Power Washer Surface Cleaner Attachment

[D45]

I'm looking to buy an orbital, surface cleaner attachment for my gasoline power washer

Any tips on what features to look for?

Would rather buy once, cry once, and get something of decent quality

Residential use, concrete and composite patio deck

 

[D45]

I see some have wheels and some don't

 

[lkjk]

I have the below, no complaints, although I haven't used others to compare it to. I bought it for the reviews.

15 in. Universal Surface Cleaner Attachment for Gas Power Pressure Washers Rated 2600-3200 PSI - 1/4 in. Quick-Connect

 

[shoot summ]

I have the below, no complaints, although I haven't used others to compare it to. I bought it for the reviews.

15 in. Universal Surface Cleaner Attachment for Gas Power Pressure Washers Rated 2600-3200 PSI - 1/4 in. Quick-Connect

There are a dozen versions of that marketed under different names. I have one, can't tell you the brand, will tell you that I wish I would have bought one of these a decade sooner...

OP I've never heard of an orbital, they are all mostly rotary.

 

[rayra]

HomeDepot had a Ryobi branded one I keep looking at. And now I've made my mess driving a skidsteer around the front yard, it's really time to buy the attachment.

12" / 2300psi $40

RYOBI 12 in. 2,300 PSI Electric Pressure Washers Surface Cleaner RY31012 - The Home Depot

Easily clean driveways, sidewalks, and patios with the help of this extremely durable RYOBI Electric Pressure Washers Surface Cleaner. Ideal for any budget.

www.homedepot.com

15" / 3300psi $80

RYOBI 15 in. 3300 PSI Surface Cleaner for Gas Pressure Washer RY31SC01 - The Home Depot

Make cleaning jobs easier with the help of this exclusive and powerful RYOBI Surface Cleaner for Gas Pressure Washer. Ideal for any budget range.

www.homedepot.com

Much of this has since washed off with a garden hose, but it is going to need pressure washing to really rehab things.

 

[The_Geologist]

I've used an attachment similar to what others have already posted. The only thing I would add is to make sure you have an extension between the attachment and the wand that fits your height. Something like this one:

Powercare 36 in. Pressure Washer Wand with 1/4 in. Quick-Connect Coupler for Most Pressure Washers up to 4500 PSI AP31EW01 - The Home Depot

Keep your outdoor power equipment running at optimal performance by using this Powercare Wand with QC Coupler.

www.homedepot.com

I first used an extension that was too short (31"), so I was hunched over, which made the experience a bit less fun. Once I got the right size wand extension (36"), it was great!

 

[Beauregard]

I bought one on a whim, not expecting much. It's now one of my favorite tools. So simple, so effective. Mine is used with a medium-sized electric power washer and does great.

 

[tez929rr]

I have the Ryobi one and it’s great.

 

[Steve.S]

I use the Dewalt version for our deck and concrete and it works great.

DEWALT Universal 18 in. Surface Cleaner for Cold Water Pressure Washers Rated up to 3700 PSI DXPA37SC - The Home Depot

Clean your garage floors, driveways, patios, decks, sidewalks and more with the selection of this DEWALT Surface Cleaner for Gas Pressure Washers.

www.homedepot.com

 

[D45]

Those that have the attachment without wheels, do you feel that it moves freely?

 

[tez929rr]

Those that have the attachment without wheels, do you feel that it moves freely?

It’s perfect on smooth surfaces. I’ve got a rough rock patio and it works but you have to be careful. One with wheels might be better for a rougher surface but on smooth concrete you don’t need them.

 

[Nthill93]

I use the surface max from lowes. The wheels roll smoothly. I never used one without wheels so not sure how they work. I’ve done lots of commercial work with it and it’s held up great. Make sure you have a long wand or extensions so you don’t have to bend over all day

 

[gregs]

I have one of these and it works great. I like that it doesn't have wheels because you can get it into tight places and it doesn't weigh a ton. I run it on a small 1800 psi and a 4000 psi pressure washer. It works just fine on the 1800psi unit. In fact I find you need to turn down the pressure sometimes on more delicate surfaces. Its like going from a riding lawnmower to a commercial ZTR, you'll wonder how you did it before.

