Looking to get a pressure washer. Want to use it to power wash my vinyl shingles as well as get the mold off the Trex decking. Would I be fine in the the 1800 psi electric powered range or do I need to get into that high 2000 low 3000 psi gas powered unit. Had the vinyl shingles installed about 2 years ago
Not too dirty yet but want to start washing th house every year or two at the most. The north side tend to get mossy if I let it go too long.
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I just bought an 1800 psi. So far everything I have cleaned has looked great
It also feels really good if you spray your finger at point blank range.
I would always opt for more and use it sparingly then get an underpowered one and always feel it was lacking, personally.
I’d go for a gas powered unit in the 2-3000 range.
Don’t spray yourself with it.
Bought a Craftsman gas pressure washer at Sears a couple years ago. All I have to say is don’t get that one!! Piece of junk.
We currently have my father in law’s Craftsman, 3000PSI. It’s horrible – pressure suddenly drops to less than I can spit, it randomly shuts off, and then won’t start back up. When it’s working properly, it’s great, but that’s 25% of the time. I’ll have to borrow my MIL’s, because I can’t justify purchasing one and only having a reason to use it a total of 4 hours/year.
Bought a Craftsman gas pressure washer at Sears a couple years ago. All I have to say is don’t get that one!! Piece of junk.
I bought this one last summer. 2030 PSI. Adjustable power. Love it. It has different attachments, as well as adjustable power. I use it to wash the car with a foam cannon and the car pressure attachment. Then, I use it blast the siding of the house w/o stripping the paint. Then put it on full power to blast the concrete. Works perfectly for every situation.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NBV3LPV/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Whatever you do,do not copy BLeP.
Consider yourself warned.
I would mostly ignore PSI. Look more at GPM, it’s a much better indicator of how useful the washer is.
Look for a pressure washer that pumps the most volume , gpm ( gallons per minute) you dont really need alot of pressure for a house exterior no matter what the surface is. The only time your gonna need more than 2500psi is for flat surfaces ie drive ways ,side walks and pool decks. Also try and find one with a down stream injector.
Fill a five gallon bucket with pool chlorine (not clorox or bleach from the giant box store) then add 1/3 bottle of gain ultra dish soap. ( lavender works best to mask chlorine odor). Run this mixture through the injector and spray one wall at a time from the bottom to top. If its a sunny side , keep your section small so your chem wont dry before rinsing. Wait about 2min and then rinse well from the top down. You can buy a pump up sprayer and fill it with 100% chlorine for use on the stuborn areas. If you cant find a pwasber with an injector you can mix your batch in a pump up sprayer and apply it to the house.In this case wet the house first so when you go to spray your chem it will spread out alot easier.
Make sure you flush what ever you use for your chem delivery with water . The chlorine can eat the metal springs up pretty fast.
If your only doing this a couple times a year youd be better off just renting one from a big box store or tool rental.
Pressure wsshers are like boats . They dont last at all unless your constantly using them. Almost all the rentals are 3000 psi 5.5gpm. Which is perfect for regular home maintenance.
An 1800 PSI Karcher works for everything I need it for - cleaning vinyl fencing (which doesn’t look dirty until you wash a panel and see how clean it looks in comparison to the rest), patio pavers, and blasting grime of the vinyl “roof” of the kids’ swingset annually. I’ve used it to strip the wood members of the swingset for re-staining, and cement steps. It came with attachments for car washing too but I’ve never used them.
Because of the plastic construction it does feel a little cheap, and you have to be careful not to strip the threads on the plastic connectors.
https://www.amazon.com/Karcher-Electric-Power-Pressure-Washer/dp/B01BMETFC6
I borrowed a neighbour’s gas-powered washer a few years ago, before I bought the Karcher, and it worked really well but was overkill for what I needed it for.
The pump on my gas one gives me nothing but trouble. My fault for buying a cheaper one. If you buy gas one get one with a name brand reliable pump. I think for most home use short of stripping paint an electric one would work fine.
