Electric or Gas Power Washer | The Boneyard

Electric or Gas Power Washer

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Any thoughts? I'm thinking that the gas washer might damage the siding. I know that you can adjust the pressure, but it serms as though less pressure overall is better for what I want to use it for
 
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If you are going to use it for more than just your siding, I would definitely recommend a gas model. Got a Ryobi at Home Depot for about $300, it was much more powerful than an electric I tried and more convenient than running an extension cord when you don’t have an outlet nearby. In addition to changing the angle of the water pressure coming out, with gas models you can also simply place the wand farther away if you want less pressure. Hope this helps.
 

Fishy

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I have a gas pressure washer with a Honda engine.

It’s great, but using it is a hassle.

If I had a do-over, I would get an electric.
 

Hankster

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Gas is my choice. If you are concerned about your siding change nozzles. I have a privacy fence around my pool. I cleaned it with my pressure washer no problem. My only gripe is the the hose with the nozzle. It is stiff and kinks up. I also have a Tiger Shark for cleaning my pool. The same, power cable hose is stiff and stays kinked. Once in awhile I get lucky and on a hot day I will stretch them out in the sun. Other than that, gas for me on the pressure washer.
 
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Depends on the size of your property. I live on a 1/4 acre with the house directly in the center of the property so having an electric is no problem. If your property is larger and you'll want to use it quite a bit away from a socket, than go gas.
 
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I have a Troy Bilt 2800 gas model and it works great. It has a rotating head so you can pretty much set the pressure for whatever you want. There is a setting for applying the soap and the highest setting will cut a carrot in half. There is a can of Sta Bil pump lubricant that I would also recommend that you apply after each use. It will keep the system from getting gummed up.
 

intlzncster

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For most homeowners, gas is overkill. Yes, they are without question better. But if you are doing siding, and concrete steps, occasionally a car (with the right setting/nozzle for gods sake), electric is great. So much less hassle. Easier storage. Easier use in general.

I own 2 because of business (1 gas, and 1 electric). I use the electric far more often (almost exclusively at home. I do the siding, the front porch, back deck, side entry, pool shed, and most of the pool area with the electric. So much quieter is an added but underrated bonus if you are doing a lot.

This one has been great for me. Had for 3 years performs optimally with great pressure and zero maintenance. Upright makes storage in the pool shed much, much better. It is lightweight, and you can carry it if you need to over stones etc.

You cannot adjust pressure directly via setting, but it comes with 5 or so different tips which adjusts the angle/pressure of the sprayer. Same thing, just have to pop off the tip and change. Takes 2 seconds, zero tooling required

I'm sure there are better models, but it performs.

Sun Joe SPX3000 2030
 
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formerlurker

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I've owned 2 gas powered washers over the years and had an issue with both of them. Not because they weren't quality products but because I didn't use them often enough and the motors never wanted to start without cleaning the carburetor or flushing the gas tank.

I'd say your choice should depend on how big the job is and how often you intend to use it. I switched to an electric model from Costco a few years ago and it does exactly what I need it to do. Power wash my deck twice a year and sit in the shed the rest of the time.
 
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Depends on how often you will use the power washer and how tall you dwelling happens to be. I borrowed a heavy duty one from a co-worker that had a 3 story town home. He needed the extra power to reach 3 level. However, I could not get the power washer started and returned it to him. He had to get the carburetor rebuilt - most likely caused by gas sitting in the washer too long unused. I bought an electric Sun Joe power washer for about $150 on Amazon. I use it every other year to do siding, patio, and cedar shed. No maintenance.
 
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Just be sure to check how powerful the electric one is. I have an electric one that isn't powerful enough and miss having the gas one
 

CL82

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Just be sure to check how powerful the electric one is. I have an electric one that isn't powerful enough and miss having the gas one

Agree. I have an electric 2030 PSI power washer. It does everything I need from power washing the deck and the siding, cleaning masonry and the walking. It is fast and easy. It has two cleaning solution canisters and I bought a foam cannon which is great for washing cars. (It is the Sun Joe SPX3000, same as some other posters above.)

The one I had prior to this was vastly underpowered at 1200 PSI. It sucked because the stream area had to be narrow to get enough power to wash so it was likely cleaning with a pencil eraser.
 
