Buying a Pressure Washer

"Me" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi, now that so many seem to be on sale this Easter
weekend, I'm

thinking

Quoted message said:

about getting a pressure washer to keep the old bikes
clean. I've been paying into the local jetwashes like they
were fruit machines lately!

Does any one have any experience with those yellow
Krashure (sp?)

jobbies

Quoted message said:

that I see everywhere? Halfords have their entry model on
sale for £55

this

Quoted message said:

weekend and was wondering if anyone has actually used one
on muddy

(read

Quoted message said:

chiltern clay) bikes.

Its rated at 85 psi, 100 psi max so is that enough? I
don't really

know

Quoted message said:

anything about psi's myself but I wont probably use it for
the car or

such

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as thats a rust bucket and I'm afraid to wash it incase
something

important

Quoted message said:

falls off. I wonder what the petrol station jet washes are
rated at.

Any advice about the washers or where I get buy one
cheaper would be great....

It will work fine and blow all lubrication out of your drive
system. A gently scrub is much more satisfying and won't
wreck your lube.

Keep that spray away from your BB and hubs! Besides, washing
by hand with a damp rag allows you the opportunity to look
for any potential faults in the frame, rims, etc.

Me said:

Hi, now that so many seem to be on sale this Easter
weekend, I'm thinking about getting a pressure washer to
keep the old bikes clean. I've been paying into the local
jetwashes like they were fruit machines lately!

<snipped>

Quoted message said:

Any advice about the washers or where I get buy one
cheaper would be great....

Yes: Don't do it unless you want to trash your bikes by
forcing all the lubrication out of the bearings. A nice
gentle wash with sponge, brushes and soapy water should be
all that is required to get even the muddiest of bikes
clean. You can use muc-off for persistent dirt.

Me said:

Hi, now that so many seem to be on sale this Easter
weekend, I'm thinking about getting a pressure washer to
keep the old bikes clean.

Don't get one. I thouroughly rinsed my bike down the other
night with what can only be described as a *dribble* from a
garden hose. On the ride home, my front wheel made the most
horendous, disturbing, loud knocking noise I've ever heard
from any bike wheel. Sounded like something was well broken.
I stripped down the hub but could find nothing wrong (apart
from the grease being weirdly pastey, despite only being
serviced 300 miles previously) and it was fine after
cleaning and regreasing. I don't know if the water washed
some grit in or mispalced something or what but I'm going to
be more careful in future. If *low* pressure can do that,
what could high pressure do?

A bucket and sponge is certainly safer, if slower.

To be fair, I'm not 100% sure the hosing was responsible for
the problem. I had ridden on a de-surfaced road a couple of
miles before the noise. Maybe a chip of old tarmac or stone
somehow got in the hub. (Problem was definitely to do with
hub as wheel made noise when removed and spun).

Anyway, use of pressure washers is discouraged by component
manucturers and bicycle experts (I think they're mentioned
on the Park Tools site somewhere).

~PB

Me said:

Hi, now that so many seem to be on sale this Easter
weekend, I'm thinking about getting a pressure washer to
keep the old bikes clean. I've been paying into the local
jetwashes like they were fruit machines lately!

Quoted message said:

Does any one have any experience with those yellow
Krashure (sp?) jobbies that I see everywhere? Halfords
have their entry model on sale for £55 this weekend and
was wondering if anyone has actually used one on muddy
(read chiltern clay) bikes.

Quoted message said:

Its rated at 85 psi, 100 psi max so is that enough? I
don't really know anything about psi's myself but I wont
probably use it for the car or such as thats a rust
bucket and I'm afraid to wash it incase something
important falls off. I wonder what the petrol station jet
washes are rated at.

Quoted message said:

Any advice about the washers or where I get buy one
cheaper would be great....

I own a Kärcher pressure washer - great for muddy Land-
Rovers, but I wouldn't use it on a cycle. Mine is a very old
model (580), and when I compare it with a recent cheap
pressure washer a friend bought from MachineMart, mine
produces a much greater volume of water, which is what makes
the difference in shifting the muck - I think that all the
PSI values are just marketing.

--
Alan J. Wylie wylie.me.ukwylie.me.ukOpen ↗ "Perfection [in
design] is achieved not when there is nothing left to add,
but rather when there is nothing left to take away." --
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Me" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Its rated at 85 psi, 100 psi max so is that enough?

