Power Washer Recommendations--Cheap and Peppy

[fzxdoc]

I'm telling myself that I should get a power washer, although we hire someone to power wash all the decks once a year to get the algae off. That's the only other use for a power washer around our house that I can think of.

But I'm considering using one for monthly grate cleaning al la Troutman .

Maybe I'd even do the deck myself with it and save some home maintenance $$.

Can you tell I'm working on a justification?

So tell me a...

• good quality
• easily portable
• easy to use
• effective

...power washer to consider.

Thanks all,
Kathryn

[lostclusters]

Harbor Frieght

[lostclusters]

Gusuntite

[Rob Johnston]

I have the one from HF as well. Believe it was $79. I have had it for 3 years now with no problems. I do not use it that often so for my purposes it is fine. Depending on your needs and use, you may need to go with something more heavy duty.

[Razor]

Same here. Perfect money spent for how often I use it.

[JoeSousa]

I would love to hear some recommendations as well. I have been watching FB Marketplace for some. Not sure I need a big 3500 PSI gas powered one (well, of course I do) but don't want too small of an electric one that it is underpowered.

[smokin fool]

I'm personally not happy unless I'm burning fossil fuels.
But I did buy a small electric.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Check Costco, that's where I got both of mine. Oh, and make certain you put RV anit-freeze in it before winter, that way you only need to get one.....

Need justifications? Power wash the house, not just the deck. Get the crud off your tractor, or just wash your car if you don't have a tractor. Clean grills and cookers, animal troughs, patio furniture, sidewalks and driveways. 'Rake' the leaves off the lawn.

[fzxdoc]

I'm loving your suggestions for extra uses for a power washer. I'd have to purchase animal troughs and a tractor, though, to be able to take advantage of all of them. Seriously though, your ideas are really good. One thing I hate doing is buying a one trick pony--one machine for one task only always goes down hard with me.

Kathryn

[smokin fool]

I brought a Simoniz brand 1600psi electric power washer from a big box up here.
It was on sale for $109, half price one weekend.
Its light, on two wheels, very portable and simple to use, my daughter uses it all the time to wash her car.
Its done everything we've asked it to do well, my only beef is the hose can get tangled easily other than that good little unit.
Only other brand I'd bother with would be Karcher. They can be pricey so went with Simoniz. No regrets.

[Troutman]

Costco, Lowe's, Home Depot all have models from cheap to expensive. I've got a 3500 psi Honda motor powered model I've had for about 20 years. What I found was that it's really too much for most home needs. I've pressure washed my driveway so many times that I've worn the outer laitance (that smooth surface on top of concrete) off and invited a rougher and easier path for dirt and mold to accumulate. Also almost ruined my wood deck by being too aggressive as well.

My point is all you need is something either electric or gas powered that has maybe 1500 psi worth of power. You can pick that up for around $150, maybe less if you shop around.

[FireMan]

Yup, something small and Lectric.

[Steve R.]

I borrowed a buddy's pressure washer (similar to your Honda) to clean off some mud left behind on the bricks of my house during construction, and learned that the smallest nozzle will actually cut into brick very quickly if you hold it on there for more than a couple of seconds. Fortunately, this happened in a very small, inconspicuous area, but I took that thing off right away when I noticed it. I think an electric would do everything I need it to do.

[ssandy_561]

We bought the Greenworks 1700 PSI 1.2 Gallon Cold Water Electric Pressure Washer from Lowes last Spring.

Item # 795430 Model # GPW1704. We bought it on sale for $79.

I power washed our driveway with it and it did a good job.

She power washed our resin picnic table and resin glider chairs with it and it removed the grime off of them.

She washed her car with it once or twice also.

There are a lot of attachments you can get for it from Greenworks. We have not bought any but we are thinking about the rotating surface cleaner attachment since we just put in a composite deck.

We have no complaints but we have only used it about four times

[MBMorgan]

I ordered one from THESE folks many moons ago. They've got a great selection and what seems like "reasonable" prices ... and they ship directly to you. The gas-powered 2800 psi Briggs & Stratton that I bought nearly 20 years ago is still going strong (only used once or twice per year, tho').

