Pressure washers...

DaGonz

DaGonz

Autopia fire/rescue.
I decided that today would be a great day to to pressure wash the siding of the Casa DaGonz.. It was a balmy 70+ with low humidity and lots of sunshine...



I got the garage done and was moving the machine to get the backside (north exposure) of the house when I lost pressure and found water squirting out from under the machine....



The pump blew out a seal.



I go online searching for a pump for my machine ( a 4 year old Campbell Hausfeld that wifey bought at Walmart for $200 as a Father's Day gift) to find that it will probably be cheaper to buy a whole new setup than it would be to purchase a new pump! :grrr :angry :furious:
 
I stop buying those Campbell Hausfeld. I been through three of them already. The previous and most expensive one didn't even last three total hours and I had hell trying to get it replaced through the store I bought it from. If they break, it's usually cheaper to trash them and get another.
 
Yeah it's crazy how parts, especially on the cheaper equipment, can end up costing more than or close to the price of the unit itself.



If you spend about $100 more, you can go and get a PW with a Honda engine with about 2,000-2,500 PSI. Something like that is perfect for home and light commercial use and lasts awhile.



I'm not sure if you have one in your area, but places like Lowe's and Home Depot carries them for around that price. I have one and the brand is Briggs and Stratton, and the engine is Honda. I've been using with my detailing business and it runs like a charm....even with it running for long periods of time every weekend cleaning dump trucks. :bolt
 
We run an electric pressure washer in our shop, 2500psi but it takes a 240volt outlet. It works great to keep the noise and fumes down so we can wash inside the shop.
 
ajbarnes said:
Yeah it's crazy how parts, especially on the cheaper equipment, can end up costing more than or close to the price of the unit itself.



If you spend about $100 more, you can go and get a PW with a Honda engine with about 2,000-2,500 PSI. Something like that is perfect for home and light commercial use and lasts awhile.



I'm not sure if you have one in your area, but places like Lowe's and Home Depot carries them for around that price. I have one and the brand is Briggs and Stratton, and the engine is Honda. I've been using with my detailing business and it runs like a charm....even with it running for long periods of time every weekend cleaning dump trucks. :bolt
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I briggs puts honda engines on their pressure washers? are you sure its not the other way around? A honda pressurewasher with a briggs engine.
 
dmw2692004 said:
I briggs puts honda engines on their pressure washers? are you sure its not the other way around? A honda pressurewasher with a briggs engine.
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Honda has always used thier own engines on thier pressure washers and in my experience they were more reliable than the briggs and stratton engines. After looking online it looks as if Briggs and Stratton are using both their own engines and honda engines in thier pressure washers.



As you see here: Amazon.com: Briggs & Stratton 3,000 PSI Gas-Powered Pressure Washer #1539: Home Improvement



that high end Briggs has a honda engine but it seems like the cheaper ones have briggs engines.
 
It is not so much the engine which is important, but rather the pump. Good pumps are made by General and Cat, and are usually plunger pumps. The Camspray 1500A is a good commercial electric unit. It does need a 20A circuit to run properly though.
 
brwill2005 said:
It is not so much the engine which is important, but rather the pump. Good pumps are made by General and Cat, and are usually plunger pumps. The Camspray 1500A is a good commercial electric unit. It does need a 20A circuit to run properly though.
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Agreed 90%. Those triple plunger pumps are the best. Although I must say that Honda engines are very hard to beat. Do some research on the net for small engines, and you'll find that the Honda motors are very highly regarded. And that Camspray electric is among the best, for sure, as long as you have the dedicated 20 amp circuit for it.



I paid *alot* for my John Deere (triple plunger pump, Honda motor, built like a tank) and I don't regret it one bit. Big, one-time up front expense, then it just goes and goes and goes. Replacement parts are also easy to get should something go out.
 
SuperBee364 said:
Agreed 90%. Those triple plunger pumps are the best. Although I must say that Honda engines are very hard to beat. Do some research on the net for small engines, and you'll find that the Honda motors are very highly regarded. And that Camspray electric is among the best, for sure, as long as you have the dedicated 20 amp circuit for it.



