Running a Pressure Washer.

[cuthound]

I have a leaf blower to sort out the leaves in my canalside garden.

 

I find there is always an updraft from the canal. If I blow the leaves towards the canal, they get to the edge, and the updraft lifts them up and deposits them on the grass behind me. Grr.

 

So I use the blower in "suck" mode to overcome the problem. It also means the leaves can be emptied into the bin, rather than blown into the cut.

[Slim]

Here's a possible suggestion depending upon the pressure needed. (sorry can't provide a link or even a name but I'm sure e bay will help)

I've got a 12 v deck wash kit that I picked up new at a boat jumble for about £80. It comprises of a pick up pipe with a fairly course filter, another length of pipe, a diaphragm pump of whale gulper size complete with another filter, another length of pipe finished off with trigger type spray fitting. I was pleasantly surprised at the force of water. Every bit as powerful as a normal hose. It blasts off leaves, bird muck etc without difficulty without endangering the paintwork.. It pulls about 15 amps.

 

I also use a leaf blower when I remember to take it and whilst it 's quick and effective it doesn't wash off the dirt

 

 

 

Frank.

Edited November 26, 2016 by Slim

[Geo]

Thats so 1980's.

 

 

More like 1960s or even 1950s But what is wrong with a bit of old fashioned work using a broom. I suspect it will be cheaper, use less carbon energy and takes less of your energy. Sometimes modern is not best and the old ways are still better

[Slim]

 

 

More like 1960s or even 1950s But what is wrong with a bit of old fashioned work using a broom. I suspect it will be cheaper, use less carbon energy and takes less of your energy. Sometimes modern is not best and the old ways are still better

And, I regret to say not always effective if the leaves are damp. Recent , first hand experience. I wound up picking them up one by one with one of those long reach grab things used by litter pickers. It's the knees

[Greylady2]

I have a leaf blower to sort out the leaves in my canalside garden.

I find there is always an updraft from the canal. If I blow the leaves towards the canal, they get to the edge, and the updraft lifts them up and deposits them on the grass behind me. Grr.

So I use the blower in "suck" mode to overcome the problem. It also means the leaves can be emptied into the bin, rather than blown into the cut.

Good idea cuthound i am just looking on Amazon now for one.

Here's a possible suggestion depending upon the pressure needed. (sorry can't provide a link or even a name but I'm sure e bay will help)

I've got a 12 v deck wash kit that I picked up new at a boat jumble for about £80. It comprises of a pick up pipe with a fairly course filter, another length of pipe, a diaphragm pump of whale gulper size complete with another filter, another length of pipe finished off with trigger type spray fitting. I was pleasantly surprised at the force of water. Every bit as powerful as a normal hose. It blasts off leaves, bird muck etc without difficulty without endangering the paintwork.. It pulls about 15 amps.

 

I also use a leaf blower when I remember to take it and whilst it 's quick and effective it doesn't wash off the dirt

 

 

 

Frank.

Ow frank another good idea i suppose a powerfull bilge pump with a hoselock at one end will do that too.

 

This forum is brill. :-)

More like 1960s or even 1950s But what is wrong with a bit of old fashioned work using a broom. I suspect it will be cheaper, use less carbon energy and takes less of your energy. Sometimes modern is not best and the old ways are still better

Ive been using a broom to wash the boat with canal water for 7 months now i just thought i could speed things up a bit. Lol

 

Ya right though the old ways are the best but a little cheeting is ok. :-)

[Geo]

And, I regret to say not always effective if the leaves are damp. Recent , first hand experience. I wound up picking them up one by one with one of those long reach grab things used by litter pickers. It's the knees

 

Its age and the rheumatism that gets me

[ditchcrawler]

 

 

My engine at 1200 goes into hard labour whilst i am newking a curry so i am worrying about drawing anymore power than 800w.

 

Run it faster ! If the inverter tripped, guessing it was on low volts, are you sure your batteries were well charged

[WotEver]

Here's a possible suggestion depending upon the pressure needed. (sorry can't provide a link or even a name but I'm sure e bay will help)

I've got a 12 v deck wash kit that I picked up new at a boat jumble for about £80. It comprises of a pick up pipe with a fairly course filter, another length of pipe, a diaphragm pump of whale gulper size complete with another filter, another length of pipe finished off with trigger type spray fitting. I was pleasantly surprised at the force of water. Every bit as powerful as a normal hose. It blasts off leaves, bird muck etc without difficulty without endangering the paintwork.. It pulls about 15 amps.

Good tip

 

A quick Google shows several kits available with different make pumps from around £100.

[Greylady2]

Run it faster ! If the inverter tripped, guessing it was on low volts, are you sure your batteries were well charged

Yer the batterys were about 89% soc, when it gets below 90% it trips out.

 

New batterys and charged to 5 A / 100% SOC every day.

 

I seem to remember it being set to trip into safe mode in the summer.

Its age and the rheumatism that gets me

Your doing well then only 2 things lol.

[Geo]

Your doing well then only 2 things lol.

 

lol Head went years ago lol that's why I like boats

[Greylady2]

 

lol Head went years ago lol that's why I like boats

Good though init.

