Petrol Pressure Washer

I notice that Makro are often selling petrol pressure washers cheap.

Is it worth having a petrol version or should I just get an electric Karcher from B&Q?

Cheers

M
Reply to
Mark X
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Mark X (Mark X ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Is it a petrol _pressure washer_ or a steam cleaner?

Mate has a big diesel steam cleaner, and it's bloody superb. Still needs to be plugged into the mains for the pump et al, the diesel heats the water.

If it's a pressure washer only, then I'd assume it doesn't need to be plugged in - so the freedom from electrickery might be useful, but you'd presumably still need a source of sufficient water.

Reply to
Adrian

Pro's; Much more power usually available 5hp petrol machine = same power as

3hp electric, most DIY machines are around 2hp max. Work anywhere you can get water.

Cons; Cheap petrol engines can be trouble, IMO only worth looking at Honda. Higher service cost. Noisier than electric, cost more to run. Auto stop/start not possible so engine must be shut down within minutes of closing trigger gun.

Only worth it if you need extra welly or don't have power nearby.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Really? - don't they just have a bypass valve in them, so water is just pumped in a circle? My old electric Karcher certainly does this!

Reply to
Sparks

By pass machines (electric or petrol) can only run in by pass mode for a very short time. Each time the water goes through the pump, through the by pass valve, back into the pump, through the by pass etc it picks up a little heat from the friction of the pistons through the seals.

The pump head on a pressure washer contains a very small amount of water - an egg cup full approx. Doesn't take long for this to reach a high temperature - which will soften the pump seals & allow water to get past them into the oil in the crankcase. 5 mins on a cheap pump, maybe 15 mins on a good one & your seals are buggered & possibly the swash plate & bearings if the oil is contaminated enough.

Thats why auto stop via a pressure switch is such a good idea. Not perfect. Best solution, only found on industrial machines is a by pass valve with a flow switch which detects flow through the by pass & turns the motor off - sometimes via a timer.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

My petrol (Briggs & Stratton 5HP) never gave me a moments trouble in 7 years of daily using it commercially. Mind you, it was a "Cat" pump, not a bloody awful swash plate pump.

Reply to
Mr Fuxit

"Cat - the pump with nine lives" as the advert used to say. One of the best pressure pumps ever made. Old technology and all the better for it.

All the current manufacturers claim legion & manyfold benefits for swash plate pumps, and they are slightly more effecient. The real reason they are used is simply that they are very cheap to make. They by pass internally through channels in the pump head giving the water no chance to cool down.

You could damage a Cat pump if you ran it in by pass for long enough, but they usually by pass externally allowing the water to cool a bit.

They were often belt driven so they ran slower - another good idea. Most modern electric machines are direct drive @ 2800 rpm. If your B&S machine was direct drive it probably ran off the engines crankshaft via a reduction box, modern machines tend to run off the camshaft in an effort to keep the speed down.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

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