Help with pressure washer idea

[Rat Rod Mac]

I have a pressure washer that works great when hooked up to the garden hose, but here is my situation. I need to use it where I don't have access to a garden hose water supply. Here is what I thought I may do, but wanted to check here first so if it doesn't work I won't burn up the pump. I was thinking of laying a 55 gallon drum in the back of the pickup truck (which would be above the pressure washer sitting on the ground) and running a short hose to the washer. I have a garden hose fitting welded to a drum bung, but since it's only gravity fed and not under pressure I don't know if this set up will work without damaging the pump. What do you guys think? Will this work? Thanks in advance. RRM

 

[hazmat ranger]

I would give it a try- use a little larger diameter hose and one that won't collapse and keep it as short as you can. It's a positive displacement pump so it will "pull" as well as "push."
Maybe test spray into 5 gal pail and make sure you're getting rated flow out of your pressure washer. Most rune several gpm so 55 gal may not last too long… DB

 

[timster2]

Years ago I worked on truck wash pressure wash systems. While hooked to a pressurized source, like your garden hose, it will have higher output pressure. Make sure that your tank is higher than your inlet and that will minimize any air getting into the intake. Don't be surprised with the lower output pressure but it should work just fine.

 

[Mendonsy]

The farther above the pump you can get the tank, the better it will work and make sure you have enough water flow from the tank to keep up with your pump. One way to do that is to time how long your tank takes to fill a 5 gallon bucket and compare that flow to the pump rating. You should probably run at least 3/4" hose to the pressure washer.

 

[MarkE]

I have a pressure washer that works great when hooked up to the garden hose, but here is my situation. I need to use it where I don't have access to a garden hose water supply. Here is what I thought I may do, but wanted to check here first so if it doesn't work I won't burn up the pump. I was thinking of laying a 55 gallon drum in the back of the pickup truck (which would be above the pressure washer sitting on the ground) and running a short hose to the washer. I have a garden hose fitting welded to a drum bung, but since it's only gravity fed and not under pressure I don't know if this set up will work without damaging the pump. What do you guys think? Will this work? Thanks in advance. RRM

Mine wouldn't work that way. It just sputtered. I got a 200 gallon plastic tank and a cheap submersible pump then hooked the feed hose to that. It provided good feed pressure for the pressure washer and solved the problem. Both pumps are electric so I have to bring my generator.

 

[Sprinklerman]

I did it , but I had to put some pressure on the 55 gallon drum . I used the discharge on my shop vac .

 

[zzvyb6]

I have a Stihl electric pressure washer. I regularly put a 110 gallon horse watering trough in my tractor bucket, my PTO alternator on the back end and spray my trees with a water plus bug spray mixture. No pre-charge pump needed with the bucket raised 1/2 way up.

My washer doesn't actually need that much water volume. The pressure / distance / coverage is its function at a low flow rate.

 

[HCJtractor]

I don't have water at my barn. I built a three or four foot high platform, put a 200 gallon Tractor supply tank on top, collect water from the barn roof via gutters, and draw water from it with my standard Northern Tool pressure washer. Works great. My advise depending on how much water you need, would be to consider a 275 gal tote. They sell for about $50 here. Buy an adapter and valve for the lower bung. Make sure you use a suction hose to feed your washer. I think I use a 1" hose, rather than a 3/4". A suction hose is stiff and won't collapse under suction. You can buy all these hoses, valve, and adapters at Northern. My system would be about the same as using a tank in a truck bed. Caution: Water is heavy. Secure the tank well. I've done what you're doing and the tank will slide around. Bent my tailgate when I was careless. Also don't forget to vent your tank as it will collapse under negative pressure.
I assume you need high pressure? If you only need regular hose pressure (say for watering or fire control) , I would use a small gas water pump like the Honda pump they sell at Northern. My city maintenance crews had this set up for remote watering of trees. It will be about the same pressure as city water.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[kidr]

Don't forget the tank must be vented or it will pull a vacuum as it empties.

 

[Mendonsy]

Whether it will work or not also depends on the type of inlet valve that your pump uses. Some pumps use spring loaded inlet valves which require line pressure to open them, others use mechanical valves which do not require pressure. The only way to find out is to try it and see what happens.