Dreaded Electric Pressure Washer

MrHandWash

MrHandWash

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Ok, looking for an electric PW. Looking for under 2000 PSI for something under $200 with reliability. I'm using a wrinsless bucket system now, and letting water out of my water tank into my buckets or having customers just come to me. Reason for this is because I'm getting a little 4x4 baby enclosed trailer down the road and will just install a side-door on it myself.

Standard pressure washers laying down are almost all too tall to fit under the bed depth of 17.5 inches. They also take up an exorbitant amount of room in a small 6' or 7' truck bed. The reason for this is, I want to build up some clientel until I can start financing my trailer. I am going to just get a crew cab small pick up, keep all my supplies in the back tool box kit, and then have a tonneau roll off cover so my supplies are protected. Probably just sticking witha small 40 gallon water tank in the back. I already have it laid out so I won't throw my center of balance off. I'm going to just upgrade the brakes to HAWK HP+ pads with drill cross slotted rotors and new calipers for better breaking since the back will have roughly 600-700 lbs in it. 336 lbs of that would be in my bolted down water tank.

Now I've been doing tons of reviews, and so far... oddly as it seems, Walmart is the only company with like 9/10 reviews being positive about their electric pressure washers, and they come with 1 year warranties. However, most are online order only...shady IMO :bat: But alsmost all of them have good reviews, there are a few bads, but there's always lemons.

Can anyone back any of the Wally World models up? I'm just using them for rims, wheel wells, and then wrinsing off my wash and hitting the bugs on the front a little. It's not like I'm doing semis (that's later down the road). I don't need anything gas powered because I'll be running a 3500 watt, 20.5 AMP generator I found that actually is only 16" tall so I can bolt it down in the back of my bed. I don't need much PSI to do this. I'd love to just get a trailer now... but saving up for a wedding and the future Mrs. doesn't want me spending a bunch of cash :(
 
I bought an electric PW at Lowes or Home Depot a couple years back. This is the model and info. It's certainly not a high quality machine (it's mostly plastic) and it does leak a little bit at the hose connects, but for $100 it's lasted me two years with out any problems. The gun and hose that it comes with is crappy, but over all I can't say I've been disappointed. It's a good little machine for the money. And it's fairly small, so storage isn't an issue.

Husky Powerwasher
 
I have a Briggs & Stratton 1800 PSI (Electric - Cold Water) Pressure Washer
Got it from pressure washer direct a few months ago.

it fits in the back of my VW rabbit standing up.

I use a 3/4 HP water pump and a huge rubbermaid trashcan on wheels as my water source at the country club i detail at on weekends. I can get through 3 cars befor i refil it.

I did pay 289 after tax and shipping. Got it in 2 days after i ordered it.
 
I have had nothing but problems out of every electric pressure washer I have owned. I have owned several of the near $200 PW from Walmart, they all last maybe a year before they start leaking or the motor kicks on and off without squeezing the trigger. Fed up with those I bought the Task Force 2000 PSI from Lowe's. Well after 3 of those leaking and causing the motor to kick on and off, I finally gave up. I'm tempted to buy the Stanley that Sears carries but electric pressure washers don't have a good history with me. I use them for cars only, no other work. If you find a decent one, please keep me in mind and let me know what you find.
 
I have the issue of the PW leaking and the motor turning on and off, but it still works fine and I'll use it until the motor burns out. My next buy is going to be a gas PW, but for now the cheapo one works.
 
Having both a cheap model and a high end unit I can tell you that the cheap pressure washers are nothing like the higher end ones. They are decent if you just using them to wash your own car from time to time but if you need one for a full time business you'll be better off spending the money for a good one. The ratings on them are a lot like buying a cheap car audio amp. It may say 6000watts of power, but we all know it's nothing like high dollar McIntosh amp that's rated much, much lower.

Though this is on the high end, something like this is perfect. :props:


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Here is the cheap one I have...though I paid $149 for it at another store with a different brand name....they have this same unit under several OEM brands.

Faip Pressure Washer — 1850 PSI, Model# PW1850 | Electric-Cold Water | Northern Tool + Equipment
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And here is my higher end unit. Even when I adjust the pressure down to almost nothing it blows away the amount of pressure the cheap unit has. the cheap on is all plastic and is starting to leak after a few months of use. My high end one is all metal and has been solid for 4 years now.

NorthStar Electric Cold Water Pressure Washer — 3000 PSI, 2.5 GPM, 230 Volt | Electric-Cold Water | Northern Tool + Equipment

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Rasky
 
Yes Rasky, I know that later on down the road when I get my trailer I'll get one good when I have better money coming in. I'm only starti ng part time, for like weekends and people I know to spread the word and fliers/business cards.

However, that 'what appears to be a 200+ gallon tank' godzilla of a pressure washer there will not fit in a sonoma, S10, or ranger :xyxthumbs: I will be officially starting in Spring of 2011, i'm just piddle paddling on what supplies to go with for now. I'm going with a small pickup for gas mileage and because it will be my DD as well.
 
MrHandWash said:
Yes Rasky, I know that later on down the road when I get my trailer I'll get one good when I have better money coming in. I'm only starti ng part time, for like weekends and people I know to spread the word and fliers/business cards.

