mjrleague said:
For those of you with detailing trailers, do you use a pump system to get the water to your pressure washer or does your pw pull it from the tank?
I have been having problems with our 13hp Honda pulling water from the tank. We have a 250gal tank if that is needed. I'm not sure what the problem is?! Any suggestions?
I use a 65 gal water tank in the back of a van with garden hose fitting directly to my gas PW...no booster pump needed.
Assuming you've checked for the obvious kinks in your supply hose, I would venture to say that the problems you're experiencing may be due to vapor lock in the water tank.
1st, try completely removing the filler cap from your water tank and see if the water flows better to your PW. If so, the problem is vapor lock and you may need to clean and/or drill bigger/more vent holes in your water tank cap so air can get into the tank fast enough to replace the lost volume of water.
If you frequently disconnect your PW from the water line for some reason, make sure your pump is getting primed. Most gas PW are not self-priming and you need to get a fair amount of water flowing through the garden hose with the 'ole mouth to hose gasoline siphoning method.
Also, loose leaky valve and hose fittings could cause your pump to loose its prime when you go to use it. I always wrap all my connections with plumbers teflon thread tape. Keeps them sealed up nicely.
Check any filter screens in your water lines for clogging. Most PW's have one on the water inlet coupling. It could be gunked up, restricting flow.
Make sure any and all valving is of sufficient diameter. I know that some "quick-disconnect" fittings for garden hoses can restrict flow. So can certain types of ball valves. Rule of thumb: bigger is better.
Also, try using a shorter garden hose from tank to PW. At first I was using a 50ft hose...it was very difficult to get enough suction by mouth to get it primed sufficiently. It seemed that if I got just a little bit of water flow coming thru the hose, it just was not sufficient to catch the PW pump.
I finally solved this problem when I purchased a cheap 7 ft "remenant" hose to run from the water tank to PW. Primes quick and easy no problems since.
If all else fails, one last check: when your pump is running at max (shooting water full flow) look closely at your supply hose (hose from tank to PW). Is it deforming and collapsing under the suction? This could also be your culprit. Replace the hose with a thicker walled industrial hose.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Craig