I’ve had a lot of experience here. Honestly, you’re in a no win situation. Do not buy an electric pressure washer. They just don’t have enough GPM, which, as others have stated here, is what really matters.
The mid-range gas units are great and will do whatever you need them to do (and in much less time). However, you can’t just use them a couple times a year or they will crap out on you. Trust me on this. You have to find a reason to use any gas powered tool on a regular basis. Maybe just fire it up every other weekend, even if you have no need.
https://www.pressurewashersdirect.com/power/2900-psi--generac-pressure-washers.html
Generac 2,900 PSI - I use it almost every week at the motocross track and then again when I get home. I’ve had it two years and the only problem I’ve had was the rope broke. This was due to I use it so much the aluminum hole on the pull was getting sharp causing the rope to break. New rope and a file and I was back in business.
https://www.pressurewashersdirect.com/power/2900-psi--generac-pressure-washers.html
Generac 2,900 PSI - I use it almost every week at the motocross track and then again when I get home. I’ve had it two years and the only problem I’ve had was the rope broke. This was due to I use it so much the aluminum hole on the pull was getting sharp causing the rope to break. New rope and a file and I was back in business.
Lol, I’ve got an 11 year old craftsman 1.8gpm works every weekend washing Florida motocross dirt. She purrs like a singer sowing machine . Sometimes I even throw some premix in her and she runs just fine. I clean for a living though and use machines the are 9 gpm 25 Hp . My current engines have over 2000 hrs on them and the pumps themselves have well over 10,000.
I would always opt for more and use it sparingly then get an underpowered one and always feel it was lacking, personally.
I’d go for a gas powered unit in the 2-3000 range.
Don’t spray yourself with it.
Can’t go wrong with a Troy-Bilt. I think the 2800 is still on sale at Lowes.
https://www.pressurewashersdirect.com/power/2900-psi--generac-pressure-washers.html
Generac 2,900 PSI - I use it almost every week at the motocross track and then again when I get home. I’ve had it two years and the only problem I’ve had was the rope broke. This was due to I use it so much the aluminum hole on the pull was getting sharp causing the rope to break. New rope and a file and I was back in business.
Lol, I’ve got an 11 year old craftsman 1.8gpm works every weekend washing Florida motocross dirt. She purrs like a singer sowing machine . Sometimes I even throw some premix in her and she runs just fine. I clean for a living though and use machines the are 9 gpm 25 Hp . My current engines have over 2000 hrs on them and the pumps themselves have well over 10,000.
Florida motocross dirt? I didn’t think they had dirt in Florida, only sand? Not that it rains much in CO but this was last week before the national race at Thunder Valley. Needless to say my 50 gallon drum of water didn’t last too long. Nothing like 40 lbs of clay mud stuck to your bike.
https://www.pressurewashersdirect.com/power/2900-psi--generac-pressure-washers.html
Generac 2,900 PSI - I use it almost every week at the motocross track and then again when I get home. I’ve had it two years and the only problem I’ve had was the rope broke. This was due to I use it so much the aluminum hole on the pull was getting sharp causing the rope to break. New rope and a file and I was back in business.
Lol, I’ve got an 11 year old craftsman 1.8gpm works every weekend washing Florida motocross dirt. She purrs like a singer sowing machine . Sometimes I even throw some premix in her and she runs just fine. I clean for a living though and use machines the are 9 gpm 25 Hp . My current engines have over 2000 hrs on them and the pumps themselves have well over 10,000.
Florida motocross dirt? I didn’t think they had dirt in Florida, only sand? Not that it rains much in CO but this was last week before the national race at Thunder Valley. Needless to say my 50 gallon drum of water didn’t last too long. Nothing like 40 lbs of clay mud stuck to your bike.
Yep clay sucks to clean off. Only clay tracks around here are on the north end of the state unless it’s been imported. I can idle down my pressure washer and rinse the dirt/ sand off the bike with just a mist lol.