Use the car wash 
DIY pressure washer?
DIY pressure washer? Ok so i dont want to fork out 500 bucks on a good pressure washer, but I have a really nice air compressor already... any idea if i can hook it up somehow to a hose and a pressure wand to make a pressure washing system?
do normal pressure washers even use air compressors?
do normal pressure washers even use air compressors?
Launching!
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 238
Likes: 1
You might try modifying a cheap sand blasting gun to spray water. Wouldn't have th efull 120 lbs of pressure behind it. Only other thing I can think of is to find a used propane tank and convert it. But your water supply won't last very long. Not sure it would be a good idea any way because if the tank rusted internally you might blow a hole in it.
Staging Lane
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
From: Coastal NC
Last July, I bought one of the 1600psi electric "Kartchner" (or however its spelled) pressure washers from SAMS Club for about $132. It came with a high pressure attachment, a regular wash attachment and a siphon so you can use soap with it.
I ordered a sandblast attachment from Western Auto to go with it. I took off a layer of dirt and paint from the bottom of my boat in just a short time.
It works great. I have cleaned boats, washed the house, used a sandblast attachment to do a BBQ grill before painting it with high temp paint, degreased all kinds of parts. Its great for getting all the mud out from under the chassis and engine compartment after off-roading. I have even used the pressure attachment to go over all the welds on a trailer hitch I made, making sure all the flux was off it and it was spotless before I painted it. It will take any flux off that you miss with your chipping hammer, and it is quicker and easier than sandblasting.
One thing, my brother-in-law learned why you don't use the high pressure wand to wash your car. It will take the paint off.
I have an air powered washer attachment, that has a hose that goes into a bucket of soap/degreaser/water and uses air to spray onto whatever you want to wash. What a waste of money that was.
I ordered a sandblast attachment from Western Auto to go with it. I took off a layer of dirt and paint from the bottom of my boat in just a short time.
It works great. I have cleaned boats, washed the house, used a sandblast attachment to do a BBQ grill before painting it with high temp paint, degreased all kinds of parts. Its great for getting all the mud out from under the chassis and engine compartment after off-roading. I have even used the pressure attachment to go over all the welds on a trailer hitch I made, making sure all the flux was off it and it was spotless before I painted it. It will take any flux off that you miss with your chipping hammer, and it is quicker and easier than sandblasting.
One thing, my brother-in-law learned why you don't use the high pressure wand to wash your car. It will take the paint off.
I have an air powered washer attachment, that has a hose that goes into a bucket of soap/degreaser/water and uses air to spray onto whatever you want to wash. What a waste of money that was.
haha cool i bought that same one, was it a little portable model? i used the high pressure one last night cause i thought it would remove dirt more effectively, yeah it takes paint off for damn sure... i used it on the roof, the water caught one of those little roof bubbles and tore the clear about 3 inches wide!! it also destroyed my chrome front chicken decal... so yeah never again... oh but im getting my roof replaced by gm for free so i didnt flip out, otherwise i would have detonated the pressure washer with three hundred tons of C4...
overall i think im just going to return it and use a wash mit and stuff, i would rather preserve my paint finish... any idea if the regular wash nozzle cleans dirt off of a car well? i didnt quite figure out how to use the syphon tube, i put it in a bucket of soap but i couldnt tell if soap was getting on the car, didnt really look like it, didnt see any suds or bubbles at all...
overall i think im just going to return it and use a wash mit and stuff, i would rather preserve my paint finish... any idea if the regular wash nozzle cleans dirt off of a car well? i didnt quite figure out how to use the syphon tube, i put it in a bucket of soap but i couldnt tell if soap was getting on the car, didnt really look like it, didnt see any suds or bubbles at all...
Staging Lane
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 93
Likes: 0
From: Coastal NC
The lower pressure nozzel that came with the pressure washer is just about the same as what you use at the car wash. I use it about 50% of the time washing vehicles, my lawn mower, and most of the things around here. The high pressure nozel will skin a snake real quick. While he's alive even.
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