However, that 'what appears to be a 200+ gallon tank' godzilla of a pressure washer there will not fit in a sonoma, S10, or ranger :xyxthumbs: I will be officially starting in Spring of 2011, i'm just piddle paddling on what supplies to go with for now. I'm going with a small pickup for gas mileage and because it will be my DD as well.
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I think that tank is actually pretty small (maybe 30-50gal) as it's only a 2000psi unit. The pump should be about the size of the one on the pressure washer I have. I think there are some places the will just sell you the pump and motor and you can mount it yourself. That should about as compact as the cheap unit I have.

If you on a budget that unit I have will work, and if you buy it at a place like many of the box store where you can bring it back and exchange it without hassle, then it may be your best bet. The cheap unit I have puts out less pressure than a local coin-opp has, and IMO those coin-opps already tend to be on the low side as far as pressure goes. So if it says 2000psi on the box, you will likely be unimpressed when you first fire it up....it will still better than a regular hose though. ;)
 
There are better electrical pressure washers, such as the Cam Spray 1500A, but they are more like $800.

If all you have to spend is $200, go for one of the Wal-Mart ones and save up for a better unit.
 
Ah, cool. Yeah, I'm just trying to go small because I'm only using it to rinse vehicles off with after rinseless. Hopefully by the end of next year once I've started up and figured out where I'm at from a budget standpoint I'll get a trailer and probably get a large self mountable water tank/pressure washer system, and still hold onto the little electric model I get if it's still alive after 6 months.

My emphasis now is to just have the tonneau cover and unroll it and everythings' there all laid out. I'm hoping that if I keep everything in the bed, and just empty out my water tank when I am not busy, I would only have a few hundred lbs in the bed. I'm hoping to get around 16+ mpg fully loaded city, 20-24 highway. I'm sure this will all be a large learning process and there will be returns in the long run possibly because of room issues. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of measuring with the tape measurer. I think it'd be awesome to have everything in a small little truck, that's my goal. Trailer comes later if the business takes off.

Only 2 other mobile detailers in Cincinnati and their reputations and reviews are far from plausible, HORRIBLE reputation from like 9/10 reviews I've read. I'm sure it would take off rather well, the detail shop I work at is ALWAYS full of customers and offers very few services compared to what I would be offering.
 
MrHandWash, have you ever thought about just running a pump that can push about 2 gpm for washing vehicles? A pressure washer is nice, but great results can be reached without one. My set up right now includes a 40 gallon tank that is plumbed with a 1.8 gpm pump feeding water through a 50 ft light weight water hose. It takes up little space, has enough pressure to rinse thoroughly with, and the chemical choice and methods of washing do the rest of the work.

To give you an idea, I drive a 4 dr wrangler and I have enough room for all my supplies in the cargo area with the seats down. I do not need a trailer to carry electricity, water, chemicals, or compressed air.
 
I'm interested, so... something like this? or is that overkill?

Are there GPM/pressure regulators? I know a good deal about pressure washers, never really have dabbled into pumps. However if it could save me $ and room I'd like to take a look.

Mind linking me something similar to what you run? Your setup sounds about the same size as mine.
 
MrHandWash said:
I'm interested, so... something like this? or is that overkill?

Are there GPM/pressure regulators? I know a good deal about pressure washers, never really have dabbled into pumps. However if it could save me $ and room I'd like to take a look.

Mind linking me something similar to what you run? Your setup sounds about the same size as mine.
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The one I have is a 12v pump that my neighbor sold me for 15 bucks, he bought it as a spare for his boat where he plumbed a fresh water tank for rod/reel cleaning, and rinsing his clothes on long trips. It says on the side 12v 1.8gpm.

The pump was a very easy install because I already had the truck wired with a 100% duty onboard air compressor, so I just spliced into the wiring for 12v and ground.

I'll try to find a link to a similar one for you. I have seen them at West Marine for around 50-80 dollars and differing gpm rates.
 
I guess more than anything. I am just curious about getting a water pump and how to hook it up to my water tank. I'd just hate to order one and it be the wrong size or the wrong water tank fitting.
 
MrHandWash said:
I guess more than anything. I am just curious about getting a water pump and how to hook it up to my water tank. I'd just hate to order one and it be the wrong size or the wrong water tank fitting.
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If you have any marine supply stores in your area, just go down there with your water tank and show them what you wish to do, they will surely be able to help you plumb it along with insure proper fit. More than likely, it will not be the first time they've seen what you are trying to do because I know plenty of people have hooked up a watering system in their campers and boats with success, it is the same concept just different application.
 
SeaJay's said:
I bought an electric PW at Lowes or Home Depot a couple years back. This is the model and info. It's certainly not a high quality machine (it's mostly plastic) and it does leak a little bit at the hose connects, but for $100 it's lasted me two years with out any problems. The gun and hose that it comes with is crappy, but over all I can't say I've been disappointed. It's a good little machine for the money. And it's fairly small, so storage isn't an issue.

Husky Powerwasher
Click to expand...

I bought the same one about 4 years ago. Same issues with plastic housing, poor gun and hose and leaks at the hose connection.

However, it is still working very well for my needs.
 
I bought a briggs and straton 1850psi from Tractor Supply Company for just under $200. I bought it a year ago and have used it for washing a 35ft boat running the motor for about 4 hours continuously, washing the mildew off a concrete patio, and of course many car detailings. Its had over a 100+ hours of use already and its still going strong!
 
I just bought a task force from Lowe's the other day. I only bought it because it was on sale. It was $50. Regularly $100. Their $200 unit was on sale for $119.
 
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