Pressure Washer questions

13S550

13S550

New member
Ive been looking for my first pressure washer. Used the search engine and also been researching online. I`m leaning a little more toward a gas unit but see a lot of people using the electric washers. It will be used primarily for washing my cars but also for around the house IE driveway or pavers. I live in Arizona so won`t be using it for algae or mildew removal.

Opinions please....
 
Electrics are fine while they work.. They will never put out as many gpm as a gas powered unit..

I watch my neighbor across the street with his little blue electric pressure washer take almost 6 hours to just wash off the gunk in his concrete driveway that my gas powered little 2.0gpm unit can do in a couple of hours and mine is perfectly, evenly clean.. His is all streaky, unevenly clean, misses a lot of gunk removal..

If your goal is to have a handy little washer that really cant do big things very easily and might die any time, then electric is for you..
If you dont use it a lot - say for Detailing - then an electric is perfect for smaller jobs, etc..

If you want a more sturdy pressure washer with more gpm, a bigger, heavier duty pump, one you can put 50+ feet of hose on and do a lot more stuff, then look at gas powered units.. The only maintenance I ever do to mine which is over 10+ years old now, is change the engine oil at least every 2 years, change the air filter, and spark plug whenever I think it needs it..
It has never broken, it does not use oil, smoke, or fail to work..

Good Luck with your research !
Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
Electrics are fine while they work.. They will never put out as many gpm as a gas powered unit..

I watch my neighbor across the street with his little blue electric pressure washer take almost 6 hours to just wash off the gunk in his concrete driveway that my gas powered little 2.0gpm unit can do in a couple of hours and mine is perfectly, evenly clean.. His is all streaky, unevenly clean, misses a lot of gunk removal..

If your goal is to have a handy little washer that really cant do big things very easily and might die any time, then electric is for you..
If you dont use it a lot - say for Detailing - then an electric is perfect for smaller jobs, etc..

If you want a more sturdy pressure washer with more gpm, a bigger, heavier duty pump, one you can put 50+ feet of hose on and do a lot more stuff, then look at gas powered units.. The only maintenance I ever do to mine which is over 10+ years old now, is change the engine oil at least every 2 years, change the air filter, and spark plug whenever I think it needs it..
It has never broken, it does not use oil, smoke, or fail to work..

Good Luck with your research !
Dan F
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Thanks!! That`s why I`m leaning toward gas unit. The only thing I`m seeing is that some pumps are not so reliable Axial cam vs triplex plunger. And the cost associated in buying the better pump. Which pump do you have ?
 
If the pressure washer is going to be doing multiple projects - washing down the house prior to painting, cleaning all the gunk that gets into concrete driveways that are almost always wet like in the Seattle WA area I used to live in, cleaning engine compartments and the engine, washing out sand out of carpeted floormats on the driveway, washing convertible tops, doing the first clean up- knock down of vehicles, prior to washing by hand, then I know a gas powered unit will last forever if you get a good engine, break it in carefully, change the oil periodically, and basically there is no maintenance on the pump which has it own separate oil..

I will go back and tell you which pump I have.. Forgot until you reminded me - my pump did start leaking a tiny bit around year-10 and I easily purchased a new one on line and R&R`d it quickly with no issues..

Since its been 6 years ago, I will have to try to find that file and tell you what pump I have..
It also has a Briggs & Stratton engine and it has never failed..
Also have a long wand on it with an adjustable V-type Fan Tip that is absolutely perfect for any kind of work.

You dont really need a very pointy sharp tip on there unless you want to see how quickly you can wreck things with it..
The V-shaped Fan Tip is way better, since its wider, it covers more area at a time, harder to accidentally hurt things with it..

You can always put the Fan Tip closer to things without hurting them if you are careful.
The sharp point tip will definitely make a hole when its placed closer to anything - hence, why I never use it..

Dan F
 
I have a Toro gas unit I`ve had for better than 10 years. It has a Honda 5.5 hp motor that starts within 3 pulls even after setting up for a year or better. And it has the axial pump.
 
