Electric pressure washers

ryantt

I know I know, it's not a real pressure washer if it's electric!!!!  With that out of the way my wife and I are looking for one to do light duty work around the house: like foam cannon the cars, wash down the  driveway, garage floor, and last rinse off the patio and walks around house and pool.  Anyone with experience using electric units I'd appreciate your input.   Mostly want electric for my wife to be able to use ( not that she ever will).  

Was thinking about a sun joe 

Sun Joe SPX3000 Pressure Joe 2030 PSI 1.76 GPM 14.5-Amp Electric Pressure Washer

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blasting

Seems pretty respectable in terms of GPM.  I have a 12hp gas powered one that is 4 gpm, so if they can get almost half of that with a wall plug, I'd say it would preform most of your tasks with ease.

is it a fairly sturdy unit?  The electric units I've seen have tended to be a little on the flimsy side.

DoubleEgger

Personally, I'd never touch one. They are too much of an electrocution hazard for my taste. 

ryantt

Thanks @DoubleEgger I didn't think about that.  

@blasting I'm sure that are not well made in comparison   

DoubleEgger

ryantt said:

Thanks @DoubleEgger I didn't think about that.  

@blasting I'm sure that are not well made in comparison   

One skinned cord and it's over...

DoubleEgger

I don't want to rain on the parade but things can and do happen. 

http://m.ecmweb.com/content/mother-electrocuted-pressure-washer

stv8r

I have one (different brand but same specs).  It's a fantastic light/medium duty pressure washer.  Biggest lesson I've learned is plug it into a circuit with nothing else drawing amperage.  At 14+ amps that doesn't leave much room for other stuff on a typical 15a residential circuit.  I've noticed that extended washing (trigger pulls for a long time...30 secs or more risk a breaker trip)  Shorter frequent pulls are no problem.  

ryantt

@stv8r what brand do you have? 

Jeremiah

No no no no. IMO you need at least 2.5 gpm to do anything at all, and really 4.0 is considered the minimum by most. 

HeavyG

ryantt said:

Thanks @DoubleEgger I didn't think about that.  

@blasting I'm sure that are not well made in comparison   

I have used Karcher electric pressure washers for 20 years. They are fine.

Gas powered units will do some things quicker but they can also be quicker to do some damage.

With the Karcher (and I'm betting any other recent brands) the electric cord plug incorporates a GFCI so there is no shock hazard.

With a gas unit there may be more accessories available and that may be important for the pros and some homeowners.

For my purposes the electric has been more than adequate.

steel_egg

That looks almost identical to the one my FIL has. I use it for the same things you described. Great for light duty work without the PIA of dealing with a gas engine. Unplug and put away. They are great. 

Eggdicted_Dawgfan

HeavyG said:

ryantt said:

Thanks @DoubleEgger I didn't think about that.  

With the Karcher (and I'm betting any other recent brands) the electric cord plug incorporates a GFCI so there is no shock hazard.

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Don't let the though of electrical shock scare you away. This is a problem solved long ago by what @HeavyG mentioned with GFI. If it was a danger it would not be on the market. Now, the low gpm is something to think about. You may or may not want more output. But you can always do more prep/cleaning solutions to make the job easier on you and the machine.

ryantt

thanks guys for the feed back, I just don't know what to buy, and as always I assume you guys could help me spend a few bucks.   Like I said it is really going to be used to soap up the car before I 2 bucket it.  My wife is a freak about her car as am I, but I'm tired of the time it takes. Do any of you use a foam cannon, for your cars.  

WeberWho

Don't let gas scare you away. I don't own one but I borrow my Dad's often. It's a NorthernStar pressure washer with a Honda Motor. It always starts first or second pull going on 15+ years now. The only maintenance is yearly oil changes. Don't run it full bore and you will have a good pressure washer for many years. Have to love Honda!

rockymountaineggster

I picked up a foam cannon last week that was on sale on amazon. Tried it out this weekend and it worked well. I wouldn't say I had thick foam on the car when I was done like some of the videos but even coverage that did the job. May be user error too and could take some playing. Not sure about the electric pressure washer though as mine is gas powered. If nothing else it was a lot more fun spraying foam all over than manually scrubbing.