I paid *alot* for my John Deere (triple plunger pump, Honda motor, built like a tank) and I don't regret it one bit. Big, one-time up front expense, then it just goes and goes and goes. Replacement parts are also easy to get should something go out.
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Bee,



Is most garage wiring already on a 20A circuit? The reason I ask is because I warned Phil@DD before he got his and he just ran it on whatever his garage has for wiring.



He liked them so much he now sells them. I guess that's a testament to it's quality.
 
Mindflux said:
Bee,



Is most garage wiring already on a 20A circuit? The reason I ask is because I warned Phil@DD before he got his and he just ran it on whatever his garage has for wiring.



He liked them so much he now sells them. I guess that's a testament to it's quality.
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Unfortunately, no. Most house circuits are GFCI protected 15A breakers. And unfortunately, it's not as easy as just changing the breaker out to a 20A one; you also would have to re-run a heavier gauge wire. I don't recall off the top of my head the gauge that's required for a 20 amp circuit, but it is heavier than the wire required for a 15 amp run. That right there is the problem. Changing breakers is easy. Re-running wire (typically) is not.



Running that Camspray on a lighter than recommended circuit can cause many problems: overheated wire runs, tripped breakers, ruined breakers, over heated extension cords, and even damage to the sprayer's pump motor.



Electric sprayers require alot of juice and big electric motors to be able to produce the same power (power = PSI and GPM) of the gas motors. Once you see the high flow rates at high PSI, you'll probably decide that gas is the way to go. 2.8 gpm is niiiiiice.
 
SuperBee364 said:
Unfortunately, no. Most house circuits are GFCI protected 15A breakers. And unfortunately, it's not as easy as just changing the breaker out to a 20A one; you also would have to re-run a heavier gauge wire. I don't recall off the top of my head the gauge that's required for a 20 amp circuit, but it is heavier than the wire required for a 15 amp run. That right there is the problem. Changing breakers is easy. Re-running wire (typically) is not.



Running that Camspray on a lighter than recommended circuit can cause many problems: overheated wire runs, tripped breakers, ruined breakers, over heated extension cords, and even damage to the sprayer's pump motor.



Electric sprayers require alot of juice and big electric motors to be able to produce the same power (power = PSI and GPM) of the gas motors. Once you see the high flow rates at high PSI, you'll probably decide that gas is the way to go. 2.8 gpm is niiiiiice.
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That's what I thought. I hope Phil doesn't burn his house down .. unless for some reason he's already got a 20A circuit there.



Looks like I might go the gas route unless I happen across a house with 20A wiring in the garage from the get go. That is unless I start from the ground up and request it.
 
I've got a Landa, not sure the type of motor, but it's got a general pump, 2 gpm, 1000 psi.



It's a beast compared to every other electric I've had.
 
SuperBee, is your pressure washer a regular 120V? The one we have at our shop(I can check tomorrow) had to have a 230V plug. Luckily the owner wired the whole place so he wired the 230V plug near the wash bay.



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Thats the one we have:



NorthStar Electric Cold Water Pressure Washer — 3000 PSI, 2.5 GPM, 230 Volt
 
Mindflux said:
That's what I thought. I hope Phil doesn't burn his house down .. unless for some reason he's already got a 20A circuit there.



Looks like I might go the gas route unless I happen across a house with 20A wiring in the garage from the get go. That is unless I start from the ground up and request it.
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Most newer homes atleast here in cali are running 20 amps to the garage outlets!! I was able to run my cam spray 1500a in my garage no problem as soon as i plugged a radio into the same circuit it would cut out when i pulled the trigger and die! THat just shows u really need to have a dedicated circuit for it cause if anything else is on that line it will throw the breaker!

Ive been running this pressure washer for almost a year know and have it in the back of my truck for my mobile jobs and had it running on a 2800watt generator in the 20amp socket and it even kept tripping that thing! I eventually cut off the plug at the end of the pressure washer and put a 3 prong twist socket 30a plug on the end so i can plug it into the 30amp socket on the generator and it finally ran the way it was suppost to!! :bigups
 
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