Recommend me a pressure washer/How to clean decking?
Discussion
Folks,
I got some decking installed in our rear garden last summer (approx. 2.8M x 4M) and it has all gone greyish, and green in some places (under and around where the plant pots were situated).
I tried scrubbing a small section this evening with a scrubbing brush and some hot soapy water and it came up quite well. I am buggered if I am going to do the whole lot like that though, so apparently (so I have been told) the way to go about cleaning it is by using a pressure washer.
If this is the case (please tell me otherwise if I have been misinformed) which pressure washer should I purchase? I would also like to use the same aparatus to clean the car too, so ideally not something so powerful it'll blow the paint off, and not something so weak it wont blow it's way out of a wet paper bag!
Budget is <£100 probably.
Cheers.
I got some decking installed in our rear garden last summer (approx. 2.8M x 4M) and it has all gone greyish, and green in some places (under and around where the plant pots were situated).
I tried scrubbing a small section this evening with a scrubbing brush and some hot soapy water and it came up quite well. I am buggered if I am going to do the whole lot like that though, so apparently (so I have been told) the way to go about cleaning it is by using a pressure washer.
If this is the case (please tell me otherwise if I have been misinformed) which pressure washer should I purchase? I would also like to use the same aparatus to clean the car too, so ideally not something so powerful it'll blow the paint off, and not something so weak it wont blow it's way out of a wet paper bag!
Budget is <£100 probably.
Cheers.
A lot of people use just pressure to clean stuff, concrete aside, it is the pressure activating a cleaning chemical or soap that has the best effect with the least surface damage.
The trick is to hit the chemical with the pressure before it gets rinsed off, if that makes sense.
For a wooden deck use either wood bleach or tri sodium phosphate, neither should be allowed to dry befor pressure washing off Both need extensive rinsing.
I can't reccomend a Pressure Washer as I am in the US, but make sure you use a fan tip. A high pressure machine is not neccessary to do a decent job, it just takes longer
TSP.... three tablespoons per gall apply with garden pump sprayer
Wood Bleach follow instructions. TSP is much cheaper
The trick is to hit the chemical with the pressure before it gets rinsed off, if that makes sense.
For a wooden deck use either wood bleach or tri sodium phosphate, neither should be allowed to dry befor pressure washing off Both need extensive rinsing.
I can't reccomend a Pressure Washer as I am in the US, but make sure you use a fan tip. A high pressure machine is not neccessary to do a decent job, it just takes longer
TSP.... three tablespoons per gall apply with garden pump sprayer
Wood Bleach follow instructions. TSP is much cheaper
I bought a nilfisk (well known industrial cleaning manufacturer) 110bar washer from screwfix at the weekend - 60notes in their sale including snow foam lance & patio washing jet. it was powerful enough to clean my yard of months old cement render, blasted years of moss from the garden wall with ease and made light work of washing both cars. they had a 120bar model for £90 but wasn't in stock.
under 100 the pickings are slim. be aware that the advertised pressure is Pmax, working pressure on this one is 75bar. pretty much everything I looked at sub £150 in the 110-130bar range was the same. i thought about buying a s/h compressor and a spray gun but needed one quick to clean the garden, gutters etc. before the builders started.
I did go to an industrial supplier (cromwell tools) as they had the nilfisk and an osaki branded model that was twice as heavy. I said I didn't care about brand or weight, I just wanted reliable 110bar pressure. was told I wouldn't get that for the budget so went with screwfix for the price and the fact their returns policy is miles better than b&q.
fwiw I went to about a dozen different shops in total last week looking for a high pressure budget model. take the shortcut and go to screwfix.
under 100 the pickings are slim. be aware that the advertised pressure is Pmax, working pressure on this one is 75bar. pretty much everything I looked at sub £150 in the 110-130bar range was the same. i thought about buying a s/h compressor and a spray gun but needed one quick to clean the garden, gutters etc. before the builders started.
I did go to an industrial supplier (cromwell tools) as they had the nilfisk and an osaki branded model that was twice as heavy. I said I didn't care about brand or weight, I just wanted reliable 110bar pressure. was told I wouldn't get that for the budget so went with screwfix for the price and the fact their returns policy is miles better than b&q.
fwiw I went to about a dozen different shops in total last week looking for a high pressure budget model. take the shortcut and go to screwfix.
