Anyone have experience with large portable pressure washers?

[MattR]

I'm sure most do. I have a large North Star portable pressure washer. 275 gallon tank. Over the last two years it has been kind of hard to get the prime going. You have to hold the trigger for quite a while then it slowly picks up. For the last year or so it has not been able to draw the tank down past the quarter mark. But It is always gotten us through. Now I have some seal problems around one of the ceramic pistons. It is a CAT pump. Is it worth rebuilding or should it just get replaced? Thank you

 

[Old Doug]

They have one were i work . The eye i guess didnt work and it kept pumping fuel to the burner when it wasnt burning. It soaked the lining of the steamer. Its been an ordeal getting parts for. I dont know a lot about these things but i dont think it is built to take a lot of road miles. Are you wondering about rebuilding the pump? i dont know much about that part yet. I wonder how others have got along pulling them over a lot of ruff roads?

 

[Welder Dave]

I think Cat pumps are made to be rebuilt. I'd get an estimate before condemning it. Maybe all it needs is a small aux. pump to feed the pressure pump? I run a pressure washer off my water truck with a 100 mesh screen filter. If the screen gets too full of debris the pressure pump won't build pressure and the water output is low. Could something be restricting the water flow into the pump? Most pressure washers have a screen on the inlet but I'm not sure about commercial pumps.

 

[MarcusZ1967]

Very rebuildable. Common Cat on those was a 66DX series pump.

 

[cfherrman]

Where is the pump to the tank?

Check the inlet, probably plugged

 

[Delmer]

Well yeah you have to hold the trigger, the pump can't pump water against pressure while sucking air! If it's draining back that might be an air leak, not a pressure pump problem. Add a test port to the suction side high spot and see if it leaks back or stays full. Don't rebuild it if that's not the problem.

 

[Welder Dave]

Sometimes taking the pressure nozzle or hose off to get it primed helps get rid of all the air.

 

[terex herder]

I tried feeding a pressure washer from an IBC tote and it wouldn't work, even after I took out the 1 way valve. I had to elevate the tote about 8 foot to get enough head to feed a 6 gpm pump with a 1" hose.

I got my pressure washer stuff from Water Cannon.

 

[Welder Dave]

I think it depends on the specific pump. Some warranties are voided if used with a gravity feed. There are some pressure washer trailers and skids complete with a tank where the pump isn't fed by gravity but is the same level as the tank. The hose is 1" and less than 2ft. long. If the pressure washer used to work fine, I'd look for a restricted inlet problem or maybe the tank isn't venting. You could put a small booster pump in for under $100. They make them in 115 volt and 12 volt and they have garden hose thread.

 

[cfherrman]

Could hook a water hose to it to be sure that it's the pump and not the supply.

 

[treemuncher]

Use an on-demand 12v pump between the tank and the PW. Same type of pump as for RV or ag sprayer. Be sure it has more flow that PW max flow. Use at least a 1" hose from tank to pump. Be sure screens are clean.

I have a home built pressure washer trailer w/ 275 gallon tote. My feed hose is 1.5" id hose about 8' long. As long as I have 4' elevation difference, it will self prime ok within 1 minute. An intermediate feed pump is the best protection for the main PW pump so that it does not cavitate.