Modest price pressure washer - thoughts?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by neil.mccrirrick

Dont know if this helps but living on an island I bought after a, lit of research a wilks petrol pressure, washer

Been very impressed with it so far a year in

Is it made by Redbay?

[Steve509926]

This is the stuff I use David before I need to powerwash something that ingrained with lichen -

https://www.smartseal.co.uk/cleaning...patio-cleaner/

Then after power washing I use "Wet&Forget"

Both products aren't that cheap, but I find them very effective for long term built up grime, moss, lichen on those areas that are predominantly in the shade. It normally lasts 3 years before the area needs treating with "Wet&Forget" again.

The other product we use a lot of to seal decorative areas, Indian Stone, Block Pavers ect is:-

https://www.rizistal.co.uk/product/clear-paving-sealer/

Again not initially cheap, but I've found it to be the best product out there.

[Fenlander]

Thanks for the heads up on chemicals etc.

The deed is done... I was teetering on the wall with the Aldi abyss beyond then a few of the posts above nudged me over. Report/grumbles to follow. No inanimate object will be safe on Saturday.

[neil.mccrirrick]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Is it made by Redbay?

Should be really but sadly not [emoji23]

[Fenlander]

Well it arrived on time and I've tested briefly. Totally satisfactory bit of kit for £132.98 inc the patio cleaning head.

The patio head is great being a less dramatic way to clean paving and concrete without spraying dirt and grit everywhere.

There are two lance jets... the normal variable fan and a "turbo" nozzle that gives the effect of spinning and is very powerful. In the images of the old slabs I wanted to improve the slab above the patio head is what that attachment does... then the turbo nozzle gets off the stubborn spots to give a result far better than expected on the lower slab.

Hose is flexible and at 10m plenty long enough.... yes having a reel to pull it in is a real bonus.

Will it be reliable... who knows but the three year warranty gives me a breather.

[Kingsview]

I have a couple of Karchers, the only problem with the circular patio heads is, well, they are circular! Most patios are square/rectangular and it's impossible to get the round head right into the corners, plus on steps it's a real faff.

So I was pleased to see this only this morning:

https://www.karcher-center-trafalgar...urface-cleaner

It's even got a built-in squeegee to get rid of the dirty water that otherwise just lies there.

Gotta have one!

[Kingsview]

Further to my post above, I've discovered there are two versions of this -

PS 30 as shown in the link I gave and a PS 30 Plus which has some extra features but is a bit dearer

https://tinyurl.com/3tpts6cp

Now I have a quandary - which one to go for?

[Fenlander]

In that regard the round head will do 99.9% of our hard surface area as we have no steps and just two internal corners which will leave just a few square inches to pop the lance on to clean. But yes agree if you had loads of steps and difficult angles the Karcher power brush head looks useful.

[Takson]

I'll add a second vote for the petrol Wilks one. It is a little more expensive, but the flexibility of not having the electric cable and the power of the pump meaning you can pressure wash out of a large bucket rather than hose is great.

I have had it two years and put it through all sorts of abuse and it just keeps delivering.

We do have a very cheap small electric one too, which has hung on the shed wall ever since we got the Wilks. Even the commander in chief prefers to use it.

[Lemonbonbon]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Intended use is always important. As I said at the start my unbranded cheapy has done almost 20yrs. But now the mains hose connection is damaged and bodged... and the lance trigger is stuck on so it runs all the time.

But the main motivation for change is some significant garden hard surface updates adj the house. Some new paths and patios at a cost that would fund a new Zodiac, 20hp and trailer. Anyone seen the price of slabs these days!!

However there is a more casual area around the sheds where I hope to clean off slabs to an OK standard and have them levelled saving around £750 compared with replacing them.

It's those that I think will need a slightly better than basic washer and spark interest in a bit of grunt for the money.

Why do you want to clean that off it is part of the natural charm. At the Chelsea flower show they work for ages to get that sort of growth on pavings for their show gardens

[Fenlander]

>>>Why do you want to clean that off

Being able to stand up on it when wet is the main thing... it's slimey as anything when it's raining... and we're just having 50sqm of new patio and the contrast would be too significant between fresh new and dirty old.

BTW has your Honwave turned up yet. Be good to see some pics with your Tohatsu when you get out.