What Are You Buying Right Now? (non-OT version)

Ozzie_Isaac

Buckwoody Egger said:

New old stock I guess? Last one at a small town dealer. Maybe they are plentiful but high volume Aces around Atlanta did not show any inventory. Kinda geeked to find it, gotta admit. 

The classic.  The new versions have started to snap the exhaust slider plate off now that they have seen a few years use.  FB BGE groups usually have a few posted.

GrateEggspectations

Can anyone who might own this Husqvarna 3200PSI pressure washer from Costco please let me know if the pressure is adjustable? I’d like to be able to wash cars in the 2000PSI range, but also make use of higher pressures. It’s not clear from the info I can find online. Other general comments would be appreciated, as reviews don’t seem too glowing. Thank you. 

https://www.costco.com/husqvarna-3200-psi--2.5-gpm-gas-pressure-washer.product.4000106203.html

Ozzie_Isaac

GrateEggspectations said:

Can anyone who might own this Husqvarna 3200PSI pressure washer from Costco please let me know if the pressure is adjustable? I’d like to be able to wash cars in the 2000PSI range, but also make use of higher pressures. It’s not clear from the info I can find online. Other general comments would be appreciated, as reviews don’t seem too glowing. Thank you. 

https://www.costco.com/husqvarna-3200-psi--2.5-gpm-gas-pressure-washer.product.4000106203.html

Happen to have the manual here, and no it is not adjustable.  Also looked all over mine and I didn't see any adjustment not listed in the manual.



This is my second one.  The first one had a ring go bad in less than 10hrs, so I returned it.  If it wasn't from Costco and under $300 I wouldn't buy it.  However, I know if I have problems Costco will take it back.  Even without a box.

nolaegghead

I’ve never seen one with adjustable pressure.  The pressure regulator is the bypass valve built in the pump.  You don’t need lower pressure….just use a larger fan angle and/or back up from what you’re spraying.  You can put on a turbo tip that reduces pressure somewhat or a soap nozzle that really lowers pressure.

if you buy the next size up tip for a pressure washer with higher pressure and flow rate it will reduce the pressure significantly via the larger orifice

GrateEggspectations

Ozzie_Isaac said:

GrateEggspectations said:

Can anyone who might own this Husqvarna 3200PSI pressure washer from Costco please let me know if the pressure is adjustable? I’d like to be able to wash cars in the 2000PSI range, but also make use of higher pressures. It’s not clear from the info I can find online. Other general comments would be appreciated, as reviews don’t seem too glowing. Thank you. 

https://www.costco.com/husqvarna-3200-psi--2.5-gpm-gas-pressure-washer.product.4000106203.html

Happen to have the manual here, and no it is not adjustable.  Also looked all over mine and I didn't see any adjustment not listed in the manual.



This is my second one.  The first one had a ring go bad in less than 10hrs, so I returned it.  If it wasn't from Costco and under $300 I wouldn't buy it.  However, I know if I have problems Costco will take it back.  Even without a box.

A sincere thank you for that. For me, the potential range of uses becomes a lot more narrow if fixed at 3200. Danger zone for car paint. Better take a pass on this. Interestingly, a non-Costco Husqvarna 3200PSI offering appears adjustable. 

Aside from the cooks, this is another reason I love this community. 

Thanks again, @ozzie_isaac. Much appreciated. 

nolaegghead

Most pressure washer failures (other than lack of use) are from walking away while it’s running and overheating the pump.  If you need to walk away for more than a minute, turn it off.  The water is always being pumped, although that will be in a loop when the wand is off.  All that energy goes into heat, heat causes parts to generate friction through varying thermal expansion and …. Trust me on this.  

nolaegghead

IMO you do more harm than good with a pressure washer and a car.  Mechanical scrubbing and soft wash is best 

GrateEggspectations

nolaegghead said:

Most pressure washer failures (other than lack of use) are from walking away while it’s running and overheating the pump.  If you need to walk away for more than a minute, turn it off.  The water is always being pumped, although that will be in a loop when the wand is off.  All that energy goes into heat, heat causes parts to generate friction through varying thermal expansion and …. Trust me on this.  

