How to get power washer to propel water high enough for a two story house


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Old 07-12-19, 04:49 PM
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How to get power washer to propel water high enough for a two story house

I purchased a low-end commercial power washer the other day. It works great, but for cleaning two story houses, near the peaks, I can't seem to figure out how to efficiently clean those parts. I put the 15° jet in and about 10 ft from the gun the water becomes misty.

What do you all use the clean areas high up?
 
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Old 07-12-19, 04:51 PM
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Yeah that's not how it works. To power wash a house you need to rent an articulating boom lift. Plus you usually want to be spraying downward so that you aren't driving water under the siding.

You can do it off long ladders but it would be 10,000 trips up and down the ladder.
 
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Old 07-12-19, 05:13 PM
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Cheap power washers are not good for much, cleaning siding requires manual brush if you really want to get it clean.

Sorry, there really are no shortcuts!
 
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Old 07-12-19, 09:19 PM
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They make and sell wand extensions.
 
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Old 07-13-19, 03:16 AM
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They have long, like 12' or 14' long pressure washer wands. That will get you a lot closer. And, if you want to blast from a long distance don't use a fan tip. Use the tip that shoots a straight stream. At a certain distance the stream will spread out on it's own but you have to be very, very careful not to get too close to anything as the solid stream will strip paint and damage wood in an instant.
 
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Old 07-13-19, 03:55 AM
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Personally I'd rather work of off a ladder than use those long wand extensions. They can be hard to control when you pull the trigger. I also agree you don't want to spray upward as the odds of forcing water behind the siding and possibly causing damage is too great.
 
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Old 07-14-19, 04:55 PM
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I watched a guy pressure wash a neighbors two story house completely while never leaving the ground, and he had a pressure washer like mine (big engine, powerhouse pump knock you on your butt when you hit the trigger) I wanted in the worst way to ask him how he was preventing water from getting under the aluminum siding, but I just shook my head and walked away....
 
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Old 07-15-19, 02:19 AM
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The sad thing is he probably doesn't know better nor has insurance to cover any damage that occurs.
 
 

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