Pressure washer

Prompted by the window cleaning thread,

I think I need a pressure washer. Do I? I have a yard that’s kinda… green. It’s mostly concrete and it was slippery as greased squirrel shit in winter / spring until everything dried out.

I have half a memory that this is a long-debated topic and whilst the obvious answer is a Karcher I think the STW consensus was that this is <cough>Dyson</uncough> overpriced shit and the correct solution is… uh. Something blue?

Help me, Singletrack-1 Kenobi, you’re my only hope.

.

yes.
don’t drop it off the roof though.

Kranzle !

Aldi pressure washer is ok. Best thing ive found for green horribleness is Patio Magic. Saves a lot of time as it does the work for you. Of course, it does stop you from drawing ‘humorous’ images with the pressure washer… 🤣

Patio Magic + 10

Pressure washer is still good for cleaning the BBQ

Don’t buy a Karcher. Can’t reccomend anything else but certainly don’t buy a Karcher. Expensive for something that is likely to fail after a few uses. No idea if they still use a plastic outlet from the pump but they have a history of craking in a short space of time, pissing water all over the electrics. Why they though a light plastic part for something coming out at high pressure was good idea I don’t know. Definite safety issue.

Dont buy a Karcher
Low rent plastic tat made in china trading off a name built up over devades of quality, now rinsing customers
Titan from screw fix
Not just because i sell them, i also see what comes back
Kranzle 3 x the money, built for everyday use
Bosch and Nilfisk middle of the road
But for around £150 the Titans spec well, patio head, rotary nozzle, decent length string, good water vols, high pressure. If its an hour a week should last years.

I have a Lidl one for doing our deck, patio and drive and its fine. I would advise getting one with a patio attachment if you can. Makes the job so much quicker and easier. Also leaves you less to clean up surrounding the area afterwards.

This sort of thing – https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2122/9253/products/128500702-nilfisk.jpg?v=1565760562

Kranzle

Brilliant bits of kit

I bought a Karcher recently from Screwfix after borrowing a mate’s to try on our dirty patio area.
I only used it on a small area, but it cleared it up amazingly. This was with a patio cleaning attachment using just water.

I was looking at Nilfisk ones, but most places had very little stock of anything so ended up paying about £125 for a little Karcher one.
It does feel a little flimsy, but for basic domestic use it should be OK.

I spent a while looking around at some of the ‘smaller’ brands & it seemed like there was a real lack of spares for them. Plenty of people moaning that you can’t get replacement bits for the Titan ones etc. which swayed me towards the more well known names.

Nilfisk is the blue one you had in your mind. I believe that they have metal pump bodies, as opposed to plastic ones in karchers which can crack

I’ve a Nilfisk for 5 years or so and it’s decent

Karcher K4 here. Bought several years ago when Homebase were knocking them out for £75 (thanks whoever put the PSA on here!).

I’ve had to repair the insulation on the power cable but otherwise no issues. I always put it away so it doesn’t freeze, try to drain the water out after use and don’t run the pump without water flowing.

I recently bought the patio cleaning attachment and am amazed at how good it is, I really didn’t think it would actually be so powerful.

Got a Kärcher which broke. Any ideas who can fix it?

Nilfisk do an outlet website
Nilfisk Outlet

Don’t buy a Karcher. Can’t reccomend anything else but certainly don’t buy a Karcher. Expensive for something that is likely to fail after a few uses.

Dont buy a Karcher

Conversely I have a Karcher K2.311 that I bought in 2012 from their refurb store (for a bargain £75 with a load of attachments) that is still going strong with no failures on any parts at all. Used for cleaning our drive, patio, decking, cars and garden furniture so it gets quite a bit of use.

Nilfisk and one of the spinning patio cleaners that they sell. Works way better than I ever expected it to.

Nilfisk and one of the spinning patio cleaners that they sell. Works way better than I ever expected it to.

Interesting, the patio cleaner that came with mine was rubbish, or perhaps the patio was too grimy when I tried it. I usually just blast it with the jet.