Enough to what? Clean lichen off your patio or knacker all
the bearings on your bike? Sorry, silly question, I imagine
it's up to both tasks.

Seriously, bicycle bearings aren't designed to have high
pressure water applied to them, even the "sealed" variety.
What they're designed to cope with, well the better ones
anyway, is a wet ride so when you wash your bikes try to
emulate this effect with a light sprinkle to rinse them each
side of washing down with car shampoo.
--
Regards, Pete

ScrumpyJoe said:

Me said:

Hi, now that so many seem to be on sale this Easter
weekend, I'm thinking about getting a pressure washer to
keep the old bikes clean. I've been paying into the local
jetwashes like they were fruit machines lately!

<snipped>

Quoted message said:

Any advice about the washers or where I get buy one
cheaper would be great....

Yes: Don't do it unless you want to trash your bikes by
forcing all the lubrication out of the bearings. A nice
gentle wash with sponge, brushes and soapy water should be
all that is required to get even the muddiest of bikes
clean. You can use muc-off for persistent dirt.

Having wrecked a set of bearings by pressure washing i
cannot but agree. But.... there is scope for a pressure
washer or garend hose to get the bulkk mud off a mtb
provided you avoid all the important lubricated bits

pk

OK,

OP here. Well thanks for the advice, but I'm very surpised
at the size of the "anti-pressure washer" brigade. Surely,
there are more like me who swear by them?

I've been using jet washes for 15+ years and haven never had
a problem with "blowing grease out of bearings" if you do it
correctly ie dont spray into the hubs, headset or bb
directly into the seals. I know it doesn't get in the seals
the way I do it as I regularly service my SIDs and hubs
after cleaning them and there has never been any water to
speak of. Just do it for a couple feet away and youre fine.

Indirect spraying rocks providing that you lube up
afterwards. I do it for all my mtbs and roadbikes and did so
when I worked in a bikeshop for five years. The only thing I
wont hose down is my helmet and the parts of my frame that
don't have clearcoating over the decals.

Also works a treat on muddy shoes and clothes!

I'm sure loads will disagree with me but it takes me on
average an hour and a half to clear all the mud and clay out
from my frame during the winter if I use a bucket and that
still doesn't shift anything out of the tyres or cassette
which means I end up wearing my componants down quicker with
the grit. Since it takes so long I'm more likely to want to
just throw it in the shed.

Anway I'm pro pressure washer and I've never ruined a
single bit of componantry, but then I am quite particular
about keeping my kit in tip top shape and wont settle for
anything less.

Anyone else care to speak up in defence of the noble
pressure washer? Come join my gang!

"PK" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

ScrumpyJoe said:

Me said:

Hi, now that so many seem to be on sale this Easter
weekend, I'm thinking about getting a pressure washer
to keep the old bikes clean. I've been paying into the
local jetwashes like they were fruit machines lately!

<snipped>

Quoted message said:

Any advice about the washers or where I get buy one
cheaper would be great....

Yes: Don't do it unless you want to trash your bikes by
forcing all the lubrication out of the bearings. A nice
gentle wash with sponge, brushes and soapy water should
be all that is required to get even the muddiest of
bikes clean. You can use muc-off for persistent dirt.

Having wrecked a set of bearings by pressure washing i
cannot but agree. But.... there is scope for a pressure
washer or garend hose to get the

bulkk

Quoted message said:

mud off a mtb provided you avoid all the important
lubricated bits

pk

"Me" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've been using jet washes for 15+ years and haven never
had a problem

with

Quoted message said:

"blowing grease out of bearings" if you do it correctly
ie dont spray into the hubs, headset or bb directly into
the seals.

Mebbe you know what you're doing but there's always going to
be someone who doesn't.

Anyway, at least when asked the question "do you use a jet
wash?" in relation to warranty issues I can look the accuser
firmly in the eye and honestly say "No!" ;-)
--
Regards, Pete

Alan J. Wylie said:

I own a Kärcher pressure washer - great for muddy Land-
Rovers, but I wouldn't use it on a cycle. Mine is a very
old model (580), and when I compare it with a recent cheap
pressure washer a friend bought from MachineMart, mine
produces a much greater volume of water, which is what
makes the difference in shifting the muck - I think that
all the PSI values are just marketing.

If you look at the specs for pressure washers in a tool /
industrial catalogue, they give figures for both pressure
and flow rate. There's no point having a massive pressure
when it's barely chucking out any water.