Pressure Washer advice

Frontier

Frontier

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Thinking of getting a pressure washer to clean the boat.

can anyone advise on the minimum presure required to deal with salt spray, general cleaning and the brown stain around the waterline.

I have found a 140 bar Karcher that fits the budget, but though I would get some advice from fellow forumites before I buy.

Thanks

D
 
filled my bilges via god knows where with one /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

only use on the hull/bathing platform now

cheers Joe
 
Brown waterline stans are things growing in the gell and will require an appropriate chemical cleaner.

Pressure washer bad news for teak.

Also be careful with the seals on deck fittings.

Find hose sufficient for salt watered decks, or a good douse of rain. Since hose pipe ban in SE don't use anything but the rain at present!
 
It's not so much the pressure as the volume of water that it puts out. I bought a small cheap one some time ago but its like trying to clean the bottom of the boat (or the patio)with a half inch paint brush.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Since hose pipe ban in SE don't use anything but the rain at present!

[/ QUOTE ]

Surely deck washing is exempt from the hosepipe ban as this is required for safety ( de-sliming to prevent slippery decks ) ? I've certainly seen loads of people in Haslar using the hosepipes.
 
140 bar is about 2000 psi which, IMHO, is certainly adequate for bottom duty etc - although as previously mentioned the pressure needs to be coupled with a decent volume of water to be truly effective. Our pressure washer is only about 1500 psi (don't know what the volume is) which is fine for decks (not teak!!) but struggles a bit below the waterline.

Re brown staining along waterline - pressure washer won't touch it. Depending on severity, either a chemical cleaner like Y10 (uses an acid suspended in gel - could make it yourself) or if its seriously ingrained then a mild polishing compound.
 
VicS is right. The pressure is measured within the pipework and is created by the restriction (the jet). If there is a low volume of water flowing the restriction can be made smaller to create a high pressure. But the cleaning action is done by the water once it has passed the jet and there is no longer any pressure (other than atmospheric pressure) only velocity.
It's obvious that the more water flowing at a given velocity the better the cleaning in that large areas can be tackled. And that the higher velocity for a given flow the better cleaning in respect of cutting through the deposits. So the higher the velocity and flow the better overall performance.
 
I've always been a cheapskate and bought the cheapest I could find ... and they have done a good job. OK so you can't get a 6" wide cutting water fan ... like the marina one - but most over counter shop ones don't anyway. Most are 100 bar and xx litres / min.

So you use it possibly 2x a year .... note that it is not unknown for one to be stowed away and when you want it next time - pump is seized. Happened to me ... so I will not spend more than necessary !!
 
[ QUOTE ]
So you use it possibly 2x a year

[/ QUOTE ] Based on that, your other comments and by own experiences it is probably more sensible to hire a decent sized one especially if two or three people could get together and split the cost of a weekend's hire.
 
Hiring .... agreed

But of course like most - I had great plans of all the other jobs I would do !!

And B&Q offer at £30 for a Karcher .... well ??????? (Probably that ones seized as well !!)
 
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