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Can anybody give me a good idea of what to look for in a pressure washer? I need opinions on pressures, HP and what not to waste my time on.

depends entirely on what you expect tthe primary use to be - I've got a small, easily portable electric 1200psi rig that works beautiful for general stuff, aimed mostly at cleaning jobs for my biz [juice mill], it also gets used on the trucks ocassionally, and works for a range of things, but a bit slow for stuff like building siding or concrete drives

Bill

Well, I've got a 3000psi unit that I bought primarily to clean the concrete tile roof (weird ain't it), the lanai, and driveway. The 3000 psi is fully adjustable down to something like a thousand or so which makes it good for cleaning the boat, dock, and other light jobs. I would spend the extra few bucks and get a HD gasoline powered washer. You will then be able to blast away at whatever you want.

I agree with Down2sea, I have a 3000PSA unit, mine is driven by a 7.5 HP electric motor, but a gas driven model makes them more portable. I also have the hot water option and wouldn't be without it. Mine runs off 110 and burns either diesel or kerosene. Makes cleanup twice as fast. It is wise to get a variety of tips as no one tip is perfect for everything. I even have a rotary brush unit that works great with hot water and injecting soap.

I would definately get a hot water machine. also consider the gallons per minute (gpm) rating. more gpm = faster cleaning. i use a 1500 psi, 1.5 gpm hot water machine to wash my dump truck and although it's considered a small machine, it works extremely well. jeff

Harbor Freight has a pressure washer on sale until March 12th. Four stroke 2.5 HP motor, 1300 PSI and 1.85 gallon per minute output for $199.00.
Lowes also has one on sale for $249.00 but I don't remember the specs on it.

Here is my experience of having gone through three pressure washers:
1.Get at least 2700 psi.
2.Two Gal./minute flow rate.
3.Get a Honda engine.Items 1 & 2 will dictate HP
4.Get a CAT pump. Do Not get Italian Pumps.
5.Hot water is a nice feature but not necessary.
6.An injector feature to add cleaner is needed.
7.An adjustable pressure is required if you are doing different surfaces such as wood and cement.
8.Electric pressure washers are extremely limited in both pressure and flow but they are inexpensive.
9.I won't buy at a big box store. The first two washers came from there and neither lasted 20 hr.

Cleaning concrete is a no-no unless you re-seal as it makes the surface rough and allows water to penentrate. The only thing worse is putting rock salt on concrete. I had to be told this at least three times by three different concrete contractors before I believed it but its true.

Jerry

Jerry...I think you covered it all. Especially, item 4.
Greg

I have gone through several and the 110 volt Karcher brands hold up the best.The problem I have had with the gas powered washers is with the gas today,you have to use them every other day or you wind up with carb problems.I went to an electric chain saw for the same reason.It starts every time provided the cord is plugged in lol.

Robin 58.
What I have been told and have observed is that once the sealer is gone from the concrete its open to the elements. Rain/Snow and freezing/thawing will do the damage over time and the top layer of concrete which doesn't have the rock, because it was 'floated' when finished, will flake off and cracks can happen as moisture penentrates and freezes.

I don't think the pressure washer itself does much if any damage other than removing the protective sealer. The obvious fix is to re-seal after cleaning with a pressure washer.

You probably have less of a problem in the deep South because there is not much freezing.
Jerry

"sealer" isn't commonly used on concrete, and if a power washer can damage the surface, it was a poor mix, poorly laid - I live with plenty of freezing, and power wash areas on my concrete receiving area every year - still there

where's gas n spark? he'll float the correct answer

Bill

I'm going to pull out of this one with apologies for getting off topic with concrete power washing. It was just an aside and not germane to the main topic of what power washer to buy. Obviously a bunch of different opinions/observations.
Jerry

I'm on my third PW for home and before that had two that I used commercially. Both of those had CAT pumps and hot water. Great but IMO a little over the top for the average home owner. However I do agree on buying the CAT pump. The 3 I've purchased for home all had the General pump and none have been worth a toot.

Also have to agree with jbinwa about the concrete cleaning issues. It is a sure way to failure when you blow away the cream and expose the aggregate. Just come look at my driveway apron.

i don't want to offend anyone but, a cheep pressure washer is just that.i can clean concrete with a garden hose. if you want to clean a greasy grimey old truck hot water is the answer. just my 2 cents!

I knew a guy who had some real high pressure rig(4500psi IIRC), it would sure take off the top of what appeared to be good concrete. It would flake the top layer right off. Brian

It's all about how good or bad the concrete is. The company I work for has over 40 garage facilties. Each with a wash bay, some indoor, some out. All have heated pressure or steam washers. These wash bays have been in use for more than 30 years. None of the concrete sealed. All have smooth surfaces EXCEPT where water leaks have been. Water itself is very abrasive. Dripping in the same place will make the concrete rough. Years of blasting the grease and muck off has not damaged the surface. Blasting the surface is not constantly done although the environment does remain wet for long periods of time. There will be more damage by mechanical means ( dropping heavy objects ) than there will be from the steamer / pressure washers. Concrete quality will vary from town to town, residential to commercial, etc. I can't remember the last time someone checked if the driver watered the batch down or did a slump test for a residential driveway.

But this isn't about concrete, is it. It's about pressure washers. So let's get back on topic and back to the tools.

BTW, for those that mentioned CAT pumps. We have been using those pumps for over 40 years. 3' x 3' units with seperate oilers for our insulator washer trucks. Loud and bullet proof. If CAT's smaller stuff is of the same quality, I don't see how you could go wrong!