Looking to buy a pressure washer for around the house and garage. I plan on using it for cleaning the driveway "blacktop" cleaning the engine compartment, cleaning the siding ext. Looking for advice as to what you have bought, wanna buy, pros and cons. What Psi did you get?

Electric or gas??
I have a Honda gas 2500 psi 6hp with a CAT pump.
2.5 gpm..
Look for a decent psi and decent gpm.
tthis relates to pressure which relates to cleaning time..

Looking to buy a gas one

I have a 2,000 PSi washer with a 5.5 Honda engine. I've never found a job around the house that it couldn't handle. I've had it for about 20 years now & never had a problem with it. Used for cleaning car parts, cleaning the deck & siding, blasting grease off concrete floor, ...

Don't get an electric one... Gas powered is the way to go... :)

I got one shooting 2500 psi with a Honda motor and no problems in the last 10 years ....

I've got a Coleman powermate 1800 psi 2.0 gpm that works fine for general home use. It doesn't like 100% hot water going through it though. 50% hot & 50% cold works fine.

Advice:

Get a gas powered one. Check the oil before each startup and after 20 or less hours of use. Use a fuel stabilizer in the fuel (I prefer to put the stabilizer into my fuel can so that I'm always putting stabilized fuel into our equipment).

2000 psi minimum. Get one with a pulsesator nozzle if you can. They tend to clean better as it pulses the water output which "hammers" grime off.

If you read the owner's manual, you'll read (usually in the VERY back of the manual) how to store it. I can't tell you how many customers would bring their power washers into our shop in the spring with broken pumps because they didn't store it properly. Two ways to store it: drain the gas out and put it in a storage area where the temperature stays above freezing. Or run RV/non-toxic antifreeze through it till you see the antifreeze come out the nozzle for a few minutes to purge the pump of all water. Then you can store it in a cool place as long as the temperature doesn't go below the antifreeze's rated freeze temp. Personally, I prefer to put it in a heated space.

Most of the pumps built today are sealed = no maintenance. Read the manual to see if the oil should be changed and at what intervals.

gas is the only way to go.IMHO
At least 2500 as others have said.
Mine has a tip head that you adjust to do whatever you want it to do, works great ,No changing of tips

Advice:

Get a gas powered one. Check the oil before each startup and after 20 or less hours of use. Use a fuel stabilizer in the fuel (I prefer to put the stabilizer into my fuel can so that I'm always putting stabilized fuel into our equipment).

2000 psi minimum. Get one with a pulsesator nozzle if you can. They tend to clean better as it pulses the water output which "hammers" grime off.

If you read the owner's manual, you'll read (usually in the VERY back of the manual) how to store it. I can't tell you how many customers would bring their power washers into our shop in the spring with broken pumps because they didn't store it properly. Two ways to store it: drain the gas out and put it in a storage area where the temperature stays above freezing. Or run RV/non-toxic antifreeze through it till you see the antifreeze come out the nozzle for a few minutes to purge the pump of all water. Then you can store it in a cool place as long as the temperature doesn't go below the antifreeze's rated freeze temp. Personally, I prefer to put it in a heated space.

Most of the pumps built today are sealed = no maintenance. Read the manual to see if the oil should be changed and at what intervals.

All excellent advice and I would like to add a few more details...

Try to stick with a Honda Engine. They have been more reliable and work with the crappy gas we get these day with less problems.

Make sure you run a pump conditioner or seal lubricant before you store it away at the end of the fall or whenever it will sit for long periods of time! The is commonly sold at Lowes & HD and looks like a mini can of fix-a-flat but threads to the hose inlet. This is especially helpful if your local tap water is full of minerals and hard deposits!

I would advise nothing less than 250 psi and get yourself extra hoses and couplings!

Ok I decided to go out and borrow a friends pressure washer to test it out. This is the model Im borrowing.
http://www.karcherresidential.com/en/showproducts.php?op=view_prod&param1=247&param2=&param3=
Karcher G-2600 VH
Honda gcv 160 5.5 hp motor
2600 psi 2.3 gpm
0,25,40,65 degree tips
I only played with it for a few min but the 1st thing that I noticed is it seems to run out of water after about 30 seconds and the pressure drops then comes back up. Is this normal? Any manufacturers you guys would recommend or stay far away from?

Shouldn't run out of water, ever. Check for a kink in the supply hose, dirty screen, faucet/valve not all the way open. And always, always, have the water turned on and running through the pump before starting the engine.

I only played with it for a few min but the 1st thing that I noticed is it seems to run out of water after about 30 seconds and the pressure drops then comes back up. Is this normal?

Air in lines can cause that

I only played with it for a few min but the 1st thing that I noticed is it seems to run out of water after about 30 seconds and the pressure drops then comes back up. Is this normal? Any manufacturers you guys would recommend or stay far away from?

This is typical of the system when first starting if you do not have the water on at the faucet. Like wiseryder stated, it is caused by air in the lines.

I usually start my pressure washer up without the hose on since it is easier to start. Once the motor is running, I turn on the hose and it takes awhile to get all the air out of the system. I usually have to "burp" the gun several times until the pump purges the air out of the lines.

Ok I decided to go out and borrow a friends pressure washer to test it out. This is the model Im borrowing.
http://www.karcherresidential.com/en/showproducts.php?op=view_prod&param1=247&param2=&param3=
Karcher G-2600 VH
Honda gcv 160 5.5 hp motor
2600 psi 2.3 gpm
0,25,40,65 degree tips
I only played with it for a few min but the 1st thing that I noticed is it seems to run out of water after about 30 seconds and the pressure drops then comes back up. Is this normal? Any manufacturers you guys would recommend or stay far away from?


Stay away from the 3-4 hunnerd dollar Craftsman variety. My neighbor bought one and it sux.

My other neighbor has an 11hp honda with a 5ft. wand. That thing wore me out. It was mega powerfull (commercial).

jdove: the main problem with the Craftsman power washers is customer disuse. They don't change the oil often enough which leads to engine failure and they don't properly store them. Unfortunatley, I know this from my 15 years at Sears working on them.

The Sears power washer I have is a "customer abuse" one: Briggs & Stratton with the connection rod hanging out of the crankcase. I took a lawnmower B&S engine, put the power washer's crank in it, and have used it for the last 10 years. But that's me.

You are, however, correct, to say away from the cheap models of power washers. Any good power washer is going to cost $400+ probably more like $600 to get one with enough output pressure to operate it. I personally don't see the difference that a Honda engine makes for the average homeowner who only uses a power washer occasionally. Again, if the oil is changed, fresh stabilzed gas is used, and it's properly stored in the winter, any power washer will last (as will any piece of equipment including a Camaro. LOL!)

One point that has been discussed is water supply volume. When I was a road tech at Sears, I had many a call where the people were on a spring and tried to use a power washer on that system. It won't work. ANY power washer need atleast 3 to 5 gpm water supply at 40 to 60 psi to work properly. Otherwise it'll burn the pump up.

OK I tightened the fittings for the water line hook up and squeezed the trigger and let the water flow for a min before firing up the washer. Ran great no hesitation.
I like the model that I borrowed. I can find plenty of uses now its time to go shopping for one. I'll narrow it down and then post the specs. Thanks for all who offered advice.