Pressure Washers | Fergusonhome.com

Shop Pressure Washers on Ferguson Home

www.pressurewashersdirect.com

 

[aafadca]

I'm looking to buy an orbital, surface cleaner attachment for my gasoline power washer

Any tips on what features to look for?

Would rather buy once, cry once, and get something of decent quality

Residential use, concrete and composite patio deck

I don't remember the brand name of mine but it works great. Between that and a rotary nozzle you can clean a lot of things fast! Just remember to get one sized to the pressure of your washer

 

[glennm]

Do these work well on a wooden deck?

 

[tez929rr]

Do these work well on a wooden deck?

Yes. Just remember that you can’t get into little corners with it so you need to use a regular spray head to complete edges.

 

[yeldogt]

I have the briggs and stratton -- sells for about $70. The first one died when the whip under the dome stopped spinning. Amazon sent another .. the replacement had a nicer bearing and the moving parts are all metal

They are huge time savers -- much less mess and noise.

 

[D45]

I'll check the PSI rating tonight

 

[Innovate1]

I don't remember the brand name of mine but it works great. Between that and a rotary nozzle you can clean a lot of things fast! Just remember to get one sized to the pressure of your washer

What "rotary nozzle" are you referring to? I have been looking for a smaller version of the surface cleaners.

Someone mentioned turning down the pressure. I haven't found a way to do that so how is that done?

I found that the vibrating hose (from the pressure pulses?) and/or the vibrating frame of the power unit can tear up the hose pretty quickly. Need to watch the hose when using these or the regular nozzle or you will be buying a new hose like I had to... There is a short length of hose to cut down on the pressure pulses but things still vibrate quite a bit.

 

[gregs]

All my pressure washers have a regulator on them with a knob to adjust the pressure. There is an attachment called a "rotary" or "turbo" nozzle, Its bascially a 0 degree tip that moves kinda of orbitally in its housing. Gives the power of a 0 degree tip but the width of a fan nozzle.

None of my pressure washers pulsate when running.

 

[CN Spots]

I have one similar to the Ryobi but I too can't remember the brand. It acts like a hovercraft when it's running. There's really not a lot of physical effort involved in moving it around and it's one of the most satisfying chores to do. I have a friend in the pressure washing business and he has one of the push mower sized ones with wheels for doing gas stations and such. He described it as "like printing money". He would pretreat the area with pool shock and a small amount of Dawn.

We all have a few tools that we would replace immediately if it broke and this is one of mine.

One other thing... I wish I would sealed my driveway after I washed it. I have a lot of trees and after 2 years the concrete is already black again.

 

[rayra]

well I just bought the 12" Ryobi and will be putting it to heavy use in a couple weeks and will report results.

 

[D45]

I have a 6.0 hp, 2300 psi power washer

 

[rawen2]

I bought this one and it works great. Replacement parts are available as well if needed at some point.

Powerhorse Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner 12in. Dia., 3000 PSI, 4.0 GPM | Northern Tool

This Powerhorse Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner is effective and easy to handle, making it ideal for concrete driveways, patios, pool decks and mor...

www.northerntool.com

 

[CJDave]

I bought the Generac surface tool to match a Generac gas pressure washer that was a gift. It uses no wheels and has a ring of very stiff bristles around the circumference of the pan. Contains the water well and does a great job. CJDave.

 

[D45]

Need to also decide what diameter

Sizes ranging from 12" to 20"

 

[mike93lx]

With a small pressure washer, you need to stay with a small surface cleaner. At only 2300psi,i assume the gpm rating is also pretty low.

You are going to struggle with real cleaning. If you have a one-time cleanup, I would strongly consider renting a bigger PW. It will go much, much faster and clean better.

 

[gregs]

I will say you have to be careful using the surface cleaners. To much power and it will destroy the surface on certain materials. I have seen concrete that is much rougher after cleaning, same thing on concrete pavers. If you pretreat first with detergent or bleach it goes a lot faster and takes less pressure.