I dislike dealing with gas units. While you get more bang for the buck they are noisy, can be a PITA to start, have to be filled with gas, and of course the fumes. Plenty powerful electric units can be purchased but you`ll spend $600+ for one and want to make sure your electric is up to the task. I recently picked up this AR630, 1900psi and 2.1GPM. I also got a different trigger, flexible wand, 50` kink resistant non-marring hose, quick connects, and a few different tips for $716


(Triplex Pump with ceramic plungers and double packing industrial seals)

 
Stokdgs said:
If the pressure washer is going to be doing multiple projects - washing down the house prior to painting, cleaning all the gunk that gets into concrete driveways that are almost always wet like in the Seattle WA area I used to live in, cleaning engine compartments and the engine, washing out sand out of carpeted floormats on the driveway, washing convertible tops, doing the first clean up- knock down of vehicles, prior to washing by hand, then I know a gas powered unit will last forever if you get a good engine, break it in carefully, change the oil periodically, and basically there is no maintenance on the pump which has it own separate oil..

I will go back and tell you which pump I have.. Forgot until you reminded me - my pump did start leaking a tiny bit around year-10 and I easily purchased a new one on line and R&R`d it quickly with no issues..

Since its been 6 years ago, I will have to try to find that file and tell you what pump I have..
It also has a Briggs & Stratton engine and it has never failed..
Also have a long wand on it with an adjustable V-type Fan Tip that is absolutely perfect for any kind of work.

You dont really need a very pointy sharp tip on there unless you want to see how quickly you can wreck things with it..
The V-shaped Fan Tip is way better, since its wider, it covers more area at a time, harder to accidentally hurt things with it..

You can always put the Fan Tip closer to things without hurting them if you are careful.
The sharp point tip will definitely make a hole when its placed closer to anything - hence, why I never use it..
Click to expand...


I`ll be curious to see what pump you have. I think I`m overthinking this pump issue. Like you stated I`m not going to use this washer more than once or twice a week.
And maybe max of three hours when I clean the drive way or my pavers.
Click to expand...
 
xlr8r said:
I have a Toro gas unit I`ve had for better than 10 years. It has a Honda 5.5 hp motor that starts within 3 pulls even after setting up for a year or better. And it has the axial pump.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I`m glad to see another vote for the Axial pump...
 
RaskyR1 said:
I dislike dealing with gas units. While you get more bang for the buck they are noisy, can be a PITA to start, have to be filled with gas, and of course the fumes. Plenty powerful electric units can be purchased but you`ll spend $600+ for one and want to make sure your electric is up to the task. I recently picked up this AR630, 1900psi and 2.1GPM. I also got a different trigger, flexible wand, 50` kink resistant non-marring hose, quick connects, and a few different tips for $716


(Triplex Pump with ceramic plungers and double packing industrial seals)

Click to expand...

Very nice setup.. Love that pump. Is it one of the reasons you bought that model? Have you had any experience with the Axial pump prior to this washer?
 
If you are doing driveways, then gas is better due to cleaning ability (pressure/gpm). It will be much faster on tough jobs, If you are just doing cars, electric is fine
 
As others have suggested, Gas will always win for all out cleaning power. However, for light duty use you can`t go wrong with a decent electric model. I`ve been using an AR 383 for basic around the house and vehicle cleaning for the past 3 years w/o complaint. I don`t miss the noise, weight, or maintenance required with a gas unit.

RaskyR1 said:
I dislike dealing with gas units. While you get more bang for the buck they are noisy, can be a PITA to start, have to be filled with gas, and of course the fumes. Plenty powerful electric units can be purchased but you`ll spend $600+ for one and want to make sure your electric is up to the task. I recently picked up this AR630, 1900psi and 2.1GPM. I also got a different trigger, flexible wand, 50` kink resistant non-marring hose, quick connects, and a few different tips for $716


(Triplex Pump with ceramic plungers and double packing industrial seals)

Click to expand...

