Purchasing a pressure washer

I

Ignatius

1,000+ Posts
To increase my manliness quotient I am in need of a new power tool, and I've been giving some thought to a pressure washer for some time. My main applications are:

* - Cleaning the deck. We have trees everywhere on our lot and by this time of year everything has a nice layer of gunk on it.

* - Cleaning walkways/driveway. See above

* - Cleaning out gutters. My gutters in back tie into a downspout that lets out about 40 feet later at the curb, it would be nice to give it a good blast now and then to prevent any clogs.

* - Stucco on walls of house. I'm most leery of this because of all the things I don't want to mess up, this is #1

Any recommendations as far as gas/electric, PSI, GPM, models, etc? I'd prefer electric because there's an outlet handy by every place I'd be using it, but if there may be disadvantages I don't know about. A neighbor jacked up his deck pretty good with one about 3 years ago, but from what it looked like to me he was spraying way too close (6 inches, maybe)...
 
Bought the gas-powered 2500PSI from Troy-Bilt (w/ the Honda motor) after it recieved a lot of positive reviews.

Ran me $290 and have never looked back. I will HIGHLY advise protective ear covering. Its loud enough to make you deaf during use.

It dominates my fence and deck and driveway and walkway and cars and .....
 
Three years ago, my boss really wanted a pressure washer. He spent a good few weeks convincing his wife that it was a smart purchase. He finally got permission to buy one and he was totally psyched about it.

Fast forward 3 years. I asked my boss (who lives around the corner for me) if I could borrow a tree trimmer. He suggested I also borrow his pressure washer. I was a little confused. He said, "So... I've only used the thing a couple times and my wife always brings it up when I want a new toy. So, I figure if I let all my friends borrow it, it will justify its use to her".
 
Me too. Your driveway and all wood surfaces stand to be cleaned at least once a year for proper maintenance and cleanliness.
 
Not to crap on the pressuer washer thread, but if you want to clean a deck or wood fence it is alot easier to get a garden sprayer tank, fill with bleach and a cap full of diswashing liquid. Spray on, wait 5 min, hose off. It works great for weathered wood and for mildewed wood. Very easy and a lot cheaper.
 
I used AMEX points for a HD gift card and got one about a month ago. Great to have. I loan it out to friends for a 12 pack of beer. I bot the Husky 2600 psi with the honda engine. I also like to power wash my kid from time to time and don't have to blow all those quarters at the car wash anymore.
 
Costco carries one that tends to be a good deal. Honda engine being the main requirement plus availability of parts from a well-known brand. Had an electric Craftsman originally, but never again. Not enough power even though it was the most powerful electric available. Pump broke and parts were more than a new electric.

I use mine a lot. Car washing. Engine cleaning. Grill cleaning (works great on grates). Siding/foundation. Deck (widest tip, don't get too close). Sidewalks/driveway/entry. Hot tub cover. etc.

BTW, IIRC you can compare cleaning power by multiplying the pressure by the GPM. The higher the product of those two values, the better the performance. This is important because some units run at a higher pressure at the expense of GPM which may not be a good tradeoff.
 
Epilogue:

Purchased the 2500RPM/2.7 Troy-Bilt model mentioned above w/ Honda motor this morning at Lowe's. Have cleaned up front walkway and back deck, jihad on driveway declared for tomorrow morning. This is a fine addition to the arsenal...
 
Watch your toes, Ignatius. A dumbass co-worker of mine was out pressure washing his driveway wearing sandals (I did mention he was a dumbass, didn't I?) and carelessly went over his foot. He damn near lost a toe from the cut and resultant infection.
 
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