| Author |
Message |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (24.196.191.70)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2003 - 12:21 pm: | |
A few years ago I purchased a pressure washer (3000 psi) to use in cleaning the bus, cars, driveway, sidewalks and oily/greasy engines and other various and sundry uses.
It has always worked great, but one of the things I missed was the high pressure application of soaps and cleaning solutions like the car washes do. It will apply these solutions but at a very low pressure and you still need a brush to clean some of the accumulated grime off.
I found recently in the Northern Tool catalog an “Upstream Detergent Injector for High Pressure Soap Spraying, item #228801-B980 for $29.99).
I ordered one and it works great. I can wash the vehicles without using a brush and they get very clean.
I encountered one small problem. My water pressure runs relatively high and I had to throttle the incoming water down some so that the siphon for the soap solution would work. I was about ready to return when I discovered that this solved the problem I just used an inline shut off valve and decreased the flow enough so that it would siphon properly.
Just thought you might like to know.
Richard |
Paul Tillmann (Paultillmann) (24.105.194.162)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2003 - 4:24 pm: | |
Richard,
I, too, looked into the "upstream detergent injector" and, after talking to people that used one, decided against it. Apparently it could (and did) shorten the pump life dramatically by pumping chemicals (cleaners) through it. Be careful.
Paul |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (24.196.191.70)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2003 - 5:09 pm: | |
Thanks for the warning. Do you think that the car washes use a different type of pump since they all dispense the cleaners at high pressure?
Richard |
Paul Tillmann (Paultillmann) (24.105.194.162)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 18, 2003 - 9:37 am: | |
Richard,
I don't know what kind of pumps they use, but, I'll bet they are either designed to pump the chemicals they use or they have a high pressure down stream injector. From what I understand the pressure washers you and I purchased are not designed that way otherwise they would come with the "upstream detergent injector" because it is a much more efficient way to apply soap and wash dirt and grime away. I bought my pressure washer from Northern Tool and they told me that even though they sell the "upstream detergent injector", they don't recommend it. Just be careful because to replace the pump is expensive.
Paul |
Stan (216.95.238.97)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2003 - 4:38 pm: | |
A few years ago all farm implement companies sold a pressure washer that used a 2 cylinder 'Hypro' sprayer pump. They had a soap injector fitting on the suction side of one cylinder that worked well (I still have one). This fitting was available as a replacement part for many years but seems to be no longer available. It might be worth trying all the dealers to see if they have one. The identical pump came in Ford blue, Massey red, John Deere green and industrial John Deere yellow. Only the plastic cover changed between brands. I have a new gas engine pump with the downstream injector and it is useless except for washing my house siding. |