 

[Monza Harry]

I did some power washing at a place I used to work and after 4-5 hrs your hand will be plenty sore from squeezing the wand. The link posted above, to the "BE" shows in the suggested accessories a 1/4 turn ball valve, if I had much to do I would suggest definitely buying that as well. Harry

 

[Jinks]

I have a 6.0 hp, 2300 psi power washer

Make sure it's rated close to the psi of your washer, & buy the one with wheels. I have both, & the one with wheels moves easier & does a better job. Since they're round they leave a little in square corners, but it's easy to clean up with one of the straight nozzles.

 

[MoonShiner]

I was going to get one at Northern Tool but was told even though my pressure washer was 3000+ PSI it was only 2.5 GPM and would not work well with the ones they had at the time. Just an FYI to check both PSI and GPM.

 

[gregs]

I did some power washing at a place I used to work and after 4-5 hrs your hand will be plenty sore from squeezing the wand. The link posted above, to the "BE" shows in the suggested accessories a 1/4 turn ball valve, if I had much to do I would suggest definitely buying that as well. Harry

I believe the idea behind the ball valve accessory is to allow you to "shut off" the pressure hose and switch between wands without having to go back to the pw and shut it off. So you could go between the surface cleaner and a regular wand to clean the corners faster and easier.

I guess you could zip tie the handle "on" and use the ball valve to control it. I use a piece of double sided velcro to wrap around things that I need to bypass for testing. Gotta be careful because if you trip or fall it could be really dangerous.

 

[gregs]

I was going to get one at Northern Tool but was told even though my pressure washer was 3000+ PSI it was only 2.5 GPM and would not work well with the ones they had at the time. Just an FYI to check both PSI and GPM.

Just from my personal experience. I have a 4000 psi unit that I orignally bought to run it at work. I have a little 6.5hp 1800 psi unit at home that someone gave me that didnt work and I fixed. Brought the surface cleaner home and tried it on that unit and found it works well. Its not that it wont work, its just slower to get the same job done. Its still cleans well and floats around, you just have to move it slower. The nice thing about the 20"+ units is less streaking and overlapping required. Thats the whole idea behind it anyhow.

So since the surface cleaner is light enough, I just bring it home a couple times of year to clean everything using my little 1800 psi unit. And if I do it a couple times a year it goes much faster since its not as dirty. And if you carefully use bleach before to kill the algae, mold, etc. before it goes even faster and stays cleaner longer.

 

[yeldogt]

I bought this one and it works great. Replacement parts are available as well if needed at some point.

Powerhorse Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner 12in. Dia., 3000 PSI, 4.0 GPM | Northern Tool

This Powerhorse Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner is effective and easy to handle, making it ideal for concrete driveways, patios, pool decks and mor...

www.northerntool.com

good price ... as long as you have the GPM

 

[yeldogt]

Mine is 14" -- Seems like a good size. They just float above the surface. My neighbor bought one and he told me to give it a try .... you go about two feet and regret not having one for a long time!

Looks like B&S now sells one with a tank to hold some cleaner .... find the water is all you need when using high pressure.

I have an older Excell power washer with a 6hp Honda GX horizontal engine so it's a decent setup ---- mine has with a chemical/ soap feeder port that I never use.

I just use my regular wand .... seems to be the right height for me.

 

[D45]

I have a 6.0 hp, 2300 psi power washer

2.1 GPM

It's around 20 years old but works great, I really do not want to rent something nor upgrade to a larger capacity machine

 

[mike93lx]

2.1 GPM

It's around 20 years old but works great, I really do not want to rent something nor upgrade to a larger capacity machine

Then it will be slow going, but should work as long as you don't have anything that is really tough to remove

 

[tncatadjuster]

I zip tie a longer handle on and lock the trigger on, helps with back pain if a large job.

 

[mcdye]

A friend let me use theirs, a Craftsman version and it worked fine. I did price them, it was all over the place for what looked to be the exact same thing.

 

[jhelrey]

This is what I bought. Extensions is a MUST!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TWQSWQ9/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Just throttle down the pressure washer to reduce pressure for things like a pool cover, boat cover canopy, etc.