Pressure washer water feed question?

[Speedpup]

Will a pressure washer run off a gravity feed though a 3/4" garden hose. I was looking to fill a tank and just connect a hose to it to clean my Lulls. I have a 4000 PSI MTI washer so I am not sure of the gallons per minute requirement or what a hose would deliver with gravity feed only and no pressure like a hose bib. Thanks!

Looked on their site and I need 3.5 or 4 GPM

 

[Willis Bushogin]

pressure washer

Will a pressure washer run off a gravity feed though a 3/4" garden hose. I was looking to fill a tank and just connect a hose to it to clean my Lulls. I have a 4000 PSI MTI washer so I am not sure of the gallons per minute requirement or what a hose would deliver with gravity feed only and no pressure like a hose bib. Thanks!

Looked on their site and I need 3.5 or 4 GPM

I have meaning to try this, I was told it would work, good luck

 

[special tool]

3/4" pipe will flow water at around 11 GPM.
So it is very important that you minimize bends in your hose to avoid frictional losses and come close to this number.

 

[Speedpup]

thanks!:drinkup


I know it takes about 5 minutes for a 55 gallon drum under pressure from hose bib. I guess 3.5 should be doable. I'll rig up something crude and measure the flow.


john

 

[Steve Frazier]

Keep in mind that the water coming out when the tank is near empty will be at a lower pressure that when it is full from the weight of the water getting less and less. Do your testing when the tank is about empty to make sure you have sufficient flow throughout the cycle.

 

[Speedpup]

I think I'll just rig a hose to a 5 gallon pail and time it so it will be on the the slow side if anything. Thanks Steve.

 

[joispoi]

Just keep your supply hose diameter as large as possible and to the shortest possible length. Do they sell 7/8'' hose?

 

[australian pete]

i have a 4000 psi high pressure cleaner, i have never run it off gravity however when i asked the manufacturer if it would run off gravity he said no problem, he suggested the best way is to have the water container higher than the cleaner.i guess being "down under" in australia would be a definate advantage.

 

[ForsytheBros.]

we bought a 330 gal tank from a guy who did this. He said that he ran the pressure washer off gravity feed with no problems. However, seems like our model called for a minimum flow as well and maybe a minimum pressure value as well. We bought the cheapest Harbor Freight pump we could find to give it a little pressure just in case....

 

[Speedpup]

I guess I can clean in burst with it. I need to do some steering cylinders and they are caked up good. I can get a pump also good idea.

 

[PipeGuy]

yeah. I've used a small 12volt pump like they put in an rv for this type of things. Also if your using Lulls put the tank on the forks and raise it up. The higher you go the more pressure you'll have

 

[Turbo21835]

Having worked for a commercial wash company on the weekends I have some insight. We used two washers, both running off 1 55 gallon clean water drum, and 1 55 gallon soap drum. The water barrel is fed constantly from a hose, in the drum is a float to shut the water off when it is full. This basically provides surge capacity and is very rare we run it low.

 

[cbhfour]

I have a 250 gallon poly tank, which I put on the truck and place the pressure washer on the ground. The gravity flow has always worked fine for me.

 

[ok dirt witcher]

Works

It works on a Kiwi hot washer 3000psi machine as long as it's gravity flow.

 

[emilbanks]

Pressure washing

Having worked for a commercial wash company on the weekends I have some insight. We used two washers, both running off 1 55 gallon clean water drum, and 1 55 gallon soap drum. The water barrel is fed constantly from a hose, in the drum is a float to shut the water off when it is full. This basically provides surge capacity and is very rare we run it low.

The gentleman a few threads above gave some good advise, I run pressure washers at work all the time everthing from 1500 LB pressurewashers up to 10,000 PSI hydrolazers a 55 gal drum filled with a 3/4 inch hose connection will work just fine and at the open end of the drum keep a hose running to keep the drum filled by the time the drum does get low on water you will be ready to take a break .

emil