Eggdicted_Dawgfan

Just curious what is the reason for the cannon? To get the soap on the vehicle? No magical scrubbing powers? 

ryantt

@WeberWho not afraid of the gas models, jus my wife wanted to be able to use it and we do not think she will be able to start it.  

ryantt

@Eggdicted it's meant to be a per soak, helping to loosen the dirt.  Then  rinse and re-foam before a two bucket wash. I'm a freak about my cars, and want to protect them as much as possible. 

DoubleEgger

I just got a quote to have a bunch of pressure washing done around the house. It's so cheap that I doubt I'll fire up mine anymore. 

rockymountaineggster

So I'm fairly lazy when it comes to washing my car. The wash this weekend was the first time since last fall and it showed. All I did was rinse first then cover with the foam cannon followed by a 2 min max wipe down then spray off. Took a lot less time then normal due to less manual work and the results were the same or even better. Not sure if it was the cannon or not but if it let's me save time and elbow grease I'm all in.

Jeremiah

DoubleEgger said:

I just got a quote to have a bunch of pressure washing done around the house. It's so cheap that I doubt I'll fire up mine anymore. 

Be careful. I owned a pressure washing business for several years, a while back. There's lots of fly by nights out there that don't have a clue, damaging houses and property as they go. 

HeavyG

ryantt said:

thanks guys for the feed back, I just don't know what to buy, and as always I assume you guys could help me spend a few bucks.   Like I said it is really going to be used to soap up the car before I 2 bucket it.  My wife is a freak about her car as am I, but I'm tired of the time it takes. Do any of you use a foam cannon, for your cars.  

I use my Karcher on my vehicles with a foam cannon and it works fine. If one of your main uses is on your vehicles I don't think getting a gas powered one really is going to speed your car washing up.

For me the convenience of the electric wins hands down. 

If I ever needed a really serious pressure washer I'd get one of these diesel powered Karchers:

https://www.facebook.com/BBCOne/videos/1144212679021232/

WeberWho

ryantt said:

@WeberWho not afraid of the gas models, jus my wife wanted to be able to use it and we do not think she will be able to start it.  

@ryantt I do believe certain models offer electric start on gas powered pressure washers if that helps any in your search

4Runner

I have the same unit but I only use it to wash my vehicles, cookers, boat, etc. I don't actually use it to pressure wash. Anyway, I really like it.  

DoubleEgger

Jeremiah said:

DoubleEgger said:

I just got a quote to have a bunch of pressure washing done around the house. It's so cheap that I doubt I'll fire up mine anymore. 

Be careful. I owned a pressure washing business for several years, a while back. There's lots of fly by nights out there that don't have a clue, damaging houses and property as they go. 

Thanks. This guy is referred to us by close friends. Does the work himself. 

nolaegghead

By far the most common pressure washer injuries are everything but electrocution.

nolaegghead

http://www.consumerreports.org/pressure-washers/safety-alert-under-pressure/

SemolinaPilchard

I have a Honda 3000 psi, and it starts first pull every time, and is very easy to pull. However, if you are going to be washing cars often, I recommend electric. As long as you keep the wand far enough from the car you would be ok with a gas one, but it would be easy to slip and get too close. A mid strength or higher electric will clean concrete, just at a much slower rate.

Killit_and_Grillit

I like having both. I have a gas for most of my stuff. My buddy has an electric we use for washing cars, cleaning the boat, washing blood out of the garage on epoxy floors during hunting season. 

If if I had to have one I would go gas. But I also have a log splitter in using as a foot rest right now to give you an idea of what my projects look like. (If it's worth killing it's worth overkilling) so for small projects electric will do most the work. 

minniemoh

@ryantt - I have that exact same model. I just bought mine last summer for washing my deck and my atv. I borrowed the same unit from my neighbor and liked it so much that I decided to buy one. I actually like it better than my father-in-law's 3000 psi gas unit for what I use it for. I'm not doing a lot of heavy duty stuff so it works great for me.

Eggdicted_Dawgfan

@ryantt if you are particular about your cars paint finish and have a nice paint job on your cars you may look into a portable deionizer to eliminate the water spots and eliminate the need to hand dry the car. The less you have to run a cloth over the car the less fine scratches you will have. Simple system and it works great.