pressure washers

[stargirl96]

Do any of you use a pressure washer to clean your RV? Is it harsh on the finish and decals? Seems like it would be useful to wash an RV, especially when you don't want to climb a tall ladder. I noticed one of the Black Friday flyers has one advertised at a good price.

[andydallas]

it really depends on what nozzle you use and how far away you are. If you use a small nozzle a few inches from the surface, yes it will hurt it. If you wash the unit, then use the puressure washer from several feet away to make sure you get all the soap off, not a problem.

A

[hussbuss]

Now lets talk about actually washing a trailer. Always apply soap with your soap nozzle, low pressure from soap container, from bottom to top, other wise the soap runs down and streaks. next use the soft brush to scrub the dirt. Now switch to you high pressure 60 degree nozzle and rinse from top down. if you want to, now is the time to put some liquid wax mixed with water, about 4 or 5 ounces to a gallon into a separate jug an again apply using the low pressure nozzle and rinse again with the high pressure. Side note. always test first for color change. Filion type siding and some cheaper Gel coats will absorb the soap colors. Never use a red or brown colored soap. Always use the lightest colored soap you can. ONE MORE NOTE. RUN as fast and as far as you can from an AIRSTREAM Alumiumn trailer. Any caustic cleaner will remove the shine.

[hussbuss]

Ok guys, coming from my 30 years of owning a mobile pressure washing operation let me give you some advice. I have pressure washed thousands of trailers from tin sides to million dollar motorhomes. If your pressure washer comes with a O degree tip, THROW IT AWAY. If you don't know how to use a 15 degree tip or a rotator tip then THROW THOSE AWAY TOO. Always use a 40 or 60 degree tip. Stay away from close contact and keep moving. We use a hot water 3000 psi unit with 2 guns and 5 gals. per minute. Put soap on with low pressure, bottom to top, brush scrub, and rinse top to bottom with hot wax injected into rinse water. Never had an insurance claim in 30 years. As mentioned above dirt or film requires scrubbing to be perfect.

[Grit_dog]

^ For sure. Good soap and a pre soak are definitely preferable.
But I’ve come to the same conclusion that there’s no such thing as a perfect “no touch” car wash.
Short of 4000psi or hot water combined with a pre soak. But I’m not buying a Hotsy for washing the cars, lol.
I’ve run hot water strait from the water heater thru the pressure washer. That is pretty good but still not 100% unless it is light dirt on a freshly waxed surface

Thanks for the input.

[dpgllg]

Grit dog wrote:
After reading dlpllg's post, has anyone found a soap/ foam Cannon whatever that truly softens "normal" dirt and road grime enough that a normal 2500 psi pressure washer actually gets the vehicle 100% clean with no touch, no scrubbing?
I'd pay for that, just haven't found one yet I believe will work 100%.
Neighbor even bought the expensive chemical guys setup and foam a couple years ago. Said how good it was initially and then reality set back in and it doesn't actually do the job 100%. Back to rags, sponges and brushes...

DPG here,

I tried foaming and letting it sit and then using the pressure washer to rinse with the appropriate nozzle and it didn't get it totally clean. Using the brush really made a difference. It wasn't that hard just kept moving the brush. No need to keep dipping it into the soap bucket as soap was already one RV. The trick is to let it sit and soften as much of the dirt as possible.

Dave

[ford_truck_guy]

Grit dog wrote:
After reading dlpllg's post, has anyone found a soap/ foam Cannon whatever that truly softens "normal" dirt and road grime enough that a normal 2500 psi pressure washer actually gets the vehicle 100% clean with no touch, no scrubbing?
I'd pay for that, just haven't found one yet I believe will work 100%.
Neighbor even bought the expensive chemical guys setup and foam a couple years ago. Said how good it was initially and then reality set back in and it doesn't actually do the job 100%. Back to rags, sponges and brushes...

i've tried everywhere for that same exact thing, I don't think i exists.

The closest I found was from the Auto Geek, but then name escapes me.. I'll get it if interested

[Grit_dog]

After reading dlpllg's post, has anyone found a soap/ foam Cannon whatever that truly softens "normal" dirt and road grime enough that a normal 2500 psi pressure washer actually gets the vehicle 100% clean with no touch, no scrubbing?
I'd pay for that, just haven't found one yet I believe will work 100%.
Neighbor even bought the expensive chemical guys setup and foam a couple years ago. Said how good it was initially and then reality set back in and it doesn't actually do the job 100%. Back to rags, sponges and brushes...

[dpgllg]

I use an Ryobi electric pressure washer with a Ryobi foaming soap canister at the end of the wand on my 5th wheel. I use a foaming Car soap I bought at Wal-Mart as the Ryobi soap gets to be expensive. I coat the area I want to wash with the soap and then let it sit for awhile. This really helps on the front cap to help soften the bug guts there. I then use a long handle car brush that reaches all the way up. Then set the soap canister to water only and rinse. 5th wheel comes out looking great and never a high pressure that if used incorrectly could damage the decals etc.

I use this on my car, truck, lawn tractor and 5th wheel. The big benefit is dirty soap water never gets put on the vehicle.

Dave

[Grit_dog]

And change the angle of tip.

[Veebyes]

Yes you can change the pressure very easily. It is as simple as not holding the nozzle so close to the work. Another important trick is to always keep moving. Worst thing you can do with a powerful washer is to blast a stubborn bit of dirt without a sweeping motion. Get a scrubber to remove whatever won't come off easily with the washer.

[stargirl96]

Can you adjust the psi on electric power washers so it's not as strong?

[Gjac]

Yes I use it all the time. I start with a bucket of soap,bleach,Ajax or Oxiclean and hot water on the roof with a long handle brush. Then power wash the roof and all the AC covers etc. It gets off all the mold and black streaks. Then do the sides. Just use common sense around decals clean at 90 degrees. I have the Zeps treatment on mine and even at 2 ins away it will not remove the Zeps let alone affect the FG or decals. I also use it to clean under the MH, grease of the front end and drive shaft fittings etc and dirt off of the frames and wheel wells. The one on sale is probably electric and 1500 psi or less, buy you will use it for cleaning other things also. We live in America so everyone thinks differently, some change oil every 3000 miles or yearly some feel more comfortable and go twice as long.

[Veebyes]

Got that one right Grit Dog. You can do a whole pile of expensive damage in a hurry abusing a pressure washer. Says he who has a dog who thinks the pressure washer is wonderful on a hot day. The mist is so refreshing it appears.

Also had a weird cat that like the hose of the vacuum cleaner run over her. Must have been a de fleaing method.

[Grit_dog]

wopachop wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

wopachop wrote:

stargirl96 wrote:
Do any of you use a pressure washer to clean your RV? Is it harsh on the finish and decals?

Driving in the rain at freeway speeds is much harsher than a pressure washer spray from 1 foot away.

I'll say not even close on this one.
That water is coming out at a lot more than 70 mph, lol.
Think about it, a 2500psi + pressure washer. Pretty much any model with a gas engine will peel your skin off with a narrow angle tip, instantly.
But you could drive with your head out the window in the rain and it'll just sting. (Wear glasses if yur gonna try this, lol)

Ive ridden motorcycles in the rain. Doing 30....40...50mph those droplets hurt!! I also have a gas pressure washer and use it all the time. From 1 foot away the blast is mostly air and mist. Very gentle and doesnt hurt.

I think it comes down to the mass of the water droplets.

Please don't let your lack of understanding of the definition of pressure or your own pressure washers malfunction lull you into thinking pressure washers aren't potentially dangerous tools.