Pressure Washer

One of the companies I own employs lower income workers. Our management has a positive and respectful attitude towards these individuals. Most -- of course, not all --are hard working and want to provide for their families. Some want an opportunity to advance, which we provide to them. Some do not work out, of course, but that does not change the basic attitudes we have towards them. We have found that management's attitudes towards workers, which includes basic respect, and the environment we create, has a large effect on their behavior.



If a worker senses that management expects that he is a (fill in the blank), he will often accomodate that expectation. If he senses that management thinks higher of him, he will often rise to that expectation. Of course, this does not always happen and to think it would is living in a dream world. But, it is an attitude that produces better results that putting out a negative expectation, which people will then often give you.
 
I agree with you, but then I am 57 going on 58.

THis is a forum, one which is visited by a large percentage that are much younger than I.



I find that mentoring is very important, to share knowledge, to share input, to help the younger ones grow.



You mention "the company you work for or such", and what may I ask is the industry that the company is part of?



If one has never spent weeks and months and years in the "car clean up business", been around the total industry, they will lack the experiences that can cripple mentally most.



Drive down into a getto on a Friday nite, visit the local jail on a Monday morning. That is a concern that can not be swept under the carpet. These are the majority of human beings who are available to a "car cleaning" production employer.



We try, very hard to raise them up, to instill a sense of purpose, direction. But, unfortunately, as with the various govermental agencies, etc, we fail.



I am being honest as I can with you and others. This is why we at AI started the Trusted Professional Detailers organization, certification program, the reason that the vehicle manufacturers are slowly taking part and aiding us in growing the group.



Perhaps, just perhaps, if we can set an accepted standard, training, etc, the bar will be raised.



As I said, here is a forum, one that I have those who are pro for me and those who are con for me.



This is not my life, nor is it my means of livelyhood, just a gearhead, with more years in the real side of detailing than most are old.



Also an ex-jarhead, so that makes me even more of a hardhead than most can deal with.



Oh, so sorry, that is policticaly incorrect, "former memeber of the Armed Forces of the United States of America"!(where in the 60's you did as directed, as ordered, and damn those who didn't wear the uniform or fight the battles to protect their rights as an American. You just did the job wether you agreed or not, at least,

the country is still here and that allows all to voice their opinions, which is what I fought for.)



I sincerely hope that this is taken in the vein that I intend it to be taken. Each here is an individual, of what ever country, race or nation, and the way I look at it, we are here to share,not to inflame or kick another in the "private parts."



If I offended someone, then stand up, give me a call and let's clear the air in private, the world is to big and busy to be "little".
 
Your buddy had called me months before asking that I lay off providing information regarding factual chemical components, information that is available to any who wish to spend some time researching various chemical component fact sheets as provided by the suppliers,chemical dictionaries, etc.



The phone calls you are referring to were by him to berate me for continuing to provide information that he felt was not in his best interest and after 2 minutes of his bull, I hung up.



That is the straight line, live with it.
 
Thanks for your post. I have said that I think we should avoid commenting on posters, personally, but I must say that I thought your post to me was sincere and candid. You have my respect for being so open. I was impressed.



To answer your questions, 1. I am 52 2. The company is located in East Los Angeles. East LA is hispanic. We hire people off the street, no experience required. Most of the work involves crawling under houses, running wire (for alarm systems).
 
Wow, first post and already 4 pages! Just kidding, a little off the original question but good reading nonetheless.



So Ron, I would be interested in what you think of Klasse All in One and Sealant Glaze, if you would?



Thanks to all for the replys.
 
For those of you who use a pressure washer for detailing purposes, what should one look for when purchasing a pressure washer? (i.e. psi, gpm, electric, gas, etc.)

Also, any brand and model recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you in advnace,

Doc
 
i have a craftsman with a 6.5hp briggs and stratton motor that puts out up to 2500psi. one probably doesn't need that much for detailing but i use mine for around the house too... love it with the foam cannon too..
 
Depends on what you plan on using it for. For just doing your own car a small electric model would be fine. If you own a home you could spend a little more and upgrade to a smaller gas model. You could use that for pressure washing decks, concrete, siding, your lawn mower, etc. If you are only washing cars the GPM and PSI isn't too important. 2000-2500 psi is plenty for most chores and you could get by with less for cars. GPM is only really important when you are looking at really large cleaning jobs such as washing trucks and houses.

just my 2 cents.........
 
