washer-6-5hp-engine-3100-psi

Pressure isn't the only thing you need to consider - water supply is important too.


This is just like the £10 tyre inflators that petrol stations sell, which are advertised as producing 100psi. They do, but there's a good chance it won't actually inflate a flat tyre before it melts. 100psi from a 300l tank inflated by a massive compressor will do the same job in seconds.


That is likely to do a good job of cleaning cars, but like any sub £200 tool its durability probably isn't up to much.

[Rangie]

Not sure what make our pressure washer is but it did a fantastic job on our patio slabs earlier this year, bought it years ago & its hardly been used but looking at the state of the Range Rover it will be called into use this week, because it's been driven over my pals farm every day since before Christmas walking the dogs as our usual walks are being used by dimwits on Christmas holidays who have no idea how to control their dogs.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I don't want to spend too much.

3100PSI....but is this likely to remove the paint from the car as suggested by Jimmy?

https://www.parkerbrand.co.uk/petrol-pressure-jet-washer-6-5hp-engine-3100-psi

Pressure isn't the only thing you need to consider - water supply is important too.


This is just like the £10 tyre inflators that petrol stations sell, which are advertised as producing 100psi. They do, but there's a good chance it won't actually inflate a flat tyre before it melts. 100psi from a 300l tank inflated by a massive compressor will do the same job in seconds.


That is likely to do a good job of cleaning cars, but like any sub £200 tool its durability probably isn't up to much.

Spot on, Nick.

I only get roughly 7 litre/min from the outside tap after doing a bucket test.

The pressure washer I sent a link to pumps 11 litres/min.....so I guess the pump would be on and off 'hunting' as it searches for more water.

My Nilfisk pumps at only 5.2litres/min.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

https://youtu.be/Di7VHmoUSfI?feature=shared

This man explains.

[YZ250]

For what it’s worth, it’s not recommended to use a pressure washer with any more than 1500 PSI for cleaning a car, hence why a Karcher K4 at 130Bar is more than adequate. Definitely don’t use one with more than 2000 PSI max. You could end up damaging the paint and seals if you go for a far more powerful one.
I have two, a Karcher K4 and a K6.91 but I’m guessing that the coiling of the water hose getting caught on the mains lead is the bit annoying you. You could try straightening the water hose and when you’ve finished with it, hang it straight on your garage wall. It’s wrapping the hose around the machine that’s gives them a ‘coiled’ memory. If mine can get hooked on something it will. It could be that it gets hooked on the wash bucket, the pressure washer itself, a flower pot or a wheel, so I sympathise with your anger and annoyance at this happening. 
As Nick has said, it needs to be on the mains water supply. If connected to an outside tap from a gravity fed toilet pipe it won’t keep up and will be constantly trying to regain pressure.

[Doctor Gollum]

Also have a K4 and it will chip off loose laquer if you get too close, but equally it's man enough to get the patios cleaned