I'm thinking about buying a small pressure Washer Sorting like a Black Decker PW1300 ( not necessarily that one) They run about $80 to $150, I'm looking for something to Clean the patio maybe yard furniture, nothing like power washing a house. Dose anyone have any experience with them? or suggestion ?
I have a 1500 psi electric from Home Depot that I use to clean my pool filters. It works fine and I have no complaint. Since the washer has a pressure switch instead of a bypass, I am also considering tossing the housing, changing the hose input to 1/2" NPT, hanging it on the garage wall and leaving it permanently hooked up. I'd put in a ball valve at the water connection just to keep the pressure switch from working. The only problem I forsee is getting a longer hose than the 20' one that comes with it. I tried a few others, but the hose adapter is some weird size.
I like the idea of having a small pressure washer instantly available for washing the car, etc., without the hassle of dragging out the hose and making the connections.
Any suggestions?
Nonnymus
I didn't think about one for cleaning the pool filters.I have to swing buy Home Crapo and check one out.
YES!
Go easy at first. It is easy to get up too close, and get too much of a high pressure spray on there. I still have marks on my concrete where the spray nozzle took off more than it should have, and left tracks.
Use the diffuser. That is, the thing that makes the spray come out in a flat plane instead of like a straight stream. Wet what you want to clean, and let it soak in. The second pass will knock stuff loose better that way.
Watch painted of sensitive surfaces. It will definitely leave marks on cars, and I consider them worthless for anything but the first soaking, a little washing, and the final rinse. They are far too rough to use to actually clean the car, and I have never used one that it didn't leave streaks. They are good on tires, the undercarriage, and wheel wells. Also, motors.
Just be careful until you get a grip on the power one of these things has or you will blow away paint, fittings, molding, caulking, and things you want to stay on rather than wash off.
All in all, a handy device, but like a saw, they will alter whatever you put in its path.
Steve
I bought one of the inexpensive electric ones from a big box store and I have been very happy with it. Sometimes I would like to have one with more power, and especially more volume, but I have been happy for several years and no problems with it. It has paid for itself already.
I just bought an "upscale" electric PW (Campbell Hausfeld: 1650 PSI x
1.6 GPM Universal Electric Pressure Washer w/Turbo Nozzle - PW168605AV to grab the description from the order confirmation) and have been really happy with it. Previously I've borrowed my neighbor's small gasoline-powered unit but eventually even I start to feel like a leech. The electric has more than enough power to clean the deck and porches and walks and patio furniture which routinely wind up with a nasty coat of mildew in my climate. I did these with the unit straight out of the box and found it worked as well as the little gasoline unit and was _way_ less trouble.Akshooly, eye do have a presshur washur. I got myne from Hoam Deepoe, and it haz serfed me wel. I choz thee won from Hoam Deepoe becaz hit had a metal hi presher casting, sum uf thee othur brands had plastik.
After abowt two yeers of use doing od jobs and cleening AC koyls, it stil werkz fine. I had one befour with a plastik hi presher casting, and the plastik one split open, wood not werk.
Meyn waz abowt $100 and werth effery pennie.
Hate to be the fly in the ointment here, but I've been waiting a long time to vent to someone regarding the B&D PW1500 that I received as a gift a couple years ago.
It has unquestionably been, overall, the worst appliance I have ever owned/used, and I've been around awhile.
It has a "snap-on" handle that you use to wheel the washer around. Unfortunately, the handle slides off every time you go to use it, so, in my case, I just pick up the whole unit and lug it to wherever it needs to go.
It has a "snap-in" hose connector to attach the water supply to your power washer. Unfortunately, it leaks like a sieve and "snaps-out" every time you use it, unless you take great care not to breathe on it while you're using the washer. That can be problematic if you're doing anything less delicate than watering flowers.
The second year I owned it, one of the washer wands sprung a leak. You can't repair them, so I ordered a new one online from the B&D authorized parts depot. It was $35.00 plus shipping for one plastic wand for a pressure washer that cost less than $100.00 new and complete.
Another wand attachment has a rotating brush that turns with the water pressure (what's left of it, after the leaky hose connector). I believe it's designed to serve as a brush for washing your vehicles. I wouldn't know for sure, since it comes apart every time I hook it up. I was going to just go ahead and super-glue it together, but finally decided I didn't care anymore.
Had it been my own purchase and not been a gift, I would've kept the receipt and it would've been back to the store in less than a week.
It really, really sucks.
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