Power washers - where to start?

[Dino D]

So want to invest in a power washer.

Main jobs to be able to clean the cars, rinse the undercarriage etc.

Then there appears to be a myriad of other things you can do with them- my neighbour two doors down has over the course of the summer power washed the entire front of his house, part of the roof, the block paving, the pavement outside and even part of the road in front of house!
Who know how much fun you could have with one of these!

So where to start - which brand, power output, essential extras etc (and the best value of course, somethings effective and long lasting but not costing more a car!)

What do you have and how did it cost?
I'm hoping Jan sales will be a good time to buy.

 

[Jack Ratt]

Have a look on "Which" site

 

[TaffZee]

Bosch Aquatak DIY High Pressure Washer 35-12, £87 on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&...qmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_10iv6r0y7d_e​

 

[Redline]

If you want a machine capable of all those kinds of jobs get a powerful one as possible (although don't use it at anything like full power on the car unless your preparing it to be resprayed!). Powerful = more expensive though. Mine is 150 bar with a water cooled pump.

I do the patio and conservatory roof every year as they get covered in nasty green algae because they're north-east facing and quite sheltered - The slabs get lichen on them that is all but impossible to remove. The patio attachment hardly touches that so it has to be done with the lance - It is a messy job though and takes a couple of hours.

One bit of advice - do not leave it stored where it might freeze - if ice forms inside the pump it will break it.

 

[Jack Ratt]

We live in a conservation area and are encouraged not to clean our roofs of moss and lichen as it looks picturesque in the tourist brochures.

 

[Redline]

We live in a conservation area and are encouraged not to clean our roofs of moss and lichen as it looks picturesque in the tourist brochures.

I can understand a roof not being cleaned - it does add to the rural views, but, eventually I would have thought it will cause problems and damage. The roof I expect would pretty much be constantly wet potentially damaging the structure underneath. I wonder if the tourist people will compensate you when your roof caves in. I suspect not.
Have to do our conservatory every year otherwise the accumulated gunk over the winter makes it so dark inside. Looking up at a green sky isn't pleasant either!

 

[t-tony]

So want to invest in a power washer.

Main jobs to be able to clean the cars, rinse the undercarriage etc.

Then there appears to be a myriad of other things you can do with them- my neighbour two doors down has over the course of the summer power washed the entire front of his house, part of the roof, the block paving, the pavement outside and even part of the road in front of house!
Who know how much fun you could have with one of these!

So where to start - which brand, power output, essential extras etc (and the best value of course, somethings effective and long lasting but not costing more a car!)

What do you have and how did it cost?
I'm hoping Jan sales will be a good time to buy.

I'm on my second Karcher, excellent tools, the first one has been repaired at the water outlet twice but has been handed on to our son is 20 years old and still going strong. The newer one is just as good.

Tony.

 

[Mac Romans]

I'm a fan of Karcher too. Great value and does everything I need it to including snowfoaming the car!

 

[Brian H]

Which ever one you buy, factor in a section of additional hose, this means you will have plenty of reach when walking around the car etc. without pulling over the pressure washer

 

[g8jka]

I use a Nilfisk centennial, which is a fantastic unit and I have an upgraded 10m hose so it can reach all around the car without the need to move the pressure washer itself. I also fitted a quick connect to it so the hose can be pulled on and off easily and stored on the reel. For underneath the car I have an angled hose with a wide fan which makes it easy to get inside the arches and underneath the car etc. It's main use is for the car but it does come in handy for hosing down the paving / patio / walls occasionally. I couldn't live without it when it comes to washing the car, makes it so much more enjoyable especially when combined with a snow foam lance.

 

[Redline]

Mmm...
This thread has just cost me - been intending to buy an extension for the lance on my Kärcher for some time. Just ordered along with a variable angle nozzle. More toys....

BTW - If you use the Hozelock connectors, its worth buying the metal Pro one to use on the washer. I found that even the biggest washers have a tendency to topple over. The plastic connectors break very easily - have got through several before getting one of these.

 

[Dino D]

Good tips, so much choice out there..


