How big is big enough. When is a PW too big?
Son has a little 1.2 gpm 1500 psi washer, said it took him 3 days to clean his driveway and deck of moss (PNW filmy type surface moss, never had any like that in the midwest) last year.
So took over my MTM 4000psi, 4GPM 11HP Honda washer for him to use, he had 1/2 the drive finished before the GKs let me get away.
The question that occured to me was should I watch for a bigger pressure washer? Probably never use anything bigger than the 4×4 washer on a ladder or roof as even pulling the trigger on that scares me when on a ladder.
Saw a Navy crew using a 15 GPM, 12kpsi washer on the side of a carrier once, 4 man crew to operate it. Anybody ever used one that big?
Replies
The "Big Fixes" program on TV recently did a show on a complete re-fit of one of the Disney cruise ships. They showed a guy using a pressure washer to strip tight paint from the steel hull with a pressure washer.
I think they claimed it has 30,000 psi.
I just upgraded from a 2500/2.5 to a 3300/3.2 gal a few weeks ago. It makes a huge difference. With the smaller one, it seemed like a turbo nozzle didn't do much good.
With the bigger one, a turbo nozzle is a wonderful thing.
We used to use waterblasters all the time underwater. Removing Conc. coating from p/l's. Shell and barnacles from rig legs for NDT testing etc.
The pressure was 22K-26K.
We had so many injection injuries --industry wide, that they started making the nozzle 6' away from the trigger and the trigger took a healthy grip to keep actuated.
Your forearm would start throbbing after about 60 sec. of work, so you would wrap the trigger with rope and grab the nozzle 6" from the end..... so much for safety.
As far as lt commercial pw's go. I've got an elec. set up at my camp--hard wired and hard plumbed. 3hp motor works great for lt. duty stuff. 2K psi but less gpm then my cart mounted one.
I've never tried the turbo nozzles or specialty cleaning attachments.
My cart mounted one sounds similar to yours 3500-4000 psi...13hp Honda. Works great for my sewer jetter also.
But it hurts my back to load in the truck by myself. Anything bigger would be too much for my needs.
>>"But it hurts my back to load in the truck ...."Agreed.I've begun thinking of ways to get the new beast into the truck without lifting it. I may finally have to do something about a ramp......
Politics is the antithesis of problem solving.
My truck bed is about 6"-8" higher then most P/U's
I use a short ( 6' ) 2x6 or 2x8.
That way I can 'Walk' it up the steep slope in stages, but it's too steep to roll. <45
I'll take it down unassisted most times, but the tires get a good bounce.
Ramp & a 12v cheapo winch from HF.
I mounted that goofy winch on the trailer to make it a dump trailer, also doubles to help pull heavy items onto it.
Got a friend who has a cheapo winch set up thats adaptable to fit the receiver hitch OR the post opening on the side of the bed.
He uses it to set and rig outboards. Has a boom set up made of 1.5" tubing
A 300hp Yamaha stresses it pretty bad. I didn't think it would last a month.... been going strong for over 10 years.
Pressure or flow?
I have a Crapsman 5hp 2,200 psi 1.8gpm it's great for washing the car & bike.
I built a 5hp 220v electric 385psi that will flow about 27gpm that works better for the large areas & quick, but will not take the black algea off.