Pressure Washing Concrete ??

[Majer]

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You can buy a good one for normal light use around $300-350.  Wash your car with it, the house, car mats, ash trays, rugs, strip paint, etc...whatever.

You left off small children and animals...

[Big Frank]

People on ATV forums sometimes talk about pressure washing their ATVs. It works good for some people, but others end up blowing water past the seals into CV joints and U-joints, among other places. When the joints rust and break, they probably wish they used a garden hose and a bucket of soapy water. I know a guy who got too close and stripped the decals off of his ATV, which some people want to do anyway. If you pressure wash a car you have to use the same common sense about how much pressure to use and where you spray it.

P.S. Kitty litter is great for absorbing spilled oil and keeping it from spreading. Once you have it mostly cleaned up, pour on some more kitty litter and grind it in with the bottom of your shoes. When you sweep that up there will be less of a mess that needs detergent to clean up. You can buy oil absorbing clay granules but when I checked the price years ago it cost more than clay granule cat litter. I've kept cat litter around ever since.

[MikeBjerum]

What Jumbo said!

Most ag equipment companies discourage pressure washing their equipment.  The equipment is designed to sit outside year round, work in mud, water and powder dry, but pressure washers push past the seals and will ruin lifetime bearings in just a matter of days in the tillage season.

In the shop, when I would spill oil I would put down some floor dri, and if it wasn't saturated, I would just leave it.  After a couple of hours of working on it, it was a fine powder that I would just sweep up, and the floor was cleaner than before the spill.  When starting jobs that I knew were going to be a mess, opening up engines, trans, transfer case, diffs, I would put a small pile of floor dri next to the post before I even started, so when I spilled I would just kick it over the spill.

[Big Frank]

What Jumbo said!

Most ag equipment companies discourage pressure washing their equipment.  The equipment is designed to sit outside year round, work in mud, water and powder dry, but pressure washers push past the seals and will ruin lifetime bearings in just a matter of days in the tillage season.

In the shop, when I would spill oil I would put down some floor dri, and if it wasn't saturated, I would just leave it.  After a couple of hours of working on it, it was a fine powder that I would just sweep up, and the floor was cleaner than before the spill.  When starting jobs that I knew were going to be a mess, opening up engines, trans, transfer case, diffs, I would put a small pile of floor dri next to the post before I even started, so when I spilled I would just kick it over the spill.

Good idea Mike.

[billt]

....I have one that does 2-1/2 gallons a minute at 3,200 psig which is a very big improvement over 2,400.....

I'm seriously thinking of just buying one, and be done with it. My concern is size. As I mentioned, I don't have a lot of room in my garage. So today I'm going over to Lowe's and get some storage racks, so I can get my garage better organized. And get a lot of the crap off the floor, and up on the wall. I've got too many light things like Aluminum ladders, rakes and shovels, hoses, and assorted other junk taking up too much floor space.

Once I get that done, I should have enough room to store a pressure washer. I was looking at this one the Home Depot by me has. It's a Ryobi with a Honda engine. It puts out 3,100 PSI at 2.5 gallons per minute. It's got a nice small footprint, and the handle folds down for better storage. I went to rent one yesterday, and all the one's they had were the size and weight of a D-9 Cat. So I gave up. I don't have anyone to help me, and I don't need another hernia.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-3-100-PSI-2-5-GPM-Honda-Gas-Pressure-Washer-with-Idle-Down-RY80940B/203615829

They also sell this Homelite Cleaning Head for $70.00 that really does a nice job without spraying everything. It hooks right up to the wand with a quick disconnect coupling.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Homelite-15-in-EZ-Clean-Gas-Surface-Cleaner-AEZ31023/203105727

I can get out of there with both for around $5 bills. Which isn't too bad. I figure I've got enough concrete now that I'll be able to get my moneys worth out of it. Here is a video of the cleaning head hooked up to a 3,100 PSI washer. It really does a nice job, and doesn't make a mess.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIhHl5_If6s

[Sponsor]

[Timothy]

You’re aware that Ryobi is exclusive to Home Depot, but you can buy it from Amazon as well!  I believe they actually own the subsidiary that owns the brand.

My only experience with Ryobi was not good.  Daughters boyfriend bought an impact wrench that barely made it past the warranty period.

I buy a lot of tools, I won’t buy HD or Lowe’s private brands...

[Big Frank]

Ryobi, AEG, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation, Hoover, Dirt Devil and Vax are all brands of Techtronic Industries of Hong Kong. They also make Craftsman and Rigid branded tools. Ryobi tools aren't professional grade but are good for the average handyman. From the reviews I've seen online they generally rate 4/5 or 5/5, like this cordless driver/drill. "Bottom Line *BEST VALUE 5/5 stars". And their pressure washer. "Overall this is a must have pressure washer.  The RY80940 is a quality unit." and "This is one of the best pressure washers we have tested for the homeowner so far."

https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/reviews/a3793/4292657/

http://toolsinaction.com/ryobi-3100-pressure-washer-with-honda-engine-review-model-ry80940/

This is for Bill.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Ow1nlafOg

[billt]

Well I just finished my garage project. I hung a total of 16' of rack. It was a ball buster, but I got it done. I got a lot of crap off the floor, and hanging on the wall. And it looks good too. My El Cheapo Harbor Freight Chicago Electric cordless drill made it through the whole job on a single charge. I drove a total of 24, 2-1/2" screws into the studs.

It felt like I was drilling into 4140 steel. The 20 year old studs were really hard and tough. But everything went well, and it looks a lot better. Tomorrow I'm going to go and check out the pressure washer situation. My concrete was 28 days old today. So I got my truck parked along the side of the house. Now I can get both vehicles in and out of the garage without playing musical chairs with my truck. That was a PITA. And with the nice and wide driveway, I can cut my wheels and not have to worry about going off the edge.

If I buy this thing, do I have to get any kind of Ethanol treatment for the fuel? I heard with these new small gas engines it's better to run an additive, even if it's only 10% Ethanol. No one around here sells non Ethanol gasoline. I know they make an oil that screws into the water inlet, to squeeze into the pressure pump when you're done, to keep it lubricated and prevent rust. I never had a pressure washer, and if I need all that crap, I want to get everything when I'm there. I'll go early before all the cattle stampede.

[billt]

.... And their pressure washer. "Overall this is a must have pressure washer.  The RY80940 is a quality unit." and "This is one of the best pressure washers we have tested for the homeowner so far."

That's good to know. Thanks!

[Timothy]

I use Sta-BIL in everything.  Rebuilt my 30 year old Tecumseh blower a few years back and there were no ill effects of all the years on ethanol additives.

The carb just needed a good cleaning but ran before and after without issues.