FAQ: New: Pressure Washer FAQ, + Call for Papers
 

OK guys the competition is hotting up, there's another FAQ to get your
teeth into.

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/electrical/...washer_faq.htm

This FAQ is from Dave Lang and has lots of stuff on Pressure Washers I
wish I knew before I bought my el cheapo one from a shed one. Mind you,
even that little pile of ****e left me wondering why I didn't get one
years ago. All the times I have scrapped and scrubbed the slippery moss
off my yard pavers when I could have had them stripped and gleaming in
no time!

Amongst the little gems in this FAQ is the little known fact that they
are not even called Pressure Washers by the trade. HPC's is what they
are - High Pressure Cleaners, that is. And there is a cunning formula
that lets you work out if the one you have an eye on has enough ooomph -
it's the 'Cleaning Effect' magic number, no less.

Well, that's 3 brand new FAQs this months - Any more for any more???
I'll help you knock a draft into presentable prose :-)

For inspiration have a look at a the outline of "interesting" topics I
knocked up
http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/FAQ_Prospec...tents_List.doc
- its Word format.

Comments on the list itself are also welcome, if you don't actually feel
a FAQ coming on ;-)

Phil
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
The Google uk.d-i-y archive is at http://tinyurl.com/65kwq
Remove NOSPAM from address to email me

"Phil Addison" wrote in message
...
OK guys the competition is hotting up, there's another FAQ to get your
teeth into.

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/electrical/...washer_faq.htm

This FAQ is from Dave Lang and has lots of stuff on Pressure Washers I
wish I knew before I bought my el cheapo one from a shed one. Mind you,
even that little pile of ****e left me wondering why I didn't get one
years ago. All the times I have scrapped and scrubbed the slippery moss
off my yard pavers when I could have had them stripped and gleaming in
no time!

Amongst the little gems in this FAQ is the little known fact that they
are not even called Pressure Washers by the trade. HPC's is what they
are - High Pressure Cleaners, that is. And there is a cunning formula
that lets you work out if the one you have an eye on has enough ooomph -
it's the 'Cleaning Effect' magic number, no less.

Well, that's 3 brand new FAQs this months - Any more for any more???
I'll help you knock a draft into presentable prose :-)

For inspiration have a look at a the outline of "interesting" topics I
knocked up
http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/FAQ_Prospec...tents_List.doc
- its Word format.

Comments on the list itself are also welcome, if you don't actually feel
a FAQ coming on ;-)

Phil
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
The Google uk.d-i-y archive is at http://tinyurl.com/65kwq
Remove NOSPAM from address to email me

The phrase here doesn't make electrical sense. "With electricity we
recognise that amps (flow) are often more important than volts (pressure)."
Power is the ability to do work which is the product of current and voltage.
Therefore they are as important as each other.

I have always been frustrated at determining the quality of machines. I
feel price alone is not always a good indicator to determine if its a
cheapie or midrange. I doubt many shops would allow you to take the cover
off to have a look!

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/electrical/...washer_faq.htm

Loos good!

Would be worth adding some common faults, and their solutions.

For example, in a machine with a bypass valve (When you stop the water, the
motor continues to run) sometimes you can get a fault where, when you
operate the trigger, the water pulses, along with the sound of the motor.
When this happened to me, the fault was a piece of grit in the very end of
the lance ( It had 5 holes when the nozzle was removed, four in the sides,
and one in the end (I assume the ones in the side are used when you pull the
nozzle back a bit, to get a low pressure output) - the grit in the end was
restricting the flow, causing the bypass valve to operate, then when the
pressure dripped the bypass valve closed again, ad infinitum.
Removal if this grit was a simple job - but care must be taken not to damage
this little hole
(I very carefully used a piece of wire to clean it out, about half as thick
as the hole)

I can probably take some pictures of my nozzle if it helps!

Maybe if other people can add their experience with their HPC's it can all
be added!?

Sparks...

"Phil Addison" wrote in message
...
OK guys the competition is hotting up, there's another FAQ to get your
teeth into.

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/electrical/...washer_faq.htm

This FAQ is from Dave Lang and has lots of stuff on Pressure Washers I
wish I knew before I bought my el cheapo one from a shed one. Mind you,
even that little pile of ****e left me wondering why I didn't get one
years ago. All the times I have scrapped and scrubbed the slippery moss
off my yard pavers when I could have had them stripped and gleaming in
no time!

Amongst the little gems in this FAQ is the little known fact that they
are not even called Pressure Washers by the trade. HPC's is what they
are - High Pressure Cleaners, that is. And there is a cunning formula
that lets you work out if the one you have an eye on has enough ooomph -
it's the 'Cleaning Effect' magic number, no less.

Well, that's 3 brand new FAQs this months - Any more for any more???
I'll help you knock a draft into presentable prose :-)

For inspiration have a look at a the outline of "interesting" topics I
knocked up
http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/FAQ_Prospec...tents_List.doc
- its Word format.

