Home jetwash - no hosepipe/outdoor tap. Would this work?

[andy400]

As per the title, I want to get a jetwash for home use but don't have an outdoor tap for the water supply. Thinking of rigging up a small tank at height (6' or so) to provide water input with a bit of pressure - would this work?

I can't think of any reason why not, but then I'm not an engineer.

[BigBen]

andy400 said:

As per the title, I want to get a jetwash for home use but don't have an outdoor tap for the water supply. Thinking of rigging up a small tank at height (6' or so) to provide water input with a bit of pressure - would this work?

I can't think of any reason why not, but then I'm not an engineer.

You wont' need the tank to be high up the pressure washer contains a pump which will work from any form of water storage. I have used them in the past with a sink being topped up by the cold tap (for example) with no ill effects.

Ben

[sunbeam alpine]

Should be fine. I run mine on rainwater from a 1000 litre tank which is stood on 4 pallets.

The only change I made was do drill a hole and mount a smaller tap fitting higher up on the tank - to avoid pulling all the crap which comes off the roof (I do have a home-made filter in the pipe running into the tank as well).

[andy400]

Great, thanks!

[furtive]

It's very easy to fit an outside tap...

[andy400]

furtive said:

It's very easy to fit an outside tap...

Agreed, but the layout of my house means no water supply within about 20' of the rear wall, so it's probably not worth the hassle for an occasional jetwash.

I have a rainwater butt for most outdoor needs, but its tap is about 4' lower than the level of the drive so no good for car jetwashing.

[Silver993tt]

andy400 said:

I have a rainwater butt for most outdoor needs, but its tap is about 4' lower than the level of the drive so no good for car jetwashing.

why not? A jet/power wash has a built in pump, so no pressure required on the source of supply.

[andy400]

Silver993tt said:

hy not? A jet/power wash has a built in pump, so no pressure required on the source of supply.

Shirley not powerful enough to suck it up from 4' down and 20' away? Be nice if it could - problem solved!

[danger mouse]

andy400 said:

Agreed, but the layout of my house means no water supply within about 20' of the rear wall, so it's probably not worth the hassle for an occasional jetwash.

I have a rainwater butt for most outdoor needs, but its tap is about 4' lower than the level of the drive so no good for car jetwashing.

You may want to run the hose indoors, but I take the swan neck off the mixer-tap on the kitchen sink and screw the hose adapter straight on as its the same thread.

If your tap is similar you too could jet wash you car/chickensh!tty paving with hot or cold water.

[Laurel Green]

danger mouse said:

You may want to run the hose indoors, but I take the swan neck off the mixer-tap on the kitchen sink and screw the hose adapter straight on as its the same thread.

If your tap is similar you too could jet wash you car/chickensh!tty paving with hot or cold water.

I'd be careful on doing this if one has a tank-fed HW system. I say this, because a mate (yes really) did this and, the mains pressure cold, forced itself back up the hot water and into the tank in the loft. The overflow on the tank, not being able to exit the water quickly enough, caused the tank to overflow and flood the house.

[danyeates]

When my outside tap packed up I unscrewed the washing machine or dishwasher connection under the sink and screwed a garden tap to hose fitting onto this. It uses the same thread!

Worked a treat. Then just connected the dishwasher back up again afterwards.

[andy400]

All good stuff, but my kitchen is at the front of the house and the water supply therein is roughly 50' away from the drive where I wash the car.

[danger mouse]

That is the worst "I have a 30'+ house post" ever.

[andy400]

danger mouse said:

That is the worst "I have a 30'+ house post" ever.

Drive at end of garden.

[Silver993tt]

andy400 said:

Shirley not powerful enough to suck it up from 4' down and 20' away? Be nice if it could - problem solved!

I rugularly use about 25m of hose from a tap with a gradient of about a 1m with no problems at all. Why don't you just try it? After all, there will also be pressure pushing it up the 4' anyway.

[andy400]

Silver993tt said:

I rugularly use about 25m of hose from a tap with a gradient of about a 1m with no problems at all. Why don't you just try it? After all, there will also be pressure pushing it up the 4' anyway.

Well, I've ordered the pressure washer (Karcher). Let hose-based experimentation begin!

Heavy duty hose required, or just standard garden hose?

[Laurel Green]

Shouldn't need anything heavy-duty but, would stay away from the cheaper end of the market, as one does not want to be going over the length of the hose to squash out all the kinks in it before the water can make its way to the Karcher.

[Silver993tt]

andy400 said:

Well, I've ordered the pressure washer (Karcher). Let hose-based experimentation begin!

Heavy duty hose required, or just standard garden hose?

I just use a standard green/yellow garden hose with a proper tap attachment. There's got to be plenty of pressure to get up a gradient of 4' otherwise how does the water get up to the tank in the loft?

[andy400]

Silver993tt said:

I just use a standard green/yellow garden hose with a proper tap attachment. There's got to be plenty of pressure to get up a gradient of 4' otherwise how does the water get up to the tank in the loft?

As stated above, won't be running it from the mains, just from a large rainwater butt. I suspect this may be a problem, but a container filled from the mains or the aforementioned butt and taken to the drive may be the answer.

Something will work! It'll be fun finding out. Perhaps.

[andy400]

So,

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0001K9WDK/ref=...

should be ok? Or safer with

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0001K9WE4/ref=...

?

Apologies for continued questions, want to make sure as much as possible is ok before I proceed with the experiment and the added complication of my general fkwittery.