Looking for a power washer

[Thomas]

Finding 3000 for 125. Want electric. Shitty sidewalks, crappy siding. Ill use it once a year, maybe less. Gas is out. It would rot like my other gas tools.

Ranch house.

Is 3000 needed or is 2 good enough?

[Ed Pawlowski]

2000 is plenty for siding. It is ok for sidewalk unless they are really nasty. I have a SunJoe and it works for me, similar situation you have once or twice a year.

[Thomas]

Thanks Ed. Good to know 2 works for small stuff.

[gfretwell]

Electric pressure washers seem to fall into 2 categories. 120v models that lie about their performance and a 240v 5hp model that will actually get some work done (2700-3000 PSI at 2.5 GPM). The 5HP electric runs with the consumer grade gas machines. If time is not important to you a little unit will work but it is painfully slow if you have a lot to wash.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Sure, gas with higher pressure is better, but it depends on use. My total time this year is about a half hour. If I had a gas unit, I'd spend more time than that adding fuel and then draining it for storage. If I used it every two weeks, it would be gas.

[gfretwell]

You are not pressure washing the siding on a house in a half hour tho. I can't do my driveway that quick either. Even with the 2700 PSI machine it is a few hours. We have a little electric but it is just a toy we use for washing the love bugs off the car or cleaning out the trash cans. Much else and I fire up a big boy. I really have more trouble with my well water killing the pump than the engine not starting. We usually just keep cleaning something until it is out of gas. I would consider a propane conversion if I had something that was used infrequently. I did it to my generator. It is $100 or so and pretty easy to install.

[trader_4]

There might be a third category. I have a 120V electric power washer that someone gave to me. IDK how old it is, suspect it's probably 25+. It's very heavy, a pain to lug around. I think it's supposed to run on a 20A circuit. I've used it on 15, it will usually work, but it needs a 10g extension cord, or it will trip. It has plenty of pressure to do the jobs around the house here for me, especially cleaning the siding. For sidewalk, it's fine, more pressure there would make it go faster. I wonder how it compares to the new electric ones? This one looks like it's industrial quality, I see those new electric ones in HD that look lightweight by comparison.

[James Prescott Joules]

A 180° two-phase electric pressure washer would be more powerful than a 120v single phase unit.

[Ralph Mowery]

I made the mistake of washing my driveway one time. Took about 2 days. Using a gas unit with plenty of pressure. The wand cut the crud with no problem,but it was only a path about 4 inches wide. Driveway is about

200 feet long with half of that the width of a 2 car garage.

I have a tiller that I use once or twice a year for about an hour or two. I use the ethanol free gas and even put in the Stabil as it comes out of the same can I use to fill the mower. At the end of use, I let it run empty and even try to crank it a few times. For the last 10 years it has never failed to start with 3 pull so or less the next year after filling it with new gas. Oftenit starts with one pull.

[Frank]

I had a cheap electric and it was not adequate for siding that I could not get within maybe a foot of. Neighbor was washing his house with a gas model with an extension. He said he once did it for a living and it was not just a matter of pressure but also flow rate. My cheap machine did not last long either as it developed a cracked metal line. Did not think it was worth trying to salvage.

[Thomas]

After looking, I am not in the mood to buy huge cords and hoses. I will probably look to hire a one-shot deal.

Thanks for the replies.