So I needed help with a few topics, this does seem to be business oriented forums. Which may be even more knowledgeable.
So I am going to start a small side business washing cars. I plan on using an electric pressure washer. Which I am sure is probably not going to sound very wise, but I will be doing a lot of work in the early AM hours, so I can’t have a gas PW going off in residential neighborhoods.
So here lay the issues.
I will be drawing from a tank and pressure washers E PW don’t like to draw, they need to be fed. I am going with a greenworks 2700, model 5108902, it’s supposed to be 2700 psi and 2.3 gpm. Highly doubt that is accurate, but regardless cleaning cars to my knowledge doesn’t need massive PSI. So I plan on getting an electric water pump to draw from the tank and feed the washer.
My question is will a 3.3 gpm, seems very obvious but again I’m new, electric pump at 40 psi be sufficient or is it best to go with higher psi? What will give my pressure washer its full potential?
Second, is 2700, 2500, even 2200, which is what this machine will probably be putting out sufficient to clean cars? When I wash my car at a self car wash it feels like it is a much higher psi. I asked the owner of the self car wash and he had no idea. So I want something definitely as strong as that and something that won’t cause damage.
My brother in law does custom detailing and uses a greenworks electric. So if you are already plugging into their electric why not hook to their faucet? You said you can’t run gas so I would assume you already tapping their electricity.
Sounds like a plan, but as I mentioned in my introduction that you guys are unaware of at this time. I am going to help a business colleague who already has a car washing business. Definitely won’t be full time and will only be maybe 5 to 10 cars a week if that.
My buddy runs his car washing business with distilled water. Yea, I’m sure it’s nuts and probably the most fanatic thing you’ve heard in your PW career. However I’m just going to abide by his method, makes drying the car and making the car spotless flawless.
He gets a 100 gals for 7 dollars. So it’s definitely not a bust.
But the bust comes from the fact I need a trailer and a tank of course, and obviously a PW. He got a greenworks and told me I should go that route. He got a seaflo pump for his tank, and I was just reading the stats on it. Greenworks told it should be 60 to 80 psi.
The seaflo is 40 psi at 3.3 gpm. So I don’t know if he is selling himself short but I’m taking the best route and not trying to blow out more money or make purchases twice and all that good stuff.
Which involves my question above and next what is best option when it comes to PSI cause everyone wants to go gas. But I must avoid that option.
Not even sure what the maximum psi and EPW can get too. But I know they are not constant, and just peak.
He’s probably using de-ionized water and not distilled but spot free either way. We use an electric Greenworks at the shop for washing the trucks/vans/personal cars and it has lasted well even though it’s badly abused at times. It’s a 1.3 GPM and 1500 psi. About $100 at Lowes we paid for it. This one would probably work well for car washing:
That’s why I think the 2700 sounds like my tool of destruction, probably 2000-2200 psi and it’s a gallon more per minute.
I watched a video on the 2000 and the guys in the video have done a lot of EPW, and they said it’s good but great with the turbo nozzle. I’m trying to hit good numbers on any nozzle.
Maybe overkill and I’m not trying to be hard headed. But as long as it does no damage I’m fine with that
Dperez, you know I’ve never had a pressure washer. But I’m sure car washes vary, the one I go to has to be 2000 psi. That thing is really strong, and hurts if you put your hand on the spray. I’ve been to tons where it ain’t like that, and that feels like a 1000 maybe.
I really wish you can test these things out in person to get an idea, that’s why I don’t want to sell myself short. I don’t know what to do
You can adjust the pressure with the tip size. The ratings are standardized to be like a max rating I believe. Secondly, you can always stand farther back and reduce the pressure hitting the surface.
Wouldn’t recommend a turbo nozzle on a car, it’s essentially a zero degree stream vibrating really fast. If you get too close it’ll carve a nice line in most anything.
Brock, the idiots on the video were recommending and using the turbo nozzle on the greenworks 2000 to wash their car. Guessing it’s probably 1500 psi or lower based on that and then some.
Muscle it will need to be cleaned, most like use a handled brush and ONR with de-ionized or distilled water from the tank.
But you know with my car this self car wash that is stronger than most, it literally cleans everything off the surface. Especially the pesky dry bird droppings. I noticed the other car washes pressure washer requires like 30 seconds or so to really get off any really baked in dropping cause the pressure is low.
That’s why I want something with potential to make the job easier. Which is why I choose to go with a higher psi even though it’s about 3x the price