That looks like the same Uberflex kink resistant blue hose I`ve been using since January. From my experience, it`s easy to use when the temp is above 80`, but as drops below it wants to stay coiled up. Total PIA.
 
13S550 said:
Very nice setup.. Love that pump. Is it one of the reasons you bought that model? Have you had any experience with the Axial pump prior to this washer?
Click to expand...

No, not really. I bought it mainly based on the GPM ratings and for the size/ease of wall mounting, though its one heavy SOB! I also know several other detailers who`ve been using this unit for years, daily, without issue. I also considered a CamSpray unit but this one had more cleaning power based on it`s specs.

I`ve also used several of these 220v electric units dating all the way back to 1992. I think I sold my last unit around 2009 as the space I was temporarily working out of didn`t have a 220v outlet. To be honest it was way over kill for use on cars anyway. The volume shop I worked at back in the 90`s had 2 of these units running which got used daily, 7 days a week, and we were turning out 14-20 cars a day M-F. While we went through a lot of hoses but the units themselves were pretty solid, especially given the abuse they took. They were 3000 psi and 3gpm back then and we dialed them back a hair for use on cars as they could, and did blow the paint off a few cars. These units will have ZERO issue cleaning driveways and would actually be too much pressure IMO for wooden decks. They will also give your arms a workout. ;)

NorthStar Electric Cold Water Pressure Washer
 
The holy grail of all budget pressure washers... If you can find one. Karcher K5.85M plus (The only karcher to be made completely in germany).

It blows away my newer K5 (Made in china) that is supposedly 150 more psi. The build quality is top notch but they are discontinued and almost impossible to get.
 
Angus said:
That looks like the same Uberflex kink resistant blue hose I`ve been using since January. From my experience, it`s easy to use when the temp is above 80`, but as drops below it wants to stay coiled up. Total PIA.
Click to expand...

Yep. Only used it on a few cars so far. It does seem to have a bit of a coil memory but hasn`t bother me too much as of yet. It matched my logo colors so I had to buy it! LOL!
 
I have 4 different pressure washers. They range from a 2.0 gallon/minute 2000 psi electric unit up to a 4000 psi, 13 hp Honda gas unit. Each has their place. That said, I believe the average guy that is using one to primarily wash their car would appreciate an electric unit.
 
Anyone have or hear about Yard force YF220BL? Just found this online. Still leaning toward a gas powered but this does look pretty good as a alternative.
 
I somehow missed this thread earlier....after going through a scad of pricey, high-spec pressure washers (always died in an expensive way, usually right after the warranty ran out), I got a *really* cheap/crappy AR as a Christmas gift.

While it`s underpowered for propery-maintenance work (utterly compared to some of the Karchers I`d had), it`s absolutely great for prewashing the vehicles. The low power actually turned out to be a feature as I don`t get overspray all over the shop (as long as I`m careful).

I did use it to clean some pretty nasty areas of my driveway and to my surprise it did the job. Sure took a long time compared to a more potent unit though, but for something I hardly ever do it was OK.

IIRC it`s an AR110. Cost maybe $80 and is still working fine going on two years now, which is longer than most of my Karchers lasted.

Haven`t given up on the Karchers though, kept all the hoses/attachments, just wish they`d fit on the AR.
 
PA Detailer/homeowner needs both. Electric for detailing and gas around the house. I`ve got the AR Blue 390ss electric and a Sears Briggs and Stratton gas powered power washer. Sometimes you need a bigger hammer.
 
rlmccarty2000 said:
PA Detailer/homeowner needs both. Electric for detailing and gas around the house. I`ve got the AR Blue 390ss electric and a Sears Briggs and Stratton gas powered power washer. Sometimes you need a bigger hammer.
Click to expand...

Is 390ss sufficient for all your detailing needs or is the gas powered used occasionally?
 
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