[necdb3]

I have a Dewalt 3100 psi for 10 years now. I store it in my basement in the winter so I don't have to winterize it. It still starts on the first pull.

[arbys]

I have the Honda with the horizontal shaft. I'm not a fan of vertical shaft engines. JMHO

[Bob Dillon]

Originally Posted by John V.

Happy pressure washing with your new toy, Bob!

Just did the back patio this afternoon. Gonna hit the driveway over the weekend.

[Bob Dillon]

Originally Posted by arbys

I have the Honda with the horizontal shaft. I'm not a fan of vertical shaft engines. JMHO

What's your reasoning on that?

[arbys]

My experiences years ago is they weren't as durable as the horizontal shafts. That was many years ago and it left an impression on me.

[KS circutguy]

Tip Bob,
turn water on 1st open sprayer trigger till all the air is out of the lines-pump before you fire up the Honda.

[Big Mike]

Originally Posted by KS circutguy

Tip Bob,
turn water on 1st open sprayer trigger till all the air is out of the lines-pump before you fire up the Honda.

X2! Air can mess things up in the pump. Let water run through for awhile as there could be air in the supply hose as well as the pressure hose.

[Bob Dillon]

I'm very happy with this purchase. There's a few things I'd change (like make the handle longer and change the thread mechanism for the water hose into the pump) but those are minor annoyances. It's started every time first time and the 3100 psi is quite a bit better than my previous cheap Chines POS.

Overall, I'd buy it again.

[John V.]

Bob, I was thinking about yours the other day. We got ours back from the neighbor and I saw that it is rated 2.5 gpm at 2400 psi (and 6000 cleaning units, whatever that means). 5 HP OHC GC160 Honda engine which I think means it is about 30 cc's smaller than the one you got.

Ours has plenty of power with the yellow nozzle, anything bigger and it doesn't clean quite so well.

Another neighbor lent his 15" surface washer attachment to my wife ($70 at Home Depot).

She didn't like it on the curbs but she said it worked well on the walk and driveway except out at the edges, she switched back to the nozzle to clean out to the edges. The surface washer doesn't give enough pressure IMO and didn't clean so well on the first pass. Since it had been awhile, the concrete was pretty dirty which didn't help. I suggested she spray it first with bleach and then pressure wash back over it. She did and it looks very clean now.

After using the surface washer attachment, she wanted to design something for our contoured style curbs, she figures she could make a small fortune selling her idea. I laughed, I figure somebody probably already is selling something for that.

Anyway, I'm jealous of yours. I guess I have psi-itis. 2400 just doesn't seem like enough anymore.

Glad you're happy with it.

On the hose connection, not sure if you just want a quick connect or what. On mine, the threaded female connector has a screened washer and then on top of that a regular hose washer. If I turn the hose in tight by hand, no leaks. After I got it back from the neighbor, it was leaking badly when my wife hooked it up. I pulled the hose off and saw the regular hose washer had disintegrated. Replaced it and it was water-tight.

If yours leaks, and if you don't have a 2nd washer in there, you might check to see if a 2nd washer will help.

If you want a quick connect, you can find adapters to change to a quick connect. I had some awhile back just to use on the garden hose. Mine leaked so I got rid of 'em but I think mine were poorly made (they were a "bonus" with a hose sprayer I bought). I'm guessing better adapters would work fine.

[Bob Dillon]

Those round dealios don't look like they're worth $70 to me. I just use the soap hose and nozzle with Simple Green first, wait 10 minutes, and then use the 25 degree nozzle.

On the hose connection, not sure if you just want a quick connect or what. On mine, the threaded female connector has a screened washer and then on top of that a regular hose washer. If I turn the hose in tight by hand, no leaks. After I got it back from the neighbor, it was leaking badly when my wife hooked it up. I pulled the hose off and saw the regular hose washer had disintegrated. Replaced it and it was water-tight.

The connector that came with the washer was plastic, and had a screen in it. The pump isn't threaded, it just has a plastic knob you spin to connect the hose. It was watertight, but I pulled out the screen inside, put in a few hose washers, and used a 3/4" pipe thread nipple to screw into that and then put my quick-disconnect fitting on the other end. All is well now and a lot less awkward.

Thanks for you advice.

[KS circutguy]

Tip #2
Make dam sure you pit Sta-bil in the fuel tank before long storage periods Bob.

[giddygoat]

PSI AND GPM ratings combined gives one the best idea of how a washer will perform. 3000 psi at 3 gpm seems to be a nice size for home owners. The 70.00 swivel head is expensive but on a washer with the above specs works very well. Check to see what temp water you can use, mine says 140F so if there is a tough grease job I use hot water. I don't let it run without flow when using hot water for more that 15-30 sec. The book says not to run pump static ( trigger not pulled but pump primed) for more that 2 min or pump damage from water overheating will result. I have the cat pump with Honda 5.5hp and it is over 10 years old and gets a lot of use. Change the oil when it starts to get cloudy from water and winterize and these cat pumps seem to have a long life.

[teeraven]

I see the OP already bought one, but I'd like to contribute for the benefit of anyone else that reads this and is planning to buy one. I did a lot of research last year when I bought my pressure washer. I didn't want to spend a lot, but after researching decided a GX Honda engine was worth the extra money over a GC. Also that a triplex pump was the way to go. The cheapest I could find with a GX and triplex pump was this one from Sam's club for $530

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/simpson....ip?navAction=

It was a little more than I was hoping to spend, and the pump isn't a high quality brand, but it is a triplex pump and all together was hundreds cheaper than any other model I found with a triplex pump. It works great and should last me many years.