Neccessary GPM For Foam Lance On Pressure Washer

[zw470]

I'm starting to look at getting a pressure-washer and foam-lance. I have the foam-lance and adapter fittings picked out from PWMall but I was wondering about the pressure-washer I have picked out.

 

K 2.050 | Kärcher North America Home & Garden

 

I want something that's electric and very portable, and this seems to fit the bill perfectly. It's only going to be used for car washing, so I don't need anything that's able to strip concrete or anything like that. My concern is that the unit is only rated at 1.3GPM and I've read that a higher flow is neccessary for it to foam well. Thoughts?

[BlueGenCoupe]

I use a lance and I love it. I wouldn`t be able to tell you about the flow. My pressure washer is 3000 PSI.

 

I had a karcher and the attachment was the middle one. I cant say for certain it will be the same one.

 

[Z71_Denali]

I have the Karcher X series thats rated at 2000 psi Karcher K5.740 - X Series 2000 PSI (Electric-Cold Water) Pressure Washer

 

and its barely enough pressure to be considered a pressure washer. the problem with the electric models is their power and reliability. for car washing, you need anything that runs at least 1800 psi and won't break after a few uses. remember, you get what you pay for. you can't just look at the flow rate, there's a term with pressure washers called cleaning units which is the pressure times the flow rate. for washing, if its over 2500 cleaning units, it'll get the job done.

 

Karcher is one of the best brands when it comes to electric washers, that's why i bought one. the one i have is portable, it rolls alright, but the hose reel makes it a bit top heavy. look into their X Series, they also have a 1600 and 1800 psi unit that are more portable than the 2000 psi unit i have.

 

the attachment for all of karcher's electric washers is the middle one Anthony posted above.

Edited May 31, 2012 by 2010TexasEdition

[Bunky]

I have the Karcher X series thats rated at 2000 psi Karcher K5.740 - X Series 2000 PSI (Electric-Cold Water) Pressure Washer

 

and its barely enough pressure to be considered a pressure washer. the problem with the electric models is their power and reliability. for car washing, you need anything that runs at least 1800 psi and won't break after a few uses. remember, you get what you pay for. you can't just look at the flow rate, there's a term with pressure washers called cleaning units which is the pressure times the flow rate. for washing, if its over 2500 cleaning units, it'll get the job done.

 

I have a Kranzle K1120T, spec'ed at 1400 psi @ 2GPM, and find 1400psi to be more than enough to wash a car. I would not get it any closer than 2 ft to risk damage with the fan pattern - never with the jet stream.

 

I have seen pics from most any1400psi+ pressure washer to generate plenty of suds with a foam cannon. I hope to play with mine this weekend.

[Z71_Denali]

I have a Kranzle K1120T, spec'ed at 1400 psi @ 2GPM, and find 1400psi to be more than enough to wash a car. I would not get it any closer than 2 ft to risk damage with the fan pattern - never with the jet stream.

 

I have seen pics from most any1400psi+ pressure washer to generate plenty of suds with a foam cannon. I hope to play with mine this weekend.

 

thats also a very expensive "prosumer" washer. i think the OP is looking more in the consumer grade range. its not just about the pressure rating, its the pressure combined with the flow rate.

[zw470]

Yeah, I could maybe swing up to $200 without the wife caring too much but I don't think I could get away with $1,000

 

The X-Series still feel like they're too big for what I want. I found this one that seems interesting, $178 and 2,700 cleaning units. I dunno, maybe I'll hit up some home improvement stores after work tomorrow an see if they carry Karcher so I can get an idea of how big these are.

 

http://www.pressurewashersdirect.com/Karcher-K3.48M-Pressure-Washer/p1466.htm

[WarBunny]

I have a Kranzle K1120T, spec'ed at 1400 psi @ 2GPM, and find 1400psi to be more than enough to wash a car. I would not get it any closer than 2 ft to risk damage with the fan pattern - never with the jet stream.

 

I have seen pics from most any1400psi+ pressure washer to generate plenty of suds with a foam cannon. I hope to play with mine this weekend.

 

Same here. Mine is just a little fella with 1400 psi. I can't imagine needing more power than that to clean a car. Makes plenty of foam with the cannon, too.

[BlueGenCoupe]

Comon, were men! We love things with big engines and lots of horse power!

 

I use a 3000 psi on my car and it doesn't do any damage. Buy something with a little more juice. There great to use when you need to clean the driveway, garage, windows, patio furniture, ECT... Its not only going to be used on the car.

[WarBunny]

Oh trust me, I would love to have one of those, but my horrendous water pressure wouldn't stand up to 