Pressure Washers

Hi. I want to upgrade my pressure washer to 4000 psi. Can anyone please tell me what the (better) brands are? I just don't want to buy junk. Thanks for the input. Jim in N.M.

I have found that volume of water is as important as pressure. As for good brands. Mi-T-M is made here in Iowa and is a good brand. Not cheap but good. The hot water one I have is over 25 years old. I have only replaced the unloader valve one time. Everything else is original.

Thanks, J.D. Can you tell me what pressure your unit is? and by chance do you have a well for your water? Jim in N.M.

Gas or electric? I do not confess to be a pressure washer expert, I have done a little pressure washer repair but not enough to be able to call myself an expert. A pressure washer with a Cat pump seems to be rated high for reliability. I have two pressure washers, a gas powered and an electric. Both are 4 GPM @4000 PSI. The gasser is 6 years old, has a Honda GX390 engine that has 13 HP and a Cat pump. Through the years it has given zero problems washing semis and farm machinery. It starts on the first pull when cold but tends to kick back when started hot. I have been around several GX 390's and they all are kickers when started hot. The kicking is the one and only drawback to it.

If you find a used pressure washer be careful not to pay too much because a new pump will be in the $500 range. The electric pump I have is a used one I got for free a few weeks ago. The brand of the piston pump is called 'general' and it was shot, the unloader was shot too. I have a hunch this pump was thrown together by a machinery jockey and sold on an auction. A new pump set me back $470 from Amazon and the unloader was $100. It pumps like crazy now. A new pump like this one is in the $2500-$2800 range. just a reminder, an electric pump this size takes a lot of juice to run it. This pump I have has a 7 1/2 horse motor that pulls 38 amps so 50 amp service is about right for it to keep the motor from over heating and tripping out if it is used for long periods of time.

In my area we have tons of hog buildings that need to be washed so there are more tired used electric pressure washers to be had. A lot of the guys who do hog building washing for a living are switching to gas powered pumps because so many hog buildings don't have big enough electric service to handle several electric pumps at one time. We do not have trouble running well water through our pumps though it wouldn't hurt to put a filter in the supply hose. A piece of debris can get under one of the check valves in the pump and render the pressure washer nearly useless until it is cleaned out. Unless you are blowing dried baked on grease off an old tractor you do not need a pressure washer this size though. When I use the gas powered pump I don't often run it wide open because I do not need 4000 PSI to wash oil off a tractor or road grime off the pickup. What helps more than pressure is hot water. You can get a stand alone water heater you can plug your pressure washer pressure hose into and get by with a smaller pressure washer. I don't know what a new heater costs. I picked up a used fuel oil fired heater for $100 but they are hard to find used.

I have had a Power America hot water pressure unit for nearly thirty years. It is a much lower pressure unit at only 1600psi, but it has worked very well for me washing trucks, tractors and all kinds of equipment. Hot water makes a big difference. The only repair that has been needed was a new motor for the oil burner. It is VERY Important that you get one with a bronze pump. The aluminum or pot metal ones have a very short life span.

Jim mine is 4 gpm with 3200 psi. I rarely use full pressure. I have the dual wand with a dump control handle right on the side of it. It dumps the pressure out the second tube. This way you can easily rinse things off with low pressure. Nice to wash around bearing and such.

Yes I use well water. I have a water filter mounted right on the washer frame. This keeps sand from plugging the nozzle. Since mine heats the water you have to worry about plugging the heating coil with hard water scale. I do not want to use a water softener on the shop circuit. Instead I mounted a unit/filter that adds a polyphosphate to the water. This chemically changes the hard water so it does not create scale inside the coil. Looks just like another filter but has a cartridge that slowly dissolves. The model I have is good for 100,000 gallons of medium hard water before you have to replace the cartridge.

SC-100 Scale Reducer Unit - 100000 gal - Scaltrol

I found out the hard way that GPM also makes a difference, not just the PSI when I replaced my pump. It was a big difference between 2.5 GPM and a 3.0 GPM 3000 PSI pump when I replaced my 3 with a 2.5. Cat is also considered one of the better pumps.

Do not know about out west but in these parts ALKOTA is considered the best or at least right up there with the best. We have several at dealership and farm and have had excellent performance.

Hot or even warm water will make as much difference as pressure or volume .
My washer has the three piston ceramic pump and handles 100-110F inlet water just fine .

What does a power washer act like when the unloader valve isnt working. We have a MI-T-M at work and sometimes it doesnt like to engage pressure when you press the lever on the wand. And small tips wont make it ingage either.

What does a power washer act like when the unloader valve isnt working. We have a MI-T-M at work and sometimes it doesnt like to engage pressure when you press the lever on the wand. And small tips wont make it ingage either. What does the unloader valve actually do?

(quoted from post at 05:00:47 02/17/20) What does a power washer act like when the unloader valve isnt working. We have a MI-T-M at work and sometimes it doesnt like to engage pressure when you press the lever on the wand. And small tips wont make it ingage either. What does the unloader valve actually do?

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Generally speaking it diverts water back to the pump via bypass line when the gun trigger isn't being depressed, it recirculates water from outlet back to pump inlet. Most use it as part of the pressure regulation system. Many have cautions about excessive bypass time when the pump is running as it will heat that small amount of water rapidly. Some of the bypass regulators are adjustable.

When the unloader has failed the washer engine will usually be very hard to start as you are trying to start against the pressure buildup of the water pump whatever that might be.

I use the Generac 6565 Pressure Washer. It is a good pressure washer with 4200 PSI. AS a smaller one I use Karcher but it is not so powerful. I have not seen any disadvantages in both washers.
the best electric pressure washer

This Dewalt 4400 power washer is great. We've had it for a few years.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-...lex-Pump-California-Compliant-60896/305967793