Stinking pressure washer!

[44man]

Been in the garage all year. My deck was black and green. I could not start the thing, yank it over and no place to put a foot. I took the carb off, cleaned but there was nothing. Finally got a start but it quit fast. Then I could not turn the engine. I had Carol hold the trigger open until I got it running, bypass valve must have been stuck. Then it worked fine, took over 4 hours on the deck.
I have to put it on a board, pump gets so hot it burns grass.
Whole house needs washed but need a cleaner to make it easy.
What is the best to put on the siding without a brush or mop?

[rancher1913]

wood bleach works on fiberglass and wood, takes stains right off.

[44man]

Thanks, need something for vinyl and painted aluminum too. I have no bare wood on my house at all. I never need to paint. Only the deck is wood and it looks good now. Have to seal it when dry.

[nagantguy]

Water and Clorox bleach up to a 50/50 mix denpending on how bad the staining/mildew is! Power washing homes and offices and factories is a large part of my job. Wet any flowers of shrubbery before you spray the bleach with a pump up sprayer to keep it from burning/killing them. Even if your washer has a cleaner/detergent pump
do not,do not do not run bleach through it;it'll destroy all seals gaskets and destroy your hose and the seals on the gun!

[RogerDat]

So what works on the black crud that forms on white aluminum soffits and eaves troughs? I haven't really tried much but it sure doesn't rinse off with the pressure alone. All of it over flowers and shrubs too don't you know.

[white eagle]

just bought a pressure washer from Cosco a Subaru
works slick as snot
electric start with pull back up

[Bzcraig]

just bought a pressure washer from Cosco a Subaru
works slick as snot
electric start with pull back up


You're walking in tall cotton there.......:-)

[JBinMN]

So what works on the black crud that forms on white aluminum soffits and eaves troughs? I haven't really tried much but it sure doesn't rinse off with the pressure alone. All of it over flowers and shrubs too don't you know.

I have the same issue on mine. Be nice to have a tip on what to use if anyone knows....
;)

[Bmi48219]

Not sure about bleach & aluminum, wife sprayed our pool deck ( cool deck) with bleach to get rid of mildew, it worked but also started corroding the powder-coated aluminum on the screen enclosure.

[Screwbolts]

For the Black crud that forms on the aluminum stuff, try " LA Totally Awesome " from the dollar store. This is the only product I know of that easily removes the black crud from aluminum siding on campers and utility trailers.

"LA Totally Awesome" also removes the Back residue from diesel exhaust on trailers that have been pulled many miles behind Diesel tow vehicles.

Ken H.

[44man]

Best cleaner I ever found to use with a mop or sponge is Quick-N-Brite, enzyme cleaner that makes everything look new. I did have to rub it so I don't know how it would work with just a spray.
I had a jug of house wash that did zero. I guess easy is not to be.
I did not use anything on the deck except the pressure. I tried deck wash once and FAIL again.
All the cracks between boards were full of tree junk and dirt. Got all over the house with every pass, on me too.
Last year the valve on the pump was broken off, the one the suction hose goes on for cleaner. I must have bumped it. I could not find one that looked right so I made one on the lathe. It has an internal "O" ring so I made a tool to cut the inside groove. I dropped an "O" ring and ball bearing in and it worked. I worry about the ball bearing and would prefer a rubber ball but where would you find one the right size or any size? I sure don't want to put bleach on the steel ball.

[Petrol & Powder]

I agree with the pump up sprayer to apply the Bleach/water mix, followed by the pressure washer with just water to remove it. A tiny bit of dish soap along with the bleach will sometimes help.

Don't waste your money of the special vinyl siding or deck cleaners, they're no better than bleach & water.

In my experience, pressure washers don't tolerate storage well. The engines have all the same storage issues as any other small gas engine but the pumps are the real headache. The water will freeze in the pump, the seals get hard and crack, the internal parts corrode ..... They remind me of the front calipers on old Dodge trucks - Best design if you drive it every day and the worst design if it sits for two weeks :-) .

[casac47]

Just washed my stucco house with something called Jomax mixed with bleach and water. Put it in one of those pump up sprayers. Did the whole house with no ladders. Spray it on. Wait a few minutes and, wash it off.

[44man]

Sounds good, thanks to all.

[Tenbender]

Dollar store $1.00 per gallon bleach. I mix it about 25% bleach and 75% water. Wet the siding or deck wood. Spray the bleach mix on and wait 10 min or so . Wash it off. Works good on guttering if you clean it often. Will take the green off your north facing siding quick.

[RKJ]

It must be that time of year as I pulled up to our house this afternoon and saw it needed pressure washed also. Thanks for the info, y'all

[Menner]

one suggestion bleach and ajax dish soap w/ water in the pump up sprayer and when you put the soap on start at the bottom and work your way up or you will end up with run streaks on your siding
soap up rinse down do not run the bleach through your pump
I will try the LA Totally Awesome
Carbs on these newer small engines are throw away junk replacement carb $25 started first pull with new carb
Tony

[DerekP Houston]

Great info here, thanks for the tips yall. Now I need to pressure wash my house and get it spiffed up for sale!

[brassrat]

You must keep that bleach off of glass or really rinse. It is really tough to clean off, if it dries for a second

[44man]

I hate to wash a car, let alone a house! What a pain.