They’re handy things.
I have a Karcher k6 or something from many years ago and, other than the auto-stop thing not working after a short period, it’s been fine.
Patio cleaning attachment is good but best used in conjunction with Algon or similar afterwards.

Don’t Buy a Karcher

I’ve got a Karcher k4, great bit of kit, until it broke.

There is a plastic elbow that connects the water outlet to the hose. I think this breaks on every Karcher that is used in anger.

The replacement bit is metal and is readily available. Why the **** they don’t just build it with the metal part in the first place is beyond me.

The hose keeps detaching it self from the replacement metal part, but this might be user error from me installing it. But if it has been built properly in the first place it wouldn’t be an issue.

Don’t buy a Karcher

I’m happy with my Nilfisk. Only used once or twice a year for 6 years but no issues. No idea what model but was about £75 with the patio cleaning head. Previously borrowed the mother in laws Karcher and that was crap in comparison.

For ‘green’ I’d recommend starting with a coating of “Wet and Forget” beofre buying a pressure washer though. You’ll put it on, think it’s crap and doing nothing, then a few weeks later suddenly realise the algae has gone.

I have a muc off one, it looks like a pink madolorian jet pack, that’s all I care about!!

I need to borrow my brother-in-laws pressure washer again; what do we recommend to spray on it after to keep it looking nice?

Having also been a victim of the slippy green concrete yard I got a Karcher. Cheapest one they do, I think it was about £50 from John Lewis (2yr warranty). That was the best part of 8 years ago and it still works fine.

If you do jetwash the yard though make sure you put some sealer or something down otherwise you’ll end up doing again next summer. Don’t ask me how I know this.

I didn’t know patio sealer was a thing….!

Nilfisk Core 140 here. No round patio cleaner attachment with mine, but then I didn’t want one. The “rough” nozzle does an amazing jog on concrete.

Nilfisk is the blue one you had in your mind.

It absolutely is, yes.

Thanks all, sorry for radio silence in replying thus far but I’ve had a long day.

Oh, and I got some gloop, probably after the same STW conversation, I’ve just not used it yet. Lemme check.

“HG Algae and Mould Remover”. I’m 99% sure this is your doing, STW denizens.

Kranzle

GREAT SCOTT, how much?!

They might well be market leaders but I think my next question is, “which Nilfisk?”

I have a Nilfisk 120 that’s done well for me, car cleaning and occasional garden stuff, path blasting, errr removing oil from the driveway after oil changes… It’s been really good, it lives outside all year round and doesn’t seem to mind thta either. I’m going to have to replace the gun now as it’s leaking but can’t complain.

I don’t have the patio cleaner thing, I think probably I should have got one (they’re expensive to buy but if you get it with the washer they’re not), I’ve done enough of that sort of thing to justify it… But I quite like doing it manually with the normal gun.

Pressure washer, don’t use it on concrete or brick on a regular basis as it will rip the top surface off exposing the aggregate underneath. My advice after years of using one and now regretting it (Bosch for what it’s worth) is borrow one, clean the concrete once and then stay on top of the algal treatment. I’ve recently discovered Wet and Forget which seems to work.

PS I really enjoy pressure washing stuff, it’s just the long term consequences end up with wrecked patios, my rather expensive terracotta effect concrete tiles looks a former shadow of their selves and now need replacing.

Titan from screwfix, new last weekend has been very useful. Seems well made. about £150.

it will rip the top surface off

Aye, likely sage advice. Back at the old house I used a cheap one gifted to me and it was lifting the tarmac before it was lifting the moss.

Titan from screwfix

This?

https://www.nilfiskoutlet.co.uk/products/product.asp?id=5585

That looks a brilliant deal tbh. It’s only marginally down on power compared to the model I have, I doubt it’d make much difference in the real world.

Once you’ve finished messing round cleaning the patio, your next purchase is a foam cannon, makes a mediocre task of cleaning the car that marginally bit more interesting 😀

So now I’m here.

Any compelling reason to go up or down a model, or stick with Last Year’s Colours refurbs?

The only advise I can give is defo get one with the winding in/out onboard hose storage.

My old washer has a loose hose and its a PITA … was think about a new one, how about this ?

Free connector kit