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My wife just got me the Ryobi Electric Pressure Washer from Home Depot for Father's Day. Has three attachments and works great. The downer is the plug-in aspect. You have three long cords/hoses (sprayer hose, garden hose and extension cord/plug for machine). It looks ridiculous, but it's not about aesthetics. If you can deal with that and the plug-in aspect, I highly recommend the Ryobi Electric.
 

Husky25

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2500PSI Gas Powered Predator from Harbor Freight. Got it at a Father's Day Sidewalk Sale about 7 or 8 years ago for about 25% off. It has 5 nozzle attachments and 2 replacements for the popular sizes.
 
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Also, if you compare the electric to gas, you will see a big difference not only in pressure, but in water volume GPM
 

CL82

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Also, if you compare the electric to gas, you will see a big difference not only in pressure, but in water volume GPM
Agree re GPM. Mine is 1.65 GPM. A decent gas one would be @2.5 and a commercial one 3.5 - 5 GPM. I'm not sure how big a difference that makes or under what circumstances you'd need that since mine does everything I need around the house.
 
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Do electric models provide enough psi to pressure wash a deck before restaining?

In college I used gas to pressure wash decks for college painting company. Would take the top layer of old stain and mold/mildew off to prep for the new stain. Can electric perform the same in this scenario?
 

CL82

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Do electric models provide enough psi to pressure wash a deck before restaining?

In college I used gas to pressure wash decks for college painting company. Would take the top layer of old stain and mold/mildew off to prep for the new stain. Can electric perform the same in this scenario?
Again it depends on PSI. My 1200 psi unit would do it by it was a pain. My 2030 PSI unit does it pretty effortlessly.
 
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How much pressure do u need to have the range to wash above 2nd story windows from the ground (ie, no ladder)??
 

HuskyHawk

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For my uses, Karcher electric does the job. Mine is powerful as hell, not enough to wash siding that is 20 feet up, for that I think you need gas. But anything on the ground, deck, patio, walkway, vinyl fence, it's way more power than needed. It can strip paint and solid stain and even carve notches in wood.
 

storrsroars

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For most homeowners, gas is overkill. Yes, they are without question better. But if you are doing siding, and concrete steps, occasionally a car (with the right setting/nozzle for gods sake), electric is great. So much less hassle. Easier storage. Easier use in general.

I own 2 because of business (1 gas, and 1 electric). I use the electric far more often (almost exclusively at home. I do the siding, the front porch, back deck, side entry, pool shed, and most of the pool area with the electric. So much quieter is an added but underrated bonus if you are doing a lot.

This one has been great for me. Had for 3 years performs optimally with great pressure and zero maintenance. Upright makes storage in the pool shed much, much better. It is lightweight, and you can carry it if you need to over stones etc.

I'm sure there are better models, but it performs.

Sun Joe SPX3000 2030

I'll third the Sun Joe. I'm going on year 3 with it. I can't imagine needing more power for a typical suburban home. Patio, retaining walls, picket fence, driveway... I've even used it to clean ironwork railings on my patio, which pick up moss every winter. It's reliable, it was affordable, and it works.
 

Tommyboy

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I've owned 2 gas powered washers over the years and had an issue with both of them. Not because they weren't quality products but because I didn't use them often enough and the motors never wanted to start without cleaning the carburetor or flushing the gas tank.

I'd say your choice should depend on how big the job is and how often you intend to use it. I switched to an electric model from Costco a few years ago and it does exactly what I need it to do. Power wash my deck twice a year and sit in the shed the rest of the time.

This. I have a gas powered one that I use so sparingly, it becomes a pain in the butt to get it started when I do need it. In fact the last couple times my house has been pressure washed I just paid someone else to do it as there are so many companies around me that do it. So its relatively cheap. I definitely wouldn't purchase a gas model again. But when I did get it started, it worked fantastic.
 
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I have a low budget electric Karcher ($125) that does what I need it to do around the house. I have successfully pressure washed off flaking paint on my brick house walls in preparation for a new paint job, refreshed faded wood fencing, cleaned dirty vinyl siding and washed my car with the car-wash sponge attachment. It has plenty of pressure for these types of projects and comes with 2 nozzles along with the car wash attachment. It is great to have when I need it, which is not that often.
 
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Going electric, now I have to figure out which electric. Thanks for the input everyone
 
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