I have had a couple of them over the past 15 years or so; gave one to my son-in-law, and someone stole it from him, so I just have the one Devilbiss unit. Its a 2.0 gallon per minute, and its adequate for washing almost everything on vehicles, and if held too close to the finish, it will damage it.
You want to look out for pinstripes, edges of clearbra's, etc,
.
If you really wanted the most pressure for other things like say cleaning down concrete, wood decks, etc., the more gpm, the better.
The 3gpm and higher units cost alot more - several hundred dollars more -, but you get what you pay for.

Looks like Home Depot sell alot of good ones, find one with a Honda engine, and you are never going to have to work on it, but the Briggs/Stratton engines work fine too, and this is not a tool you will be using every week anyway, right?

This tool greatly speeds up things like cleaning engine compartments, and undersides of hoods, etc., wheel wells, etc., just be careful, and like any other tool that has high pressure, motion, etc., keep it moving, watch the distance to the target, and think about what you are doing at all times..

One last thing, dont ever use a pointed straight jet on anything that is capable of being damaged by it. I prefer to use a small fan jet for cleaning vehicles and mind the distance away it sprays very carefully.

Better to be more conservative when using it then, than less.

Dan F
 
glfahlc, rockymountaindetail, stokdgs, thanks for your replys. I also appreciate the suggestions for proper use.

Dan F - By your explanation I assume you have a gas powered unit???
 
When it comes to pressure washers, you always get what you pay for.

The engine manufacturer can make a huge difference. The Honda's always do better than the Briggs. My pressure washer has a Honda GX and it runs great. Even the Honda GCV engines do pretty well. We always have a few of the low end Briggs returned because of engine problems.

The pump is just as important as the engine. AR, Cat, Cam Spray, and Generac are all very good. Be sure to look for the tag or ask the salesman. If you have hard water or before winter storage, use a pump saver type liquid. It helps protect the pump and extends the life.

My pressure washer is way overkill for washing cars, but I wanted something that would last. It has a Honda GX200 engine with an AR pump - 2.8 GPM and 3000 PSI.
 
Lots of great info on this. One thing I've always been told is that the CAT Pumps are the best, obviously a bit more expensive, but again, sometimes you get what you pay for and the pump is pretty important.
 
Doctordon,

Yes, these have been gasoline powered machines on wheels.

Other things I thought of, are - you need a long trigger pull wand with the ability to add a longer tube to the end of it; they make all sizes of these tubes. The longer tube allows you to put the end of it down into the engine compartment away from the more fragile stuff on top, and clean it really good of the gunk that always seems to collect at the bottom of engines whenever oil/fluids, etc. leaks and gravity takes over.

My engine cleanups always come out looking as good as the day it was installed, because the pressure washer gets about everything out very quickly. You still need to be careful and keep it moving, wear some type of glasses so that the water doesnt come back up and hit you in the eyes..

And of course, the pumps are very important, you can find replacement pumps on the Internet, if you ever have one go bad. I agree that keeping the pump free of gunk is important - guess you can run some white vinegar through it every now and then and that would help keep the orifices clean?

Good luck with your research.
Dan F
 
I have a Husky Pressure washer from home depot... the honda gas engine on it is nice but the pump is junk. After a few uses it dies as soon as I let off the trigger now. I don't know what that means and I never used the stuff your suppose to spray through the pump before storing it. So it's probably my fault it broke.

Anyone know if this can be fixed or what breaks to cause this?

I bought a cheap taskforce electric pressure washer from lowes and it works well enough for washing cars. I have to set the stream to fairly narrow to get the kind of pressure necessary to clean off debris such as bug guts. But I love not having to constantly start and stop the pressure washer.

Also, my electric came with a turbo nozzle.. where it basically swivels a perfectly straight stream. It's surprisingly strong. I tried it on concrete and cleaned it up as good as my gas powered. I am afraid to use it on my paint cause it's so strong.. anyone use one of these?
 
Strs90 said:
I have a Husky Pressure washer from home depot... the honda gas engine on it is nice but the pump is junk. After a few uses it dies as soon as I let off the trigger now.
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Is it dying after a few minutes of use or whenever you release the trigger to stop spraying? If it dies when you release the trigger, there might be something wrong with the unloader valve.

The turbo nozzles are fantastic and are worth every cent. But, I wouldn't use it to wash a vehicle.
 
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