[surfdog]

I’ve got one of these. https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-1-...4122/203800590
I'm sure I didn’t pay full price though. It seems to do the trick. And the cart is handy...so is the length of hose.

I used to have something a bit like this. https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-Re...141612%7D%3Aqu The issues I had with it were the hose being to short...so I was constantly having to lift it to get anything done that wasn’t directly in from of me. And of course having to pick it up and schlep it everywhere anytime I wanted to use it. I gave it away.

[Bobby Q's]

I ordered a Sun Joe SPX3000 2030 Max PSI 1.76 GPM 14.5-Amp Electric Pressure Washer off Amazon and have used it almost every week for car washing and cleaning. Love it. Almost never pull out the old gas powered one. I am very pleased with it and its pretty quiet.

[jlazar]

I have a Simpson 3200 psi that is a workhorse. I have used it on the grates.

I also have a Ryobi Electric similar to this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-1-800-psi-1-2-GPM-Electric-Pressure-Washer-RY141812G/305219247

I have used both to clean the grates. Obviously the Simpson will do better than the Ryobi. But neither will get them completely clean unless you have a lot of time to spend.

I normally spray with Easy Off and let sit for about 20 minutes. Then hit with the electric Ryobi. It gets the grates to the level of clean that I want.

If you are just using for grates, get a 1700-1800 electric. If you are going to clean the deck, then consider a gas model. I use the gas Simpson the clean my deck, patio, driveway and walks once a year. But you have to be careful with a big gas model or you can cause damage.

[jfmorris]

I've got a Karcher 2600psi pressure washer with a Honda engine on it that I bought at Sam's Club for $250-ish 10-12 years ago, if not longer. Now it looks like Simpson is what Sam's Club is selling. Mine gets used a couple times per year, and always starts up. Biggest recommendation I have is to disconnect the pressure hose on BOTH ends when not in use, so that all water drains from the pump. And remove the nozzle from the wand after use - I've had them get clogged from rust when I didn't do that, and had to clear the nozzle with a sewing needle.

About anything with a Honda or Briggs & Stratton engine should do well for you. Electric.... I started with a little electric 1600psi one, that was not very good.

The most useful accessory I got last year was a 15" surface cleaner. You have to be careful though, as the cheap ones that don't use ball bearings use a hub that wears out after about one day of use.

[jlazar]

Agree on the surface cleaner being a must, but not sure how effective it would be with an electric. Also, after every use, gas or electric, clear the pump of excess moisture. Remove all hoses. Gas - leave in off position and pull starter cord 5-6 times until water stops coming out. Electric - cycle on and off until water stops coming out.

[tbob4]

I love the surface cleaner!

[ScottyC13]

I also have a Karcher I got from my local True Value Hardware store. I would recommend checking a few models out and see what features you like such as easy handling and moving the unit, storage etc. They can be a bit unwieldy and it you have to carry them onto a porch, it can get challenging for some models.

Dont go too cheap though. You’ll have to fix it or replace it too soon.

[tbob4]

I have two - both Powerstroke models from Costco. The electric is 1900 PSI and does a really nice job for cleaning the grills the deck and my car (with the right nozzle). I have stucco siding, so I am under orders not to use it on the house.

The 1900 PSI model did not do a great job to get all the grime off of the walkways. Birds and berries make it a real mess. So I also bought the 3100 PSI pressure washer. It works very well on concrete. I wouldn't use the 3100 on the car. I did play with it on the grates but it really did not do a better job that the 1900 model. The quirkiest use for the 1900 PSI model - It makes me tennis shoes and ball caps look like new!

Portability - 1900 PSI is much lighter and moves easily. Get long extension cord and hose.
Quality - I have had the 1900 PSI for three years and the 3100 for one. Both still working
Ease of use - Electric is easier
Effectiveness - See above and everyone else's suggestions

[DavidNorcross]

I have this one https://www.snowjoe.com/products/sun...ion-40v-4-0-ah and love it. Cordless and powerful enough to do what I need. Sure you can get one more powerful, but this works and the battery power is what does it for me.

[fzxdoc]

The specs say that it runs for 21 minutes on a single charge. Is that long enough for your needs?

K.