Another knackered Karcher.. Long hose to blame? Anyone got a Kranzle?

Few years back I bought the entry level karcher, K2 I think. Connected it up to a 15m hose on a wall mounted reel, brass fittings, etc. proper job so I could just switch the machine on and have it permanently setup ready to use. The machine broke almost immediately, pissing water from the inside. Exchanged it for another the same and it happened again so 3rd time I spent a bit more money on a K4 and it’s been solid since then. Now the K4 has gone the same route leaking all over the place from inside the unit.

Could the industrial type hose be causing the issue with the machine internals? I assume the K4 has better (not plastic?) bits inside it and has lasted a bit longer on that basis but I’m just guessing.

Not sure I want another Karcher if a £200 machine is only lasting a few years and it’s not exactly getting heavy use. I use it to wash the car but it often goes months if I’m busy.

I’m getting back into car detailing cos I’m a sad loser petrol head and al that.. and recently went from lease to private so have an incentive to keep it nice. So it will get more use in the future.

Now I’m firmly in the avoiding buy cheap buy twice camp and understand the Kranzle gear is top drawer but 700 sheets is a lot for a fancy hosepipe.. plus I understand they make quite racket.. anyone got one? And is there something that sits between a Kranzle and a Karcher that isn’t gonna break the bank or my ear drums?

Cheers

Frost damage?

Maybe. It lives in the garage which is cold but not silly cold.. it’s attached to the house and has a heavily insulated roof. I might take it to bits see if I can work out what’s broken, got nowt to lose at this stage.

the plastic bit near the house output gave up on mine really early,that plastic bit is easily replaceable with a metal replacement

noticed mine is leaking again however water is coming from inside the housing, so need to investigate

My mate and i both bought similar/same models at hte same time, they are all crap, im never bying a karcher again

On the back of multiple previous STW threads I believe that Karcher is overpriced shite and what you need (and indeed what I bought) is a Nilfisk. Can’t say as it’s overly quiet, though I have nothing to compare it with.

I’ve no idea what a Kranzie is.

Someone once told me that they should not be left “primed” ie full of water, so I run mine without the hose attached for  5-10 seconds before I put it away….🤷‍♂️

Edit – doesn’t answer the OPs question though, sorry.

I got a katcher. It took a few months to get the leaking stage. It now pours out, I’ve been running it like that for a while. Opened it up and it’s like a sieve in there.

Won’t be buying katcher again.

Kranzle are proper professional jobbies. Built to last and be repairable.
Nilfisk also ok, Bosch aqautec used to be good as well.

Karchers all seem to go the same way, especially if left connected to the mains water. The pump housings are plastic, the frost gets in them, expands then cracks the casing. All domestic pressure washers will suffer the same fate if left full of water.

Nilfisk have a better reputation, although by no means bombproof.

You have the industrial hose and reel, have a look at Direct Hoses for an All Black unit instead.

You will have fun stripping it down if it’s anything like the k5 I had, I asked a repair shop if they could do it and when heard the k5 said no thanks saying it was designed not to be easily stripped down without damaging plastic panels as I found out, I’d never buy another Karcher

I went to get a washer a few years back from a place which sells both kranzle and karcher.
I knew nothing really about them, so asked what makes the kranzle so much more expensive than the katcher, when they both are apparently very similar.
He pulled the two machines off the shelf, both almost the same size, and told me to lift the karcher, then the kranzle….

Quite a difference!
Kranzle is a full on industrial quality brass lump, made to last years and be serviceable.
Karcher is throwaway by design, as above.

Have a look at the refurbished ones on here with the aluminium pumps. We got one and I don’t think it had been used before.

https://www.nilfiskoutlet.co.uk/

Once my now 10 year old Nilfisk decides to pack in, I’ll almost certainly be replacing it with an AVA machine.

I have a Nilfisk, albeit the cheapest but I don’t need more. However, it just stopped switching on after not 2 years and the service centre said it’s not worth their time to look at it. Blooming annoying is that, (but will check the outlet thanks)

Deary me, sounds like I am very much not alone and that a lot of pressure washers are destined for landfill after a shockingly short timeframe! The case for a Kranzle is looking stronger if it’ll last until I’m in the ground and not it.. but not sure how I’m going to get finance director sign off on this one..

Thank you for the replies all.

I’ve had a brushless Karcher for over 15 years. It still works brilliantly, used for patios and underside of vehicles. Drained and stored mainly frost free, never used on bicycles, perhaps that’s the problem, it’s telling you that it’s just wrong?

Yeah maybe. I always turn water off, switch machine off and pull the trigger.. but that’s the extent of it.. is that good practice or should I be doing more?

Also, @bigblackshed I’ve just realised after a nosey on the website I have the exact reel/hose they sell on that direct hoses website.. I knew it rang a bell! The all black washers look like a good machine at a price point not as eye watering as the Kranzle.

I’ve got a Nilfisj that’s getting on for 10 years old, the only fault is it cycles on and off when you release the trigger, must need as new pressure switch or something.

I’d never leave it full of water though, except perhaps overnight in mild weather if I know I’m going to use it again.

Could you put in a drain or quick disconnect between the machine and hose? Then you can empty it without trying to purge 15m of hose each time.

I bought my K2 when I worked for Halfords, which was over 15 years ago! Still going strong but I probably only use it every couple of weeks for car washing or suchlike.

I’ve got a refurbished nilfisk. It’s awesome & replaced a knackered karcher which failed at the pump body despite being stored in a warm shed after not very long.

For longevity they all need to be primed before use – the pumps are lubricated by water. I just disconnect the hose from the trigger and leave the water on while I go fill up buckets and make some snow foam up. It only trickles out but it’s enough to bleed all the air from the hose.

