What machine (Pressure Washer) are you using these days?

I am in the market for a new pressure washer and looking for any feedback on good/bad experiences with machines you have used or are currently using. The reason I am making this new purchase is I have been doing a lot more work in my local shore town and with my little 3GPM 3500PSI my low pressure stream seems to get cut right down with the sea breeze. I like to do a low pressure soap and wash on most of my siding jobs and its just not cutting it!

I have looked at a few NorthStar Super High Flow Gas Cold Water Pressure Washer — 3000 PSI, 5.0 GPM, Honda Engine, Model# 15782030- running about $1600. Would you think 5GPM is enough or should I go straight for the 4000psi 7GPM unit for about $3500…?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

PS: I do mostly res, not that much commercial work.

How much buffer tank do you plan on running? I have a 5gpm machine and I down stream with the M5 DS and if the wind is in single digits I can wash about 30-35 feet typically on the ocean front. If your going to spend 3500 though I would go with an 8gpm machine.

1 Like

This pressure washer site has a big selection of pressure washers for contractors and heavy duty commercial use. They have product experts and great support. Good luck.

1 Like

I was wondering if I should spend the extra on a trailer set up with a 8gpm or just stick with the 5 or 6gpm machine and use my trailer just to haul. Question is how much money do I want to spend!

Do you guys price match?

Also what GPM would you say is the threshold for def having a buffer tank? I realize this has a lot to do with the customers water pressure but if you were to maybe average it… I was thinking of a 5.5GPM 3000psi unit from pressure pro…

4 gpm is about the max I would run off city water hook up, if its a well pump 3-3.5 is about the max I can run in my experience. I run a 50 gallon tank with my 5gpm unit, works great about 1-12 houses I may have to take few minutes break to let the water catch up. For me at 4gpm the best I could average was around 80-100 per hour. But with my 5gpm unit I average about 120-150 per hour. Traffic is tough in my neck of the woods in the summer so dragging a trailer is a real pain, I might perhaps upgrade to a 6gpm with a 100 gallon tank in the future but 8gpm for me brings headache but I do LARGE beaches cottages mostly. If I was doing commercial work I would have a trailer no doubt.

1 Like

1-12 houses? Are you saying it holds enough water for you to complete 1-12 houses? Or do you mean 1-2 houses?

I was just trying peice together my DIY trailer and I have my eye on a 65 gal tank that would fit perfectly on my little 4X8 trailer. It’s only a max 1600lb capacity trailer so I am trying to keep it light.

My apologies I meant that 1 out of every 12 houses I may have to stop for a few moments to let the water catch up (great time to refill you chemical bucket or move furniture around on the deck if needed). You may come across that one house like I did yesterday that just blows through the buffer tank, would not have mattered if I had 200 gallons of water still would not have been enough for this job. For this I have a small pressure pro 2700 psi 3.3 gpm direct drive. Yeah it’s a bit slower process but none the less beats having to stop to and let the tank fill up so often.

1 Like

Nice, I am thinking I’m going to go with the 4gpm 4000psi pressure pro unit with the 65gal buffer tank. Would you happen to have any pics of your set up. I want to make sure I get hooking up this buffer tank right.

I don’t have any pics of mine but its relatively simple, drill a 1 inch hole in the top cover of the tank and mount a hudson float valve with a 45 that can be connected to a water hose. You should have an outlet at the bottom of the tank, run about a 6-8 ft 1 inch hose from that to your pressure washer (a filter on this line closer to your water tank may be a good idea). Once you fill the tank the first time it will take a few seconds for the vacuum from the pump to pull water but it will don’t worry. There are a few youtube videos as well that go over the process.

Always buy the best you can afford, dont buy cheap it always cost more in the long run.

All the best

Troy Hillard
Wash Rite
www.washrite.co.nz

2 Likes