Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Thinking ahead to spring, wondering about buying hubby a power washer. What advice can you guys give me on what to look for, decent brands, etc. I do not want to break the bank. It would be used for things like washing the house, deck, front walkway. Not sure what other uses it might have. House is a 2 story colonial, we live on a hill so one area is about 2 1/2 stories about ground when you add in the foundation that is above ground there. Wouldn't something with as small a footprint as can be had for it's size.

Thanks again for helping me out!

Sandy

Sandy,

Man is your husband lucky!!!

I do not know a lot about pressure washer brands and such, but I would not recommend anything under a 2000 or 2200 psi model.  The electric types that I have seen (and own) in the 1300-1800 psi range were power washers because it said so on the box...

I bought mine used from a guy I knew who was leaving the country so it only cost me $20 bucks.  I think it would cost me more than that to have the trash man take it away so it too is in the shed...

Heck, my wife even thinks it sucks....

Also, your husband needs to be very careful when washing siding, as it is easy for a pressure washer being sprayed from the ground (or at the wrong angle) to blast water under the siding.  Depending on the homes construction you can end up with wet interior walls or wet inside the walls.  (that is, unless you use my pressure washer!)

..I mean really lucky...

I hope this helps,

Walt 

Hi Sandy,

If you really want a great brand pressure washer with an excellent and quiet engine, get yourself the Troy-bilt 2,500 PSI model powered by the Honda OHV 5 HP.  I purchased mine at Lowes for about $299.00 last summer.  This is all you will ever need.  I purchased this model last year, not so much for the Troy-bilt name, but due to it being powered by a Honda engine.  When you shop for a piece of equipment like this, you'll notice that most of the spray wands and pressure pumps are basically the same.  Some of the Sears Craftman models also have a cheaper type of hose as well.  I knew that getting one with a Briggs & Stratton engine would have made way too much noise.

I too have a two-story colonel home with a very large slate patio and slate walkways around the house.  This machine powered decades of weathering right off.  I've also used it to clean the engine compartment in our cars, remove brake dust from the wheels too.  As for cleaning our vinyl siding, it was just great.  However, I did purchase a professional 24 foot fiberglass extension wand so I didn't have to use a ladder when doing the house.  These pressure washers produce a great deal of thrust when being used.  I myself felt it would be dangerous being up on a ladder while cleaning the house.  This extension wand was somewhere less than $200.00, but well worth it.  You have to remember, each time you use this machine, it is basically paying for itself.  See how expensive it is to get someone to come to your home to do any of these jobs and you'll see what I mean.  Best part about this model is that it is very light in weight.  It is extremely easy to roll around and even easier if you wish to lift it up and store it in a basement for the winter.

If you want a great pressure washer, and you listen to one thing I'm saying, get one that is Honda powered.

Guess I left something out. We don't have vinyl siding. We have cedar siding that we re-stained a lighter color last year. When it was dark brown, the house looked small, but we had no issues with stuff on the house. Now that we lightened it to a tan color, we get mildew on the front side of the house. We live on a mountain with tree cover on two sides. The front of our home doesn't see direct light so lo and behold we started to get these spots last year. I was able to hang out a window to clean some of them, but don't care to do it again. Hence the power washer for the husband.   :) 

Thanks for the advice! Will check out the options you have given me. I want a decent machine, but don't want to start stripping stain from my home. Can soemthing like this be used effectively to wash outside windows or will it just leave major streaking?

Sandy

Sandy,

Power washers can be used on cedar siding, however your huband needs to be extremely careful not to put the wand too close to the siding, otherwise it will leave permanent gouges in the wood, uneveness in the stain, and your home will "never look the same".

As far as windows, I am not sure.  It can take the dirt off; although I don't know if you'll get a streak free shine without the squeege.

Walt

Walt wrote:

   Do you think the  Windex that can be connected to a hose would work in a power washer  without causing harm ?

Look into Home Depot . They have several models. Look at the middle of the line  homeowner/proffesional. It is powered by a Honda engine. I believe it is a 5 hp. I bought it and  I am very happy with it. I am in similar situation. Washes house VERY well, walkway, etc.... . Works great on wood.  Hmmm... I think it was made by Excell. The Honda engine is why I bought it.

Hi...


Mildew on siding...

"Can soemthing like this be used effectively to wash outside windows or will it just leave major streaking?"