Seems on the money. When I read and watched reviews of this, pump failure was often cited and was responsible for most of not all of the low ratings. 

nolaegghead

Yep.  I stopped loaning my pressure washers out because peeps would fart around on the phone while it’s running.  Lost two like that.   I actually will loan them out to people I trust will heed my warnings, selectively 

GrateEggspectations

nolaegghead said:

Yep.  I stopped loaning my pressure washers out because peeps would fart around on the phone while it’s running.  Lost two like that.   I actually will loan them out to people I trust will heed my warnings, selectively 

Understood. I occasionally get asked for loaner guitars (one is out now), and I’ve had a few come back with scars. I now have a dedicated loaners.

Ozzie_Isaac

nolaegghead said:

Yep.  I stopped loaning my pressure washers out because peeps would fart around on the phone while it’s running.  Lost two like that.   I actually will loan them out to people I trust will heed my warnings, selectively 

When you shut the wand off, you can the engine load up and start lugging.  Seems like they would have some other blow-off valve that is tied to pressure/flow switch inline with the pump.

HeavyG

nolaegghead said:

IMO you do more harm than good with a pressure washer and a car.  Mechanical scrubbing and soft wash is best 

 You really need a fairly high pressure (2500-3000psi) with a good flow rate (>2gpm) power washer to lay down that nice blanket of suds with your foam cannon tho. A garden hose just won't cut it.

GrateEggspectations

HeavyG said:

nolaegghead said:

IMO you do more harm than good with a pressure washer and a car.  Mechanical scrubbing and soft wash is best 

 You really need a fairly high pressure (2500-3000psi) with a good flow rate (>2gpm) power washer to lay down that nice blanket of suds with your foam cannon tho. A garden hose just won't cut it.

Has that been your experience? Info I reviewed today seemed to say you should use 2000psi max on car paints, But I only took a quick look. 

ColtsFan

New Cornhole boards

Langner91

Nice!  Wrong teams, but Nice!

nolaegghead

GrateEggspectations said:

HeavyG said:

nolaegghead said:

IMO you do more harm than good with a pressure washer and a car.  Mechanical scrubbing and soft wash is best 

 You really need a fairly high pressure (2500-3000psi) with a good flow rate (>2gpm) power washer to lay down that nice blanket of suds with your foam cannon tho. A garden hose just won't cut it.

Has that been your experience? Info I reviewed today seemed to say you should use 2000psi max on car paints, But I only took a quick look. 

The only reason I can think of to use pressurized water is for mechanical debris removal where you'd want a "touchless" wash.  Although it would def help with a pre-wash.

I guess if you had a really good presoak that would work on most debris stuck to your car, but I've never been that lucky and have had to mechanically wash with a brush/sponge/rag to get bugs and whatever the hell is stuck on it.

Same story as when I go through a touchless carwash.  Not as clean as the mechanical ones.  If I had a car like your BIL/sister, I'd avoid any carwash.  And you can damage paint by using the wrong technique and a sponge.  If you have dirt on your rag/sponge/less so with a brush, it can be an abrasive and damage the top of the finish.

My main rule, if it's a nice vehicle, is to keep kids/bums and charity washers away from it.  They don't care/aren't aware of the risk of rubbing dirt and sand all over your finish in an attempt to clean.

lousubcap

No way I would hit a car with a pressure washer unless just the underbody. Limited experience here but most low end rigs I see regulate the discharge pressure with the nozzle size.  
Great for outside decks, sidewalks, driveways and patios in my world.  FWIW-

Ozzie_Isaac

lousubcap said:

No way I would hit a car with a pressure washer unless just the underbody. Limited experience here but most low end rigs I see regulate the discharge pressure with the nozzle size.  
Great for outside decks, sidewalks, driveways and patios in my world.  FWIW-

I use pressure washers and the big automatic spinny shamwow car washs.

