Home car pressure washers - no outdoor tap? Butt......

[andy400]

Thinking of getting a pressure washer, but have no outdoor tap or easy way of using an indoor tap. Can I run one from a water butt? Anyone have any experience of this? Will there be too little pressure in the water supply, or will the pump in the washer take care of this?

Butt is approx 5m from driveway and tap on butt is about 30cm below the level of the driveway. When full, the butt holds approx. 300 litres.

[prand]

Never done this, but I assume this would work as long as you have basic, gravity fed pressure. I've seen mobile cleaners who have a water tank in the back of the van and a pressure washer.

[steve.c]

Should work fine as most pressure washers draw the water in rather than needing pressure to push it in.

[ChrisRS]

How you intending to fill the water butt, other than rain fall which i expect would take a few weeks to fill?

[miniman]

Outside tap is £10 plus 10 minutes work, though.

[pies]

You need this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Karcher-Suction-Filter-Pre...

[andy400]

ChrisRS said:

How you intending to fill the water butt, other than rain fall which i expect would take a few weeks to fill?

Just rainfall. Fills from the gutters of my house, and next door either side. Been full or nearly full ever since I got it - hence I'm thinking up new ideas to use the free water! (I realise the height of summer may be a different story, even in this country, but then I'd just have to go to the petrol station washer).

[qooqiiu]

This might work...

Years ago when i had a dog i used to give her a bath outside - By cutting a bicycle inner tube - then connecting one end to the tap using cable ties to secure it. I pocked the hose through the other end of the inner tube and secured that with cable ties as well, worked a treat!

[andy400]

miniman said:

Outside tap is £10 plus 10 minutes work, though.

Really? Even with no water supply at the rear of the house at all? (Kitchen etc all at the front)

[ChrisRS]

What sort of house do you have, my neighbour (Attached houses) doesn't have an outside tap so i let them use mine to wash the car, don't suppose your neighbour would allow this (If possible) and presuming their not on a meter

[andy400]

ChrisRS said:

What sort of house do you have, my neighbour (Attached houses) doesn't have an outside tap so i let them use mine to wash the car, don't suppose your neighbour would allow this (If possible) and presuming their not on a meter

Modern, small footprint, but tall town house in a row of similar new-builds. Everyone on a meter, and besides which the idiot builders decided to save themselves a few quid per house by not fitting outdoor taps to any but the biggest detached houses. (I never thought of an outdoor tap as being a luxury for the lucky few, but hey ho )

[ChrisRS]

In that case your knackered!

[andy400]

ChrisRS said:

In that case your knackered!

You don't think my butt's up to the job?

[ChrisRS]

For the sake of a cheap £25 pressure washer i'd give it a go, the pressure washer should be ok running off the water butt but i reckon you'd empty it quite quickly, and it'll take a while for nature to re-fill it, do you know anyone with a pressure washer you can borrow to try?

Edited to add

http://www.express-cleaning-supplies.co.uk/buyersg...

Edited by ChrisRS on Monday 22 December 17:48

[andy400]

ChrisRS said:

For the sake of a cheap £25 pressure washer i'd give it a go, the pressure washer should be ok running off the water butt but i reckon you'd empty it quite quickly, and it'll take a while for nature to re-fill it, do you know anyone with a pressure washer you can borrow to try?

Edited to add

http://www.express-cleaning-supplies.co.uk/buyersg...

Edited by ChrisRS on Monday 22 December 17:48

Thanks!

[AndyAudi]

Your average domestic pressure washer use surprising little water, should be no problem with a water butt.

[GreenV8S]

Isn't there any way to run a hose through your property? You aren't going to need very much water flow so if you have anywhere at all that you can connect a hose to (even if it's only one of those horrible things that clamps onto a tap) and can run the hose through the house, out the window etc I would have thought you could set something up. Presumably you're already running extension cables out there, after all.

[303Hound]

will work fine.

[7ommy]

How about one of these ?

http://www.dirtworker.co.uk/

[davea3]

GreenV8S said:

Isn't there any way to run a hose through your property? You aren't going to need very much water flow so if you have anywhere at all that you can connect a hose to (even if it's only one of those horrible things that clamps onto a tap) and can run the hose through the house, out the window etc I would have thought you could set something up. Presumably you're already running extension cables out there, after all.

Not a fantastic idea, imagine if the hose got a leak whilst you was happily cleaning your pride and joy come back inside for a well deserved rest and only to find you have a new fully furnished indoor swimming pool.