Do no expect a power washer to remove the mildew spots completely... this usually takes scrubbing by hand then washing off...
I tried it on vinyl siding... black spots remained... had to scrub by hand...

Power washers take off the "big" stuff... not the fine dirt film... so windows won't be totally clean...

Ever wash a vehicle at a quarter car wash with the power hand-held wand ?  Big dirt goes bye-bye... the film of dirt has to be removed  by hand washing... then spraying...

An electric washer may meet your needs...

Dave...

patsfan wrote:

Hi Patsfan,

That is an interesting question.  When I originally purchased my pressure washer, I also picked up several one gallon solutions, one for washing the house and the other for washing the car.  As you may know, these solutions will only siphon to the nozzle using the low pressure nozzle.  Even so, these machines still tend to use huge amounts of it to the point it wasn't economical for me to keep purchasing them.  As with all things, the manufacturers frown on using any type of solution other than what is considered to be made for the pressure washer pump.  I can't say if Windex or the like would hurt the components that make up the pump, but if you find out dfferently, let us know.   What I would suggest if you find you want to use Windex, just make sure you run a good amount of regular water through the pump afterwards.  I myself would also look at the cost of what a gallon of Windex costs as opposed to a gallon of pressure washer cleaning solution. 

Sandy,

I have a Sears 6 HP witha Briggs Intek Engine rated at 2350 PSI, quite frankly I do not recommend this unit. It has a very poor functioning solution dispensing system, comes out more a stream than a spray. Spent hours  reading the manual and adjusting  but got no results. I thought perhaps I had a bad unit but I spoke with a friend who has the same unit,  his behaves the same. It's about 4 years old now so maybe the newer ones are better, but I sure as heck wouldn't buy another Sears.

Walt was correct in stating that your husband should not get too close to the cedar with the wand, it will gouge the wood since cedar is very soft. I learned the hard way, have several gouges in my cedar trellis structure. Way too deep for a sander to remove.

I have a Karcher 2400 psi with a 5HP Honda GC.  I've been pleased with mine through 2 years but there are an alarming number bad reviews on the web on Karchers so I won't recommend it.  The Honda 5HP is nice but sometimes prone to surging until completely warmed up and vibrates some under load.  I'd say the Briggs Intek on my snowblower runs nicer.   I'd stay away from the L-head vertical shaft motors like the Briggs Quantum - loud! 

They Troy-Bilt brand you see at Lowes is made by Briggs & Stratton Power Products (read the fine print on the ID tag)  and some models do have Honda motors. Go figure that!    -Bob

The one I have in my shed is a Karcher.  I haven't read any reviews, but it doesn't work well at all.

Walt 

I have an excell(made by devilbiss) PW with a briggs motor on it.  Yup it is loud, but that's what hearing protection is for..  Cleans like the dickens tho' :)  I mix a fairly strong solution of simple green and use it to clean our vinyl sided house of mildew all the time, works great(and what's nice about SG is it won't kill plants or grass).  Of course the mildew comes back, cause the trees shade the house.  The only criticism i have of the thing is that after around 30 or 40 hours of use, i noticed motor oil everywhere along the bottom of the non carb side of the engine and some on the pump unit.  After checking, i found that the valve cover bolts were very loose(barely hand tight)  snugged'm down a bit used for 8 hours and all is well, no more oil leaky.

For my uses (cleaning a car and back deck) an electric unit would be better than gas (because of storage and noise, mostly). I have heard that the Karcher electric units do not hold up, but that the Sistema electrics, built in Italy and with a lot of metal parts, are much better. Anyone using one?

I used an electric model at a boatyard last year, 1700 psi and 2gpm. It worked fine on our boat. But when I looked into it - $600.

I was just at Home Depot and the 5hp Honda powered Excello is $388. They had a less-expensive model with a Briggs & Stratton.

I got me a Wal-mart special. lol It's only 2000 psi but it takes care of the light work. Only paid 150.00 for it new

I also have a 1700 lb. pressure, electric model---works find for washing the car or truck or washing down the house.  One problem I have is occasionally it will start a cycle of doing nothing when I pull the trigger.  Called the service hotline and a lady told me what to do.  Seems the water in our area has chemicals that build up and causes the micro switches to malfunction.   The remedy---pour some vineger into the pump let it sit for a spell, flush it out and it will work like a dream.  States to prevent this, after each use pour some cooking oil into the pump.   Tried it and it works every time----Wish all of you the best and may God bless you now and always--Will