Canugghead

No pressure washer for cars camp here. Have a vintage Craftsman electric pressure washer that still runs like a champ. My MO: Squeeze the trigger before power on; power off before releasing trigger.

GrateEggspectations

I never used to touch my cars with pressure washers, but I’ve also seen the toll frequent hand washes via soap, mitt and hose can take on a finish. Dirt collecting in the mitt can prompt lots of fine swirl marks, even if one is eminently cautious. The last few years, I’ve gravitated towards pressure washing at a max of 1800 PSI to avoid this. The results are not nearly as good as with a mitt, but I figure I’m grinding less dust and sand into the finish so do less frequent hand washes. 

HeavyG

GrateEggspectations said:

HeavyG said:

nolaegghead said:

IMO you do more harm than good with a pressure washer and a car.  Mechanical scrubbing and soft wash is best 

 You really need a fairly high pressure (2500-3000psi) with a good flow rate (>2gpm) power washer to lay down that nice blanket of suds with your foam cannon tho. A garden hose just won't cut it.

Has that been your experience? Info I reviewed today seemed to say you should use 2000psi max on car paints, But I only took a quick look. 

I was just referring to the use of a foam cannon to really lay on the foam.
Personally, I think even a lower psi electric power washer (like my Karcher) can be hazardous to many materials if you get too close. I never use a straight stream on a car, I always use a fan type of spray and never get closer than a couple of feet. I'm guessing that the psi measure falls off very rapidly as you increase the distance from the tip - there may be a table somewhere on the web that addresses that.
As @nolaegghead briefly mentioned, you can swap in larger diameter nozzle orifices which will have the effect to decrease the psi measure - there may also be a table on the web that addresses that

fishlessman

Steam pressure cleaners add character. Cleans right down to the primer.

Botch

HeavyG said:
I never use a straight stream on a car, I always use a fan type of spray and never get closer than a couple of feet. I'm guessing that the psi measure falls off very rapidly as you increase the distance from the tip - there may be a table somewhere on the web that addresses that.

As @nolaegghead briefly mentioned, you can swap in larger diameter nozzle orifices which will have the effect to decrease the psi measure - there may also be a table on the web that addresses that

I haven't played too much with the real AI generators yet, but plain ol' SIRI just gave me this:
https://www.electronicshub.org/pressure-washer-nozzle-chart/
 
(and I probably shouldn't have typed out "plain ol' SIRI"; the last time I typed "Alexa" onto my macbook, all the doors and windows locked and the thermostat was set to 102˚.  I had to break a basement window to escape).  

alaskanassasin

Drive it like it’s hot.

alaskanassasin

Carey noted upstream if you don’t like the psi take a step back, heavy noted as well about gpm, very important you can have 10000 psi and very little water to actually rinse with. Finally invest in a electric blower for the blow dry to eliminate water spots

HeavyG

I agree with @alaskanassasin about getting a "blow dryer" to lessen water spotting.

I bought one of the smaller ones that is primarily intended for drying motorcycles but it is great for blasting out water from nooks/crannies/lug nuts/side mirrors. We have good water in my area so spotting isn't much of a problem and even the little one can do a great job blasting water off the hood.

This is what I have had for a decade or so:



They also make a larger one meant for cars but it was thrice the price and a lot larger. I'm quite content with this little beast which sells for about a Benjamin these days - beats the hell out of a chamois (real or synthetic).

Ozzie_Isaac

If you properly wash your car and you "sheet" water, then drying should be minimal.

HeavyG

Ozzie_Isaac said:

If you properly wash your car and you "sheet" water, then drying should be minimal.

True, and that's part of the reason why I find the motorcycle blow dryer more than adequate for my cars. 

WeberWho

I didn't go looking but I couldn't pass it up kind of purchase. I saw this meat mixer pop up for $25 on Marketplace. Averages around $200 new before tax. The previous owner said he might have listed it for too little when I picked it up. He said he had 5-6 other people wanting after my initial message. 



I'd like to find a nice used grinder and stuffer for cheap but that's going to be a little more of a challenge. 

nolaegghead

I have that same mixer.  Nice if you are doing big batches.