Comments on the list itself are also welcome, if you don't actually feel
a FAQ coming on ;-)

Phil
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
The Google uk.d-i-y archive is at http://tinyurl.com/65kwq
Remove NOSPAM from address to email me

A comment on the pressure washer FAQ - for the safety section.

'Take care when washing painted surfaces - a pressure washer can be an
effective paint stripper - upsetting if the paint concerned is on your new
car!'

Andy Mckenzie

Andy Mckenzie wrote:

A comment on the pressure washer FAQ - for the safety section.

'Take care when washing painted surfaces - a pressure washer can be an
effective paint stripper - upsetting if the paint concerned is on your new
car!'

Especially so if you catch the side of a paint chip! Ruined my first
happy day after the machines purchase.

While we are on motors, a warning about the dangers of approaching too
close to tyre valves. (a warning in the instructions that came with my
karcher machine)

Often wondered if it would be possible to link a water heater (electric
shower?) to the inlet of a pressure washer. It could improve the
efficiency of cleaning my car?

---
Adrian

"Adrian C" wrote in message
...
Andy Mckenzie wrote:

A comment on the pressure washer FAQ - for the safety section.

'Take care when washing painted surfaces - a pressure washer can be an
effective paint stripper - upsetting if the paint concerned is on your
new
car!'

Especially so if you catch the side of a paint chip! Ruined my first
happy day after the machines purchase.

While we are on motors, a warning about the dangers of approaching too
close to tyre valves. (a warning in the instructions that came with my
karcher machine)

Often wondered if it would be possible to link a water heater (electric
shower?) to the inlet of a pressure washer. It could improve the
efficiency of cleaning my car?


I just connect the hose to the hot tap.

On Mon, 25 Apr 2005 10:26:47 +0100, in uk.d-i-y "Sparks"
wrote:


http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/electrical/...washer_faq.htm

Loos good!

Would be worth adding some common faults, and their solutions.

For example, in a machine with a bypass valve (When you stop the water, the
motor continues to run) sometimes you can get a fault where, when you
operate the trigger, the water pulses, along with the sound of the motor.
When this happened to me, the fault was a piece of grit in the very end of
the lance ( It had 5 holes when the nozzle was removed, four in the sides,
and one in the end (I assume the ones in the side are used when you pull the
nozzle back a bit, to get a low pressure output) - the grit in the end was
restricting the flow, causing the bypass valve to operate, then when the
pressure dripped the bypass valve closed again, ad infinitum.
Removal if this grit was a simple job - but care must be taken not to damage
this little hole
(I very carefully used a piece of wire to clean it out, about half as thick
as the hole)

I can probably take some pictures of my nozzle if it helps!

Maybe if other people can add their experience with their HPC's it can all
be added!?

Indeed.

Phil
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
The Google uk.d-i-y archive is at http://tinyurl.com/65kwq
Remove NOSPAM from address to email me

On Mon, 25 Apr 2005 10:46:45 +0100, in uk.d-i-y "Andy Mckenzie"
wrote:

"Phil Addison" wrote in message
...
OK guys the competition is hotting up, there's another FAQ to get your
teeth into.

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/electrical/...washer_faq.htm

A comment on the pressure washer FAQ - for the safety section.

'Take care when washing painted surfaces - a pressure washer can be an
effective paint stripper - upsetting if the paint concerned is on your new
car!'

The very last sentence addresses that, but maybe it could be put a bit
stronger.

Phil
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
The Google uk.d-i-y archive is at http://tinyurl.com/65kwq
Remove NOSPAM from address to email me

In article ,
Adrian C writes:
Often wondered if it would be possible to link a water heater (electric
shower?) to the inlet of a pressure washer. It could improve the
efficiency of cleaning my car?

They use the water to cool the motor. Mine
has a specified max input temperature of 40C.

--
Andrew Gabriel

Phil Addison wrote:

OK guys the competition is hotting up, there's another FAQ to get
your
teeth into.

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/electrical/...washer_faq.htm

For inspiration have a look at a the outline of "interesting" topics
I
knocked up
http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/FAQ_Prospec...tents_List.doc
- its Word format.

Nice one, in both cases!

I've mostly written a cleaning FAQ, explaining the different types of
detergents and other types of cleaners. I've been wondering if its
quite DIY or not, and have reached a tentative conclusion.

First, its prime use would be household cleaning, ie not diy.
Second, cleaning is actually an important part of DIY, so it would in
fact be useful and relevant for DIY as well.

OK, time to post it and see what people think....

NT

Phil Addison wrote:
OK guys the competition is hotting up, there's another FAQ to get
your
teeth into.

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/electrical/...washer_faq.htm

brake pad warning! There really is no noticeable braking effect once
your pads get wet.

NT