Wouldn’t bother with brass fittings as they chew up the plastic male connectors. For detailing use I’d buy genuine hozelock or Gardena professional fittings which are brass coated with plastic. If they do fly off a connection they’re less likely to cause damage and won’t harm the original connectors.

I’ve had Marched, complete rubbish, couple of Bosch, better but still very domestic quality. On a Nilfisk now, happy so far. Have a Nilfisk wet and dry vac for a number of years which has been brilliant, use it as a dust extractor with tools, generally clearing up inside and outside and use it to pump out the last of the water in my pond when it gets cleaned. Been pretty bomb proof.

Don’t leave them attached. MY bottom end Karcher is getting on for 10 years old, and getting close to being replaced because tons of bits have broken, but it doesn’t leak.

I’ve got a K2 that’s currently leaking oil every time I use it, just waiting for it to die so I can buy a Kranzle.

Karcher K2 and K4 have got plastic pumps and hence are crap, K5 and above have metal pumps so are decent.

Think all nilfisk models have metal pumps so can’t really go wrong, whatever fits your budget.

AVA looks good but have heard of people saying quality/reliability is questionable.

Kranzle is the best of the best but you’re definitely paying for it!

Currently using an old lidl model but think I’ll be going nilfisk or K5 once it packs in.

My previous (not karcher) washers have all died as a result of being left in the ‘shed’ rather than the garage and frost got them. The current Lidl one seems to have lasted the longest as I now keep it on a shelf in the middle of the garage (surrounded by fair mass of paint pots etc) rather than slung just inside the door.

Got a nilfisk, had it for a few years (6+ years), cant say it gets very heavy use, I use it to jetwash the patio in spring, and wash the car, and thats about it. It doesnt get any special treatment, it just lives in the shed, I dont consciously drain it down, just unplug the hosepipe from it and put it in the shed.

Have a look at the refurbished ones on here with the aluminium pumps. We got one and I don’t think it had been used before.

https://www.nilfiskoutlet.co.uk/

I meant to say, I’m fairly sure that’s where mine came from. Indistinguishable from brand new and at a huge discount.

Never had an issue with my cheap and cheerful washers, but I disconnect and drain after use…I’ve got a worx hydroshot thing now and a muc-off pressure washer – both been faultless but both get drained and disconnected.

I do almost the same with a standard garden hose – turn tap off, drain hose and leave nozzle open.

Obviously not helping with current failure but may help reduce likelihood of it reoccurring in future.

Yeah, i killed a Karcher within about 3 months of getting it. The last elbow before the outlet cracked during the first freeze.

Karcher repaired it FOC. And sent it back with a photocopied and highlighted page from the manual about draining after use…
That lasted another 12-13 years, then something electrical failed, just as the local place was doing a 50% off sale, that’s done 3 or 4 years without missing a beat. But i should really have bought the next model up the range as cleaning moss from 150 sqm of block paving and tarmac takes ages.

Timing is everything

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-mqSe_BCPfI

Here is a new review of the Kranzle

The baby nilfisk 110 is only £90 at least, on Amazon. I hardly use mine, just comes out to clean the underside of the car a couple of times a year, but so far it seems fine. I do try to ensure its drained by disconnecting the hose and then running it for just a few seconds. Iirc when a got it it was because of a great deal and I only paid about £60 but that must have been 7-8 years ago so I could be mistaken and I’ve no idea if deals like that come up often.

K1.22 here… Bought in a Halfords sale. Must be 20+ years old. Still alive and kicking. Cleans cars, patio/slabs & windows.
Not a particularly hard life. They don’t make them like they used to..?

I/we seem to go through a pressure washer every couple of years, no matter the make – frost damage every time. In fact I now need to buy a new home washer and portable worx washer as neither survived the winter…

I bought a K2 for £50. It lasted 18 months then the commutator, fell to pieces. K2 wanted to do a courier-swap for warranty, except the never actually picked up the old one. The new one failed after a few weeks, and they sent another one, but again did not pick up the old one. I cannibalised 1 to fix 2, and have never opened 3. That was over 5 years ago, so I am doing OK for £50 outlay.

FWIW, I store it next to the boiler in the garage and drain it through every use.

I have my Dad’s K2 in the shed… not even looked at it since he brought it over. Currently sorting out a pile to go to the tip, should I add the Karcher to it?

I think the issue was it overheats, but there are also some black washers in the box so maybe it leaks too?

I’ve got a Karcher K2.311, bought from the Outlet store in 2012 – never had an issue with it and it gets used for cars, outdoor furniture, drive, patio, decking etc. It’s been fine, but when it finally dies I am going to replace with a higher-pressure output unit.

I assume Karcher and Nilfisk are owned by the same company? The outlet websites look incredibly similar.

THREAD HIJACK!

Do I need a patio cleaner attachment? What do they do?

I bought the Nilfisk mostly to blast the Green of the various concrete-like flattish surfaces in my back yard. Do they do much for floor cleaning efficiency other than reduce the blast radius (which wouldn’t be a bad thing as I come away looking like the Swamp Thing)?

Do I need a patio cleaner attachment?

If regularly cleaning a patio, then yes. Probably the most useful attachment – we’ve a concrete path we clean twice a year with one, does a better job with less mess.

This was a very timely thread, as my Karcher K2 decided to pack up today. I think it must be 10 years old and has been repaired twice (both times the plastic elbow for the hose outlet) but today seems to run without any pressure. Off the back of this I’ve gone for a Nilfisk one from the outlet.

We’ve got a nilfisk, used maybe 10 times over 2 years+ last summer it just stopped working, pull the trigger and nothing happens, they’re all shite.