pressure washers

[doca]

I am reading up on those gadgets with a view to purchasing one and cutting down elbow grease in cleaning car, patio, driveway ...and of course the boat. It looks as if something which produces around 150 bar (2200 psi)would be a good model but I wonder if any forumites used these things on boats, and is there a possibility of damaging gel coat, etc. ? My main concern is the burmese teak deck as I think I read somewhere that a turning a pressure washer on this material could be damaging. Any advice ?

 

[LittleShip]

A pressure washer will not cause any harm to GRP (if used correctly) however it will destroy your teak dont go anywhere near teak with one........................... unless you have loads of cash you want to get rid off??

 

[bruce]

also, over 1600 lbs will remove the 'crust' on brick surface and allow bricks to crumble much faster than normal on brick house. be sure to regrease parts after pressure cleaning.

 

[mirabriani]

Quite right
When I was trail riding motorcycles , I found that pressure
washing meant the bike was nice and clean; but I was renewing
the various bearings much more frequently.
I would not be happy about using the very high pressure
washers on my boat, I'll stick to elbow grease

Regards Briani

 

[Talbot]

BMW give a very strong recommend not to use a pressure washer on their motorcycles for just this reason.

 

[StephenSails]

PSI on its own is more or less meaningless, you need to see how much water the thing will pump out per minute. There are lots of cheapo models claiming high PSI but with out a high water output they are not really any good for anything apart from cleaning the mildew of the patio.

 

[heerenleed]

Use it all the time

on board. We have a very small one, it's very effecient to keep the boat clean. But, as others said, NEVER EVER clean your teak with it. It will destroy it. No problems on GRP, however. Even spray hoods and dodgers can be succesfuly cleaned with it...

Again: a small and cheap model does the trick for normal cleaning use. Also very effective to keep salt out of your bottle screws and head sail rollers...

cheers

 

[clouty]

Re: Use it all the time

Please Please don't clean canvas with a pressure washer. Unless you want to make more work for the likes of me.

 

[capt_courageous]

Re: Use it all the time

Some people used a pressure washer on our pontoons. It seemed to open up the surface of the wood grain quite badly. They also became dangerously slippery. Dont even think about using them on teak.

 

[Sans Bateau]

Re: Use it all the time

If you want a pressure washer to last any time at all make sure it has stainless steel pump parts, cheap models often use Ally parts, the minute you use any chemicals in them they corrode and are useless.

Pressure washers are great for removing the muck below the water line prior to antifoul, also a quick mid season blast off.

Its true a pressure washer at full pressure will destroy teak and canvas, however, open up the jet to more of a fan, and the pressure will be much reduced, this will allow you to remove green from both teak and canvas safely, without damage. HOWEVER be warned GO GENTLE!!!!! A fine jet will cut groves in wood!!!

 

[doca]

Thanks for all the advice. I got a 140 (max) bar / 7 litre per minute washer. SWMBO has ordered all paving, pathways, driveway, brickwork, roof tiles, windows, etc., etc. to be cleaned down first so it'll be some time before I put the gadget to use on the item I really got it for.

 

[paulskent]

As per previous warning, I have one of those Karcher home pressure jobbies. I used it to get all the green slimy stuff of our 2 year old Patio... Wasn't till it dried out that I realised I had taken the top layer of the preformed concrete stones and was down to the bits of composite stone and cement. It looked better when it was green.

Don't think I would take it anywhere near anything I cared for..

Be very carefull....

 

[doca]

If you do what Etap_owner says and open up the nozzle the water should be more in the form of a spray rather than a jet thereby removing less surface.

 

[alan_d]

Can you use seawater?

I have not got a pressure washer yet, but I wonder if you can use them with salt water.

 

[heerenleed]

Re: Can you use seawater?

I suppose you can. But I don't know if the machine would suck up the water by itself. Normally, you have the pressurised hose from the water tap connected to the washer.

I can imagine that internal parts would corrode sooner if you use salt water. I suppose you could cure that by using fresh water the last minute before you finish....

cheers

 

[Guest]

Bog standard B&Q special at less than 70 quid

About 100 bar, light enough to carry, power requirements don't trip marina breakers ..... does a fine job.
OK - maybe not cutting off some barnacles that are really stuck on .... but has served me well - in fact I'm on my second ......
As regards teak deck .... as long as beading and edges are secure - why not ??

 

[Guest]

Re: Can you use seawater?

Yes .... we regularly did on the coasters for washing down .... but always ran a good amount of fresh-water through after. BUT unless the pump has a good draw - note that freshwater use from garden hose is pressure TO the pump ... you will have to fill a container ABOVE the pump to ensure adequate supply to the machine. Some machines also have a pressure supply switch that if water is not supplied at pressure - the motor does not cut in .... (electric)

We found actually that sewater had a cutting ability - probably due to the salt / mineral content.

Honestly - yes - but fresh after to make sure the corrosive salt is removed.

 

[TheBoatman]

Don't use it on the patio furniture, they come up sparkling but the pressure removes the top surface just as though they've been rubbed down with sandpaper.