Pressure washer setup

[Excels1or]

Our yard has no electric, and I'm getting tired of driving to the car wash to hose chipper/grinder down. Has anyone got a decent setup (washer/generator) that works well for them? We've got plenty of IBC's for water storage.

[monkeybusiness]

I’ve got a pressure washer with a 13hp Honda engine on it that drives one of those patio whirligig type cleaners (I took it as part-payment towards a bad debt, I don’t wash patios). It’s a beast of a thing when using the jetwash lance - you need to wear your heaviest shoes to stay upright when you pull the trigger… 

It has to be run from a bowser as a garden tap won’t keep up with it. 

[twistedhicap]

I’d certainly look into a good Honda powered petrol unit genuine Honda engine not the Chinese one ! 
 

Will run fine from an ibc and don’t forget to drain the machine and hose after use in the winter to prevent frost damage ! 

[difflock]

I paid a local pressure washer "guru" £400.00 for a 196cc Loncin "re-engined" reputable brand (which pw pump name evades me as I type) 2nd hand pressure washer a few years ago. It has been faultless, easy started, economial and plenty powerful.

So perhaps a Honda is not essential. 

[william127]

I still love my aldi petrol pressure washer,  it's had an oil top up and an upgraded hose (bit less twisty and 3 meters longer so I could get all the way round my van)  in 7 years. I belive it can run out of a barrel but ive never tried. Paid 70ish quid for it, seems identical to my Dad's £400ish Draper. Still worth what I paid for it- put a bid by proxy on one in an auction a couple of weeks ago, £30. Sold for £90!

 

 

[Doug Tait]

My mate has the Aldi one too. He let it freeze and the pump went, he called them to ask about buying a new part and they sent him it free under warranty. No other issue and it does everything from quad to tractors.

[eggsarascal]

When cleaning with a pressure washer flow beats pressure every time, go with a Honda as most are matched up with a decent pump that you can get spares for, couple of hundred quid secondhand of eBay and the like.

[MattyF]

Just now, Doug Tait said:

My mate has the Aldi one too. He let it freeze and the pump went, he called them to ask about buying a new part and they sent him it free under warranty. No other issue and it does everything from quad to tractors.

Got same in my yard, well an Aldi one we bought a few years back , removes paint with the most powerful nozzle so would not advise that on but it’s been really good for the price over the last few years, a lot better than the previous petrol karcher ones which where total crap, the Aldi blows them away with performance and reliability.
I even left it outside in the hard frosts we had the other day and was expecting it to have split the the water pump but was totally fine , but I do try and drain the whole thing when I’ve finished using it or any water pump really. 
only thing with IBC a water is it does get algae so you need to make sure the pre filter is not blocked most times you use it unless you use the suction hose which is available as an accessory. 
Another problem is the plastic wheels are crap but I’ve just bolted it to a pallet and move it with the avant if I have too. 

[MattyF]

Other thing was the hose was crap but got my local forestry workshop to rig some decent pipe up with couplings and it’s been no bother since. 

[doobin]

9 hours ago, eggsarascal said:

When cleaning with a pressure washer flow beats pressure every time, go with a Honda as most are matched up with a decent pump that you can get spares for, couple of hundred quid secondhand of eBay and the like.

Every time this comes up Eggs and I give the same advice. 
 

Minimum 13hp engine. Honda or Chonda. Either Interpump (best) or Antonio Reverbi (close second) for the pump. 

Using a generator to run an electric pressure washer is utterly pointless- you’d need double the engine power than if you just used a petrol pressure washer. 

 

If you are going to be storing water in an IBC (buffer tank) then go for a pump that does 21l/min (at around 200bar). This is much better for cleaning kit than 15l/min at 300bar.