Pressure washer suggestions please

A

ATC110

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Can anyone suggest a good pressure washer for domestic use? It's for a detached house with a driveway around it and pebble dashed walls.

I'm a member of Which? but the Best Buys start at £160 without a hose reel.

Currently have a tiny Karcher but it keeps overheating and it's not powerful enough.

TIA
 
Lidl had a good one last week for 100 euro if they still have it in stock, I have same model and it's perfect for around the house work. Did all my paths, gutters etc last week, never a heard a word about Irish water saying not to use them! Where was that? Just looked at their web page and nothing on first page anyway.

Tis bad enough to have no paint and no plants, at least the power washing was something to do on a fine day to pass the time!
 
I can provide some help here; I've gone through more electric power washers than I care to remember. While using one and if you want to take a break disconnect the power washer from electricity and from water. If you don't you'll cause the motor to burn out or even to melt the internal plastic water container.

I bought a new power washer from Woodies last year. It cost over €220.00 and is run on petrol. It is the business and worth the extra money.
 
I've had a Kew Alto electric pressure washer for over 15 years and it's still going strong. It's not used too regularly these days, but it used to do a couple of hours every week. At the time they were aimed at heavier users, but they seem to have more domestic offerings now, so worth a look. As with anything, you get what you pay for, anything under a couple of hundred quid is going to be more or less disposable, double that and you'll find you'll be able to get it serviced and parts for a decade or more...
 
Its a very dirty messy job and the noise of the machine will wreck your head. If you intend using it to clean cobblelock it lifts the sand from between the blocks and you will need to replace that which is a pain of a job too.

Eithneangela said:
Irish Water asking people not to use pressure washers or water the garden during the pandemic.
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NewEdition said:
Are they?? Why?
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Everyone with a power washer is out at the moment cleaning everything in sight which has to be using up a lot more water.

Don't forget also that we are all constantly washing our hands for a lot longer too so lots more water being using for that also.
 
Baby boomer said:
Be careful with those pebble dash walls. A powerful washer will strip paint, pebbles and all!
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I think gadgets from Aldi might help with that problem. The power of the spray will lift paint off the plinth of the house which creates another job.
 
I suppose it depends how much you need to do with it, I have the standard bungalow paths all round, few walls that need doing, couple of patios and some random other bits. My last Lidl one lasted me a good 10 yrs if not more and would still be around except I loaned it to someone last year who burnt it out, don't ask me how! The one I bought this year for 100 quid I certainly don't consider disposable and expect to have it a long time. With the old one I never needed a part in the time I had it and never occurred to me to get it serviced :)
 
Hello,

I bought a Karcher several years ago, got to use it 2-3 times, then it died.

A friend had a similar experience.

I'm both cases, due to age, guarantees were worthless.

I would never buy that manufacturers product again.
 
ATC110 said:
Can anyone suggest a good pressure washer for domestic use?
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With so many workers now at home due to the pandemic and the recent good weather, you will be doing well to get any power washer at the moment, seems most are sold out, Argos have a limited selection for home delivery.
 
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MrEarl said:
Hello,

I bought a Karcher several years ago, got to use it 2-3 times, then it died.

A friend had a similar experience.

I'm both cases, due to age, guarantees were worthless.

I would never buy that manufacturers product again.
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Honestly I don't think that has much to do with the brand, Karcher make pressure washers for commercial use that are fairly well regarded. The issue is all these manufacturers trying to build something relatively complex (they're dealing with high pressures so tolerances need to be tight and water is corrosive) to hit a price point of €100/200. In reality I don't think you'll find a pressure washer for €100/200 that will last long. You're better off either spending the extra money on one that is built to last, or just rent one when you need it.
 
We had a cheapie from Argos which worked ok for years but have found the Karcher much easier to use and does a better job.
 
ATC110 said:
Can anyone suggest a good pressure washer for domestic use? It's for a detached house with a driveway around it and pebble dashed walls.

I'm a member of Which? but the Best Buys start at £160 without a hose reel.

Currently have a tiny Karcher but it keeps overheating and it's not powerful enough.

TIA
Click to expand...
In the past few days I had reason to use my petrol power washer (Cost €220.00) and my electric power washer (Cost €120.00) (I just wanted to compare for this thread).

Both were good.

Electric Washer:- No metal bits. Gun adjustable for thin and wider power but a little awkward. Little storage space required. All-in-all worth the €120.00. You need hose to supply water, extension lead for electricity and because of the relatively short supply hose to the gun you need to carry it around more and dragging the hose and electric wires too.

Petrol Washer:- Much larger, nearly all metal (therefore stronger and much heavier). The gun is far easier to handle and much more balanced. The nozzle attachments are metal and there is far more scope for more intense washing. The only supply for water is the hose and no electric wires get in the way whatsoever. It's on wheels and although heavy is easy to manoeuvre. The power of water is far stronger than the electric model. On surfaces that need washing just once a year the Petrol Washer comes into its own and gets the work done in half the time of the electric model. The supply hose to the gun is far longer than the electrical equivalent. I was able to wash upstairs windows on the outside with little effort. I took chances power washing the eaves but it worked out.

Summary:- Was the petrol washer worth the extra €100.00 - Definitely Yes.
 
I have a Karcher K2 which I bought for €100 on Amazon in 2016.

I use it to clean about 30sqm of paving maybe once a year and it does this fine.

It is a slow and tedious job though, and in hindsight a petrol model like what @Leper suggested might have been worth it.
 
My old electric one had a fairly short hose to the nozzle so there was a bit of dragging around. The latest one I bought few months back from Lidl has a really long hose, I can do the whole length of the house paths without moving it, only need to move it from front to back of house. It is far superior to the old model I had.
 
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