[paulm]

i have  a 2750psi/ 9lpm cold water power washer with a 600mm flat surface cleaner (hydro twister)which i intended to use for driveway cleaning.Howvever, when using the hydro twister it does'nt really effectively cut down labour time as it streaks and is generally ineffective. ( i use a cold water tap feed with good pressure and both machine and hydro twister are in good working order. only used hydro twister 3 times cos it seems so useless). I usually end up going over driveway with turbo nozzle as this seems the most economical time solution. wouldyou suggest that power washer isnt powerful enough for size of flat surface cleaner.if so what size hydro twister would you recommend for  power washer?  

[peternathan]

hi when i first started i had a small fsc i wont mention the make. but i had same problems as you.
but as soon as i splashed out on a small stainless steel one it totally changed.
all i can say is keep tryin and make sure you have the correct nozzles for your lpm.

[Andy Foster]

I agree, the nozzles are the first things to check, if these are wrong you don't stand a chance.
The second would be to use a water tank for supply and fill the tank from the tap.
Even if you think the supply is good, it would eliminate any feed problems.
Use a large bore pipe to feed pump from tank.

Hope this helps

Andy

[drivewasher]

the problem lies in the 9 litres per min flow its not enough to drive a rotary surface cleaner properly.

Andy, water supply should be ok by tap as 9lpm isn,t very much flow and most taps give that. When useing machine keep an eye on inlet hose pipe for a few mins, if i starts to suck it flat then you need a barrel/tank on that particular job

[Kwackers]

I get streaks on mine if i go to fast, try slowing down a bit?

[Andy Foster]

the problem lies in the 9 litres per min flow its not enough to drive a rotary surface cleaner properly.

Andy, water supply should be ok by tap as 9lpm isn,t very much flow and most taps give that. When useing machine keep an eye on inlet hose pipe for a few mins, if i starts to suck it flat then you need a barrel/tank on that particular job

I agree, 9lpm SHOULD be easily supplied by a household tap, but some house supplies (like our house) can be depreciated if for example the toilet is flushed... this could cause damage to the pump and a small reserve tank being constantly topped up would completely negate this problem.  Better safe than sorry eh.

Also, a smaller fsc should be OK with 9lpm as long as the nozzles are set correctly.  Having just re-read the original post, a 24 inch fsc is a big piece of kit to be running on 9lpm.  It may be worth trying an 18 inch or even a 12 inch (mosmatic or the like).

In all honesty, if this is going to be an ongoing part of the business, I would suggest upgrading the pump to at least 15lpm at a similar pressure... that would be able to cope with most situations and most add-on pieces of kit.

[Kleen Machine]

The minimum psi needed to drive a Whirl-a-way correctly
is 3000psi whether the Whirl-a-way is 16" or 24" it does
not matter. The only Whirl-a-way that you can use with your machine is the 12" wall model which can be adapted to
clean floors. I hope this is helpful

Regards
Hal
General Manager
Merrill Fox Enterprises

[Andy Foster]

Hi Merrill

That's interesting as I would have thought that flow has a bearing on the performance of a whirlaway.
I understand that you are far more knowledgable on these matters than I as you supply these items, I would be interested to know what the manufacturer's take is on this.   There is a supplier in the UK that applies a formula to the psi/flow relationship to calculate whether or not a pump will run certain sizes of fsc's. 
I run an 18/16 (not sure exactly) inch whirlaway on a pump that is 2500psi and 15litres a minute flow rate and it works fine.  I did however have to get the correct nozzles fitted to make it effective.
I do notice that my 12 inch mosmatic runs better than the whirlaway... maybe that is why.

What are your thoughts, and do you have any spec sheets from the manufacturer's of the whirlaways?

Andy

[Kleen Machine]

Hi Andy,

The 3000psi minimum to drive the Whirl-a-way correctly
comes directly from the manufacturer. Remember the
word is correctly. All Whirl-a-ways except the 12" model
can handle up to 8gpm maximum flow, and installing the
proper tips in the spray bar is essential to achieving the
maximum cleaning effect of the fsc. I do have spec sheets
but it only gives maximum levels of operation not minimum
that is the reason I had to call the manufacturer directly
to get the 3000psi minimum requirement answer.

Regards
Hal
General Manager
Merrill Fox Enterprises

[Andy Foster]

Thanks for that Merrill.

Interesting that they don't give out minimum requirements as standard... it would certainly help people decide if the kit is for them or not.

Thanks again

Andy