Gas Pressure Washer, Who Owns One?

[KF7POW]

I have a Troy Bilt 2700psi / 2.3 gpm (#020486) from Lowes.

We have Costco out here, but their product reviews were really bad.
So much I wondered how they could sell something with that much piss-poor reviews?

This pressure washer starts on the first pull, has various tips for differnt pressure requirements, easily transported, and not that heavy.
It has tremendous positive reviews.

I use it around the house as dictated by the "honey-do list and runs like a champ!

Lowes had them on sale in April and with the military retiree card, it came to $240 out the door!.

Hope this helped
Much Luck!
73's.

[WN9HJW]

Just general outside use around the house Rick. Siding, cleaning a deck made of composite wood, washing vehicles. .

As WF7A said, be conservative with the pressure. Too much pressure will tear up and splinter the surface of a wood deck. And on vinyl siding it can pit the surface and make it more prone to dirt collection and mildew.

Any more when I do the deck or siding I just use a soft brush on an extension pole and TSP or TSP Substitute, or even powdered laundry detergent, and rinse with regular hose pressure. Takes a little longer but gets things just as clean or better, and it does not damage the wood or vinyl.

[AC0H]

I used to build them when I worked for a local company.
It was my first job in the plant before I started welding.
We built and sold the hell out of a gasoline powered model with a 5.5 HP Briggs engine and a pump capable of 4,000psi.
We limited the pressure to 2500psi. The gallons per minute rating matters too.

2500psi is probably overkill for general cleaning around the house and WAAAAY too much for washing cars. You can peel the paint right off if you get too close or use a narrow angle tip.

Which brings up the safety thing.
Never point the stream at or near anybody. It can carve them up rapidly.
Use the widest angle tip you can to get the job done. The pressure drops dramatically a foot away with a 30 degree dip as opposed to a 15 degree.
The pressure at the tip, no matter the angle, is enough to amputate your digits. They would be gone before you knew it.

[K2WH]

Just general outside use around the house Rick. Siding, cleaning a deck made of composite wood, washing vehicles. No need for hot water, cold will do.

Maybe a gas model is overkill for what I need it for. But the prices of some of the better electric models are just about as high as some of the lower priced gas models, at least here in Canada they are.

Using an electric one is not a hassle as I have outlets at the front and back of the house. Plus if I happen to kick the bucket my wife would still be able to pressure wash the house as she could use an electric model

Be very careful using it on a vehicle. It can take paint off easily and or damage seal rings. Don't ask me how I know this; its' something I need to forget

Use a sponge and a pail of water for the cars.

K2WH

[W2TXB]

Funny you should mention pressure washers... I had an electric washer for 8-9 years and, just as I began washing the old wooden deck in prep for a new coat of stain/sealer, it totally quit. Went to Homey Depot and picked up a Honda driven 3100 PSI Homelite. It works great, and the Honda engine should last longer than I do.

There are online reviews of various such units - be wary of them, as many complain about the engine cutting off after a few minutes of running (fuel valve closed?) or hard/no starting (squeeze trigger to relieve pressure before starting). Absolutely no problems... not even any issues... with mine. It works well as intended, and makes easier workof what we used to do with the El Cheapo electric washer.

One thing I like about it is the rotating nozzle and soap injection system. Toss some Simple Green into the tank, select the proper nozzle, connect and turn on the water (after bleeding air from the hose), fire that puppy up, and Bob's your uncle.

[KF5JOT]

Rick: My brother-in-law has been buying the Dewalt units lately. They are small enough to toss onto the boom lifts they use and he's not out a lot of dollars when his guys trash them. They go thru a couple of washers and compressors every year due to the business he's in. He's found that it's cheaper in the long run for him to buy whatever they can get at Home Depot or Lowes out on the job over shipping the high quality stuff in from the home location. He just builds the acquisition costs into his job bids. If the gear survives and gets moved to the next job or back home, great...if not, he's not too worried. Some of his crews take really good care of the equipment and it makes it for a couple of jobs before it dies, but others only get 1 or 2 jobs before they trash it. Being a commercial painting contractor, they are always hard on equipment.