 

Smiles.

[Geo]

Good though init.

 

Smiles.

 

Yep but it gets a bit bouncy down here this time of year, had winds of over 80 mph the other day and lovely waves, although on Wednesday it was as calm as a mill pond

[zenataomm]

Here's a possible suggestion depending upon the pressure needed. (sorry can't provide a link or even a name but I'm sure e bay will help)

I've got a 12 v deck wash kit that I picked up new at a boat jumble for about £80. It comprises of a pick up pipe with a fairly course filter, another length of pipe, a diaphragm pump of whale gulper size complete with another filter, another length of pipe finished off with trigger type spray fitting. I was pleasantly surprised at the force of water. Every bit as powerful as a normal hose. It blasts off leaves, bird muck etc without difficulty without endangering the paintwork.. It pulls about 15 amps.

 

I also use a leaf blower when I remember to take it and whilst it 's quick and effective it doesn't wash off the dirt

 

 

 

Frank.

 

I bought one of those!

It comes in a grey plastic case.

I drilled four holes through so I could mount the pump assembly into the case by bolts.

 

You'd never jet wash old bitumen off in a dry dock with it. However I chuck the self priming feed in the cut, spray water all over the boat, and then use a mop to spread suds over it. Washing it all off with the pump after.

Works fine for me, and doesn't lift any paint off.

 

I too paid £80 at a boat jumble, it was the one in Newark. The stall was run by an old boy who imports them. All parts are available for replacement through him.

 

It looks just like THIS

 

edited to add link

edited yet again to add ......The case may not be grey, it might be blue ..... I'm colour blind and may be thinking of my other favourite tool my Dremel ...... hmmmm Dremel!

Edited November 26, 2016 by zenataomm

[Dave Payne]

Ive noticed it while running the engine to charge the batterys up, its not like i turn the engine on and off to use the microwave to warm a curry up or a nan bread.

 

I dont think i could warm rice in a pan but i could do the curry sauce.

The packets of microwave rice that are now out can be warmed up in a saucepan with a drop of oil.

[Slim]

 

I bought one of those!

It comes in a grey plastic case.

I drilled four holes through so I could mount the pump assembly into the case by bolts.

 

You'd never jet wash old bitumen off in a dry dock with it. However I chuck the self priming feed in the cut, spray water all over the boat, and then use a mop to spread suds over it. Washing it all off with the pump after.

Works fine for me, and doesn't lift any paint off.

 

I too paid £80 at a boat jumble, it was the one in Newark. The stall was run by an old boy who imports them. All parts are available for replacement through him.

 

It looks just like THIS

 

edited to add link

edited yet again to add ......The case may not be grey, it might be blue ..... I'm colour blind and may be thinking of my other favourite tool my Dremel ...... hmmmm Dremel!

That's the one. I think I bought mine at Newark as well. Is that the one in several large barns? Anyway, the fellow selling them seems to do the rounds I recently saw him at the Hamble jumble. Since posting I've looked on e bay and there are a number there as well.

[Alan de Enfield]

I run a small Karcher pressure washer (the smallest type) from a Honda EU20 which is 1800 watts. It's OK but unsurprisingly nothing like as good as my mate's industrial one powered by an 8hp diesel engine...

 

Just a small correction needed.

 

The Honda EU20I is rated at 1600w NOT 1800w

[cuthound]

The packets of microwave rice that are now out can be warmed up in a saucepan with a drop of oil.

10w40?

[WotEver]

10w40?

ATF is better.

[Geo]

10w40?

 

Coconut

[Greylady2]

Coconut

 

Extra Virgin

[Alan de Enfield]

Extra Virgin

 

No - one is enough (at my age)

[Greylady2]

 

No - one is enough (at my age)

Hahaha

[alan_fincher]

If it is anything like a Karcher pressure washer that we own, I'd be very nervous of running it from any source where full voltage and current requirements can't be guaranteed.

 

Our Karcher instructions even explicitly tell you not to even run it off the mains through an extension lead. My son did, and it packed up, to the point it would no longer start, apparently as a result.

They actually have a very large capacitor in them, and investigation revealed that ours was now only a fraction of its stated capacitance. I was able to replace it, and it now works again.

 

Several sites I Googled at the time suggested that any failure to provide the full voltage as it tries to start were likely to have caused the failure.

[Greylady2]

Thanks for all the replys, i guess i better look at something that draws less power than a power washer, i cant keep washing the boat on a water point. (People get all nasty) lol

 

I was just looking at this water pump from hoselock, its 500w and runs at 3.5 bar, i suppose i could suck up canal water and leather the boat off with a shamy after.

[bargemast]

Thanks for all the replys, i guess i better look at something that draws less power than a power washer, i cant keep washing the boat on a water point. (People get all nasty) lol

 

I was just looking at this water pump from hoselock, its 500w and runs at 3.5 bar, i suppose i could suck up canal water and leather the boat off with a shamy after.

 

I don't know about the UK, but here it's (officially) forbidden to wash your boat with drinking water, pre-filtered canal / river water is plenty good enough to wash your boat.

 

Peter.