Saw this very handy looking chassis cleaner by Karcher:

 

[J90mud]

easier to work to a budget.....
then your into hot or cold water machines
avoid the cheap jet washes.to many plastic parts

karcher premier range all have a 3-5 yr warranty. they will do loads of work as they are built to run for hours were the cheaper ones are bulilt to run for short time periods and nothing is reparable when its worn out or breaks.

avoid the new big hot n cold machines as they have far to many electronics and error codes

once you hit semi pro or full professional machines the sky is the limit

hot water takes dirt of easier??? and remove oils etc but go easy as it can take paint off for fun.

http://www.cleanwell.co.uk/

great uk brand easy to get spares and easy to maintain

 

[Dino D]

Lots of useful info here guys.

Thinking no need to go over £200 for what I want.
So far the Karcher K4 premium is my benchmark based on pressure, flow rate and accessories available. The back up service is a big plus. A K2 could probably do the job but I'd like to have a bit of an overspec seeing as though it's a long lasting item and who knows, I may want to start washing the pavement outside the house etc!

I have found their outlet site that sells refurbished units at a bit of a discount but you only get 6-12mths warranty. (a K4 premium with the patio cleaner, dirt blaster and 6mths extended warranty is £149. A brand new one from a retailer is £199 at the moment but full warranty)
I think I will wait until Jan to see what discounts are on from the big retailers as the outlet price only 25% off actual retail at the moment but much less warranty.

One thing I've noticed is that right accessories that are easy to use really make a difference in how much use you get out of the machine.

 

[t-tony]

One thing I've noticed is that right accessories that are easy to use really make a difference in how much use you get out of the machine.

Spot on there Dino, very versatile bit of kit.

Tony.

 

[Summit Detailing]

The Karcher as people have already mentioned for that budget can't be beaten imo.

I'd recommend buying a longer hose from 'qwashers' on ebay - great quality & very easy ordering - select model of PW, select length of hose required = job done.
I run a Karcher with a qwasher hose and it's still going strong after about 5yrs of use and abuse

 

[Redline]

I'm fast changing my opinion.

I came to use my Kärcher K5.700 this morning having three filthy cars to wash only to find it has stopped working.

This is the second time in less that two years it has failed.
It cost £105 to have repaired last time.

I'm now awaiting a response from their customer service. They are aware of this thread so I await their response in anticipation.
If they suggest I pay for another repair I'll have to consider a buying a different unit - I'm this morning fast losing faith in Kärcher.
One failure is unfortunate, two is careless. I'm wondering of there is an inherent design fault in this unit.

 

[stevie_a]

Looking at this thread in interest, i decided to get this two years ago ( biggest mistake ever )

When using in the summer this year to wash the mono block on the drive it just went "BANG" never to work again

before this the air filter broke of with the vibration.

Load of Junk.

 

[Dino D]

I'm fast changing my opinion.

I came to use my Kärcher K5.700 this morning having three filthy cars to wash only to find it has stopped working.

This is the second time in less that two years it has failed.
It cost £105 to have repaired last time.

I'm now awaiting a response from their customer service. They are aware of this thread so I await their response in anticipation.
If they suggest I pay for another repair I'll have to consider a buying a different unit - I'm this morning fast losing faith in Kärcher.
One failure is unfortunate, two is careless. I'm wondering of there is an inherent design fault in this unit.

The long warranty is what is interesting to me for the extra price that Karcher commands.
How come you had you pay previously?
Is it a worthless warranty?

FYI a refurb K5 is £179 http://www.karcheroutlet.co.uk/prod...dWP8N2MR4-cNPK095gNXoCaGOFvFHU8tKTBoCdWfw_wcB

A K4 starts at £99.00 from the outlet.

 

[Redline]

The long warranty is what is interesting to me for the extra price that Karcher commands.
How come you had you pay previously?
Is it a worthless warranty?

FYI a refurb K5 is £179 http://www.karcheroutlet.co.uk/prod...dWP8N2MR4-cNPK095gNXoCaGOFvFHU8tKTBoCdWfw_wcB

A K4 starts at £99.00 from the outlet.

I bought mine in 2011 when it had just three years warranty and it is an earlier version. It failed just weeks after that warranty ran out.
They now have 5 years, so I can only assume that the new ones are less likely to fail. Have suggested that they fix this one or replace it with a new model on the basis that, considering what I paid for it, it isn;t fit for purpose.
At the current rate for repairs as well as the original cost, its costing £150pa. Not funny...