I am thinking of getting a electric power washer to wash off cars after I dustless blast them. I need to use a chemical in the rinse water, so, can I put a hose in a 5gal bucket and let is drain into the washer or does the washer need pressure from a hose? Thanks
power washer question
- Thread starter uppster
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thebeekeeper1
Well-known member
They all need pressure from a hose. The gas ones have a separate siphon intake from a soap bottle, but I don't know about the electric ones. The electrics I've seen aren't much better than a hose with a nozzle.
bseant
Well-known member
LOL the electric ones are maybe a touch better. But if you need to inject cleaner into the washer you may need to get a gas powered one or find a attachment for an electric one.
box
Well-known member
I have put a summersible utility pump in a garbage can full off what ever solution I needed and attached it to the pressure washer with a regular garden hose, works great. Probally not good for the pump in the washer....
Az Scooter
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The questions are, how much pressure do you need, and what kind of chemical are you running through it?
I do love the poor and uninformed information that comes out sometimes. There is already some in this thread, for instance, I have washed literally hundreds of thousands of cars with a gas pressure washer without ever having a problem.
Second, Electric pressure washers come in all varieties. Home Depot is not the only, nor is it the best place to get any pressure washer, let alone an electric pressure washer
Third, all pressure washers operate on the same principles. If you are using a downstream injector, it doesn't care if the pressure washer is electric or gas, it is looking for reduced line pressure to inject chemical.
I do love the poor and uninformed information that comes out sometimes. There is already some in this thread, for instance, I have washed literally hundreds of thousands of cars with a gas pressure washer without ever having a problem.
Second, Electric pressure washers come in all varieties. Home Depot is not the only, nor is it the best place to get any pressure washer, let alone an electric pressure washer
Third, all pressure washers operate on the same principles. If you are using a downstream injector, it doesn't care if the pressure washer is electric or gas, it is looking for reduced line pressure to inject chemical.
TOOL MASTER
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depending on what nozzle you use , you can strip the paint right off
sberry
Banned
I got to back the man here, there are dozens of models and sizes and one thing that increases the effectiveness of "gas" models is simply power and volume. The soap or chemical issue is complicated but HP and heat reduce the need for a lot of it.
You can stand back a little and reduce pressure but you cant make it if it wont, like a 140 mig welder,,, only so much power that is going to come thru the socket. I saw a small electric @120V the other day at a plant. It would have been interesting to see how well it worked and maybe they had 30A service?? I didn't get to inspect that close but its got to be small.
I have washed cars in the thousands also. Most days I wash at least one. Pressure doesn't hurt them much but you can cook paint with hot water if you try hard enough.
You can stand back a little and reduce pressure but you cant make it if it wont, like a 140 mig welder,,, only so much power that is going to come thru the socket. I saw a small electric @120V the other day at a plant. It would have been interesting to see how well it worked and maybe they had 30A service?? I didn't get to inspect that close but its got to be small.
I have washed cars in the thousands also. Most days I wash at least one. Pressure doesn't hurt them much but you can cook paint with hot water if you try hard enough.
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sberry
Banned
AZ,,, about 15 yrs ago I sold an Alkota, a new one and should have traded mine when some dummy offered more than it was worth but would have still had to give up 2 or 3 large, seems then maybe new LP fired unit was 5500. I saw him 10 yrs in said it worked flawless. When I bought mine we were used to some portability etc and I got diesel. Today a new one would be LP. I got 5 hp on this one but would probably get one model up or buy componants and build in spot.
Mine has 350k burner and will run 5 gpm hot continuously fired. At a million we could heat 11 gpm and the burner would shut down. All this is some time ago but calculated maybe it would run 14 gpm @ 200 degrees.
I have my shop unit plumbed thru with controls outside, all is missing is a quarter machine. There is a wire basket to put parts in to retain them.
Mine has 350k burner and will run 5 gpm hot continuously fired. At a million we could heat 11 gpm and the burner would shut down. All this is some time ago but calculated maybe it would run 14 gpm @ 200 degrees.
I have my shop unit plumbed thru with controls outside, all is missing is a quarter machine. There is a wire basket to put parts in to retain them.
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You don't need a lot of power for car washing. Most electrics are just fine if you want to go that route. If you're using the chemical additive in the rinse water I'm guessing it's a rinse agent to prevent water spotting or something like that? Look for a pressure washer with a chemical siphon tube, many have that. Some even have a detergent tank from which it will siphon, which is very convenient. Many will also have an adjustment so you can control the flow of "detergent" which is important.
Alternatively if you want to be able to control dilution carefully, you can premix/dilute in a 5 gallon bucket. Some electric PW's will siphon their water supply instead of requiring a pressurized water feed. This tends to be an exception rather than the rule in the realm of electrics, but for those above that dispute it, I will say my 110v electric will siphon out of a bucket. I'll get just over 2 mins of run time out of it, which isn't much for cleaning, however, for rinsing as the OP stated, it's probably enough.
Alternatively if you want to be able to control dilution carefully, you can premix/dilute in a 5 gallon bucket. Some electric PW's will siphon their water supply instead of requiring a pressurized water feed. This tends to be an exception rather than the rule in the realm of electrics, but for those above that dispute it, I will say my 110v electric will siphon out of a bucket. I'll get just over 2 mins of run time out of it, which isn't much for cleaning, however, for rinsing as the OP stated, it's probably enough.
sberry
Banned
I can really tell how good a unit is from car washing, its a job I have done so many times that the difference is noticeable, I am sure AZ feels the same way. I have friends with little units, some rave over the Honda engine but its got a small pump.
My Bud bought one with a Briggs about 7 hp maybe but seems like it was 2.5 or lose to 3 gpm. We live in Michigan, lots of water,, ha but I used it a couple times and was impressed for what it was. Seems like he shopped a little and scored it from HD for about 800 or so. Has a cheap engine but the rest of it is good.
My Bud bought one with a Briggs about 7 hp maybe but seems like it was 2.5 or lose to 3 gpm. We live in Michigan, lots of water,, ha but I used it a couple times and was impressed for what it was. Seems like he shopped a little and scored it from HD for about 800 or so. Has a cheap engine but the rest of it is good.
sberry
Banned
One time I set a stock tank in my shop and run it full of hot water from the steamer and made a jacuzzi when I had company.
rlitman
Well-known member
Yeah, it will probably work, but the air bubbles you may get from siphoning may damage your pump. I will say though that lots of people pressure wash from a tank source. Instead of siphoning, you could gravity feed. That would absolutely work, so long as you are careful to not run the pump dry.
PCO6
Well-known member
Smart idea.
Is that an old pet cage?You have to read the directions for specifics. You may need to upsize the supply hose to 3/4", and if siphoning was a stated option, typically you want the bucket at the same level as the pressure washer. Also some pumps do have a dry run capability which minimizes the risk of damage. You'll only find that on quasi-commercial grade machines ($$$). It's all possible without any ill effect, but read the manual before making assumptions.
sberry
Banned
In portables the water was siphoned to the pumps. Sucked from tank sitting in the truck. Sucked it thru a screen first.