Hi! new to the forum and hoping someone can help me!
(Skip down to the ****'s for the TLDR version)
So, here’s the dilemma:
We have a 1500 PSI Ryobi electric power washer. We were looking to take the old seal off of our stamped concrete patio so we could apply a new seal. Issue is, 1500 PSI wasn’t doing crap for taking the old seal off.
Our neighbor had an old gas powered 3000 PSI pressure washer in their shed they let us borrow but it didn’t have a hose or nozzle (just the pressure washer itself).
I figured “hey, why don’t i take the hose and nozzle from my 1500 PSI Ryobi and put it on their 300 PSI gas pressure washer!”.
All looked good initially. Water started coming out of the hose, but as the pressure washer ramped up the water production stopped. Pulling the trigger on the hose produced nothing. I turned off the pressure washer and then started it back up. Water sputtered out again and then quickly stopped flow once more.
Tried again and this time no water at all. Low and behold, it took me about 30 minutes to get the hose connection off from the damn thing and I was about 10 seconds from just cutting it. The pressure was so built up that it was on there like super glue (had to use 2 channel locks and ever so slowly turn).
TLDR;*************************************
My question is: Is my Ryobi 1500 psi hose TOO LOW of pressure to handle the 3000 PSI coming through the Honda gas powered washer? Is that I thing? I spoke to my father in law who is pretty handy and he said that didn’t make sense, that the hose should just let water through and shouldn’t get “stopped up” no matter the pressure, that it just wouldn’t produce as much. What I experienced says otherwise though… Is that a thing? Do I need a higher pressure gun hose and gun? Or might something else be at play here?
Any and all help is appreciated! We just cleared our entire patio and had a good set of days without rain and now if we have to push this back will definitely be unfortunate.
You over pressurized the pump by putting on tips that were way to small for it. Better get to looking for a replacement pump for your neighbors rig because that one is probably done for.
What you can take away from this experience is, it’s sometimes cheaper and easier to hire a professional and pressure washers have specific tips for GPM and pressure they are not universal.
I hire a professional for plenty of things. However, we own a power washer, so of course I’m going to try and power wash it. Hotshot sort of provided some useful info, but really, I came here looking for help, not just to be told to “hire a professional”.
If someone went to a painting forum and asked the proper technique to paint siding, and everyone just said “hire a professional”, then what is the point of a forum? Just shut down the forum and go to AngiesList.
So my take away is that I needed a higher pressure hose and handle. Their pressure washer itself still works just fine. Thanks again, though.
You could very well need a new gun and hose. I re-read your post and realized you said there was pressure when you took off the hose. With that being said when you took the hose off did you try to start the machine and see if it’s still putting out water? When you said there was no water coming out it sounded like you blew the pump. And when you get a new wand search on here for the tip chart which will walk you through how to determine what tips match your machine. You can go bigger to lower pressure but not smaller. Didn’t mean to sound rude and I don’t think @Chesebro did either but some jobs are just best left for the pros. But I’ll give you a for giving it a shot.
And I was trying to help diagnose your washer before we went into ways to remove the sealer but @TexasPressureWashing has provided you with some great links for that.
Because there is soo much more to it, you won’t learn everything that you need to know in one post alone! And if you are willing to learn, then take the time to read thru the forum instead of just asking for help… It make take days…
To their defense, this is a forum of mostly professionals and this is our business. A professional forum for other professionals. Not many homeowners or DYI’ers on here. So it’s not really a forum like you described in your response. You can get some good information here and some will gladly help, but it’s definitely not a DYI type of forum. Now I don’t say that to discourage you from using this forum, just giving you an explanation of why you will receive so many “hire a professional” responses. Good luck with your project.
Is not “one of those forums” … that is literally the best advice you’re going to get - Is not because people don’t want to help you, it is because it is a lot more complex than just pressure washing it off and attempting to do it incorrectly can cause hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of damage. I’ve been pressure washing for 5 years and even we wouldn’t touch that job. If you called me for it I would probably refer you to someone that does a lot of sealer removal… If you want it done right it takes the correct chemical, with the correct ratios, and correct application; but most importantly the knowledge and experience that comes with doing a lot of sealer removals.
Aside from that, people have given you some useful info. You may need a different gun/hose/nozzle to be able to work your friends PW. But at the same time we don’t know the condition of the machine or if it was working ok prior to you attempting to use it. If you post some pictures/video we may be able to diagnose the issue a little more accurately. If you insist on doing the work yourself, find the manufacturer of the original sealer and check what are their removal guidelines and recommendations - there are some really good sealer removers just make sure you follow all the safety precautions and recommendations.
for giving it a shot.
