Clean It Up
UK General Cleaning Forum => General Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Aquakleen Restoration Services on August 27, 2009, 08:30:53 pm
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As a newbie to pressure washing I was wondering if any of you kind gentlemen can give me a few tips.
Firstly I need to know where to grease it? I have enclosed a pic of where I think with an arrow pointing to the area. Do I twist the nut and grease there and retighten? Or is it somewhere else?
Secondly I was out on my third job today and I wasn't getting the performance I think i should even with the pressure turned all the way up it was having little effect on some areas of block paving not even touching the 'flower' shaped algae you often see. I used the lance on it and was fine but the whirlaway was quite poor. I have enclosed a second pic. In that pic do I have the jets close enough to the ground or do they look alright?
Thanks for your help in advance
John
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to grease the whirlaway there is a grease nipple that sticks up on the metal part it is on the second layer down on your picture, you will need to buy a grease gun to insert the grease but they are not expensive probably only £10 to £15, as for your pressure problems this could be a number of things firstly is your machine powerful enough to run the whirlaway i.e what litre per minute is your machine and what p.s. i is it, if the machine is powerful enough then you need to ensure that the right size jets are fitted to corespond to the power of machine being used, finally if all this is correct then turn the whirlaway upside down hold the spinning bar in place with a weight then press the trigger and check there are no leaks from anywhere and all water is coming from both jets as one could be blocked or a leak is causing pressure loss.
hope that helps
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if water is coming out of the hole by the spray bar then the o ring on the inlet tao has blown. it happened to me so many times. :-*
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Get a turbo nozzle and bin the FSC,they are crap,good luck,Dan
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If all of the above have been checked then the only thing left to do is grease it and it should do the trick.
Use a turbo nozzle if you want to spend more time cleaning up than cleaning!
I only ever used a turbo nozzle on tarmac or sports surfaces, other than that they cause more work than they do!
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dandandan are you still selling yout fsc?
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yes,it`s gathering dust in the shed,if i get a tar-mac job i might get it out,i wouldn`t use the turbo nozzle on tar-mac though,it will rip it up if your not careful.
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dandandan, email me at fod393@aol.com i have cash waiting :)
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Another dumb question...
As Im still finding my feet with the pressure washing equipment...
Does having the throttle on full effect the amount or pressure of water coming out? I say this as I have never had it on full whack and it has always done a good job until the last job. Would putting it up full throttle produce more power and a better end result?
I know the answer is probably yes but I thought Id check here first. Sorry!!
John.
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The answer is indeed yes John
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Cheers Andy, looks like we've got to the bottom of the problem!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qlrBEHtJWw
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Haven't seen that clip for years... brilliant!
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DS Iv'e got a whurlaway I'm selling 18" the better one than your stainless steel bean can.
Make me an offer it's all new exept for the rotor bar and the trigger gun. They were robbed for a couple of repairs last year I replaced em with good used ones. All the bearing head and cover is new.
Make me a sensible offer!
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pmsl
check your email steve
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I took the nipple off and there was grease clearly visable in there but put another squirt in for good measure. Not sure I will need to do it after EVERY job though???
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I took the nipple off and there was grease clearly visable in there but put another squirt in for good measure. Not sure I will need to do it after EVERY job though???
you dont need to take the nipple off the grease gun fits onto the nipple and puts the grease in under pressure, i usually grease mine about once a week and thats enough.
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steve greases his after each job ???
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mine seems to work better since greasing regular.
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Andy Would increasing the throttle lower the life of the pressure washer?
And would you need to "brake in" a relatively new washer?
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Most pumps are designed to be run at full tilt all day and so shouldn't be affected by this.
Indeed, running a pump at less than full revs wouldn give you less than the pressure or flow you are expecting.
However, as your pump is a little underpowered to be running 2900 psi, it would probably not be good to run it for 8 hours a day.
Regarding 'breaking in' a machine, as long as you service it according to the manufacturers recommendations, you should not have a problem (mainly oil changes).
Andy
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Ive been running my machine almost on idle, now wonder its been taking me ages lol
Andy would you say I could run it a 3/4 full throttle for the day.
or just have it on full throttle and use it less etc.
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How much could I buy a second hand 12" whirl-a-way for?
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You won't get the full power of the machine unless it is running on full throttle, so run it on 3/4 by all means, but be prepared for the drop in performance.
Have you got a pressure guage on it... if not you can get one for a few quid and you will see the difference in what throttle you use.
Regarding the whirlaway, just check out ebay, they have some fairly good deals on there. You probably won't find a 2nd hand one as people tend to only get rid of them when they are knackered, but you will find a few new ones on there.
Cheers
Andy
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Andy how much would I be looking at for a reasonable lower end Whirl-a-way.
sorry for all the questions.
Also would I need the turbo nozzle on the Whirl-a-way as my pump is small.
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No problem with the questions... ask away. :)
I have never bought a cheap flat surface cleaner so you will have to do your own homework on this I'm afraid.
The turbo nozzle is a separate piece of kit and cannot be 'attached' to the whirlaway. The most important thing is to get the right nozzles for the pump you have. These nozzles will be calibrated to work with the flow rate and pressure rating (at full throttle!) and it is vital these are correct.
the turbo nozzle goes on the lance but i rarely use it (some would argue the toss between fsc's and turbo nozzles but they create a lot of mess!).
Andy
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Andy I have just found this, it states its to be used on machines 1500-3000psi
Just wondered what your thoughts are on this item. as I dont want to be taken for a mug.
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Sorry forgot to put in the address lol. here it is.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HIGH-PRESSURE-ROTARY-FLAT-SURFACE-PATIO-DRIVE-CLEANER_W0QQitemZ130327662536QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM?hash=item1e58224fc8&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
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You would be better off with this one really
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mosmatic-Professional-Series-Stainless-Rotary-Cleaner_W0QQitemZ300345471965QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_HomeGarden_CLV_Cleaning_CA?hash=item45edfc33dd&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
You will still need to get the correct nozzles for the pump you have.
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You should be running your machines at full throttle or at worst 3/4. They are air cooled and need the fan to be forcing air over the engine.
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You should be running your machines at full throttle or at worst 3/4. They are air cooled and need the fan to be forcing air over the engine.
Erm most pressure washers are air cooled,and 99.9% dont have a fan,can you explain what you mean please.
cheers
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Erm you obviously don't know about engines. Honda's, Kohlers and most other aircooled engines draw in air which is then distributed over the cylinder to cool it. The air is drawn in through the grill where the pull cord is. This is where the fan is located. There is a picture of what I mean here:
http://www.justhonda.co.uk/pages/Short_Blocks.htm
Running at low revs causes overheating and consequently shortens the enigines life.
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Yes,your quite right,i stand corrected not afriad to admit it :-[
I must stop coming on here after a few beers and without my specs ::)
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Hey JK thanks for fixing my PW yesterday...had a job today and it was bloody awesome!! I owe you a pint or two! John