Laurel Green said:
There's another thread Here that might help with your selection.
which got me nowhere, hence the research. I would have got the osaki from cromwell if I could have found out who makes them, as the larger motor and increased weight leads me to think it'll be robust. the nilfisk is similar quality to a karcher - I.e. plasticky - but I read karchers don't last and I've seen nilfisks' industrial cleaners in use daily where I used to work.shirt said:
which got me nowhere, hence the research. I would have got the osaki from cromwell if I could have found out who makes them, as the larger motor and increased weight leads me to think it'll be robust. the nilfisk is similar quality to a karcher - I.e. plasticky - but I read karchers don't last and I've seen nilfisks' industrial cleaners in use daily where I used to work.
Oh that was you was it. Glad you got it sorted.
oobster said:
I went to B&Q on Thursday night and bought a Karcher K2.65 which includes the circular patio cleaner thing. Reduced from £149 to £99.
I've cleaned maybe half the decking so far (and got soaked!) - seems to make a quick and good job of it.
How does that circular thing work? Saw something similar in Homebase earlier - what does it do that makes it better for decking?I've cleaned maybe half the decking so far (and got soaked!) - seems to make a quick and good job of it.
I spent the better part of 45mins doing the decking with a borrowed JCB pressure washed (which shaved parts off the wood when held too close) and am looking to buy one for myself, if that patio thing saves time I might well have a look in B&Q.
tenohfive said:
oobster said:
I went to B&Q on Thursday night and bought a Karcher K2.65 which includes the circular patio cleaner thing. Reduced from £149 to £99.
I've cleaned maybe half the decking so far (and got soaked!) - seems to make a quick and good job of it.
How does that circular thing work? Saw something similar in Homebase earlier - what does it do that makes it better for decking?I've cleaned maybe half the decking so far (and got soaked!) - seems to make a quick and good job of it.
I spent the better part of 45mins doing the decking with a borrowed JCB pressure washed (which shaved parts off the wood when held too close) and am looking to buy one for myself, if that patio thing saves time I might well have a look in B&Q.
Ok guys, what am I doing wrong?
Outside tap, hoselock connector to a length of hose, hoselock connection into the washer. Using the patio circular skirt thing everything is fine - washer maintains constant pressure, pump stays at a constant tone.
Swap onto the high-pressure rinse lance thing, machine again maintains steady pressure but will then suddenly flip to a lighter pressure, and the pump note changes. Let go of the trigger for a second then re-apply and all is fine again, until it flips back to less pressure again.
Sometimes the rinse lance thing is fine for 2-3 minutes (from initial power-on), sometimes it flips within a few seconds.
Faulty machine, or something I am doing wrong?
Outside tap, hoselock connector to a length of hose, hoselock connection into the washer. Using the patio circular skirt thing everything is fine - washer maintains constant pressure, pump stays at a constant tone.
Swap onto the high-pressure rinse lance thing, machine again maintains steady pressure but will then suddenly flip to a lighter pressure, and the pump note changes. Let go of the trigger for a second then re-apply and all is fine again, until it flips back to less pressure again.
Sometimes the rinse lance thing is fine for 2-3 minutes (from initial power-on), sometimes it flips within a few seconds.
Faulty machine, or something I am doing wrong?
oobster said:
Ok guys, what am I doing wrong?
Outside tap, hoselock connector to a length of hose, hoselock connection into the washer. Using the patio circular skirt thing everything is fine - washer maintains constant pressure, pump stays at a constant tone.
Swap onto the high-pressure rinse lance thing, machine again maintains steady pressure but will then suddenly flip to a lighter pressure, and the pump note changes. Let go of the trigger for a second then re-apply and all is fine again, until it flips back to less pressure again.
Sometimes the rinse lance thing is fine for 2-3 minutes (from initial power-on), sometimes it flips within a few seconds.
Faulty machine, or something I am doing wrong?
sounds like your water supply is a lower pressure than the max output the pressure washer can pump, hence the reduced pressure. Water pressure builds in hose when not in use, then when used it drops back to that of the main supply, so labours the pumpOutside tap, hoselock connector to a length of hose, hoselock connection into the washer. Using the patio circular skirt thing everything is fine - washer maintains constant pressure, pump stays at a constant tone.
Swap onto the high-pressure rinse lance thing, machine again maintains steady pressure but will then suddenly flip to a lighter pressure, and the pump note changes. Let go of the trigger for a second then re-apply and all is fine again, until it flips back to less pressure again.
Sometimes the rinse lance thing is fine for 2-3 minutes (from initial power-on), sometimes it flips within a few seconds.
Faulty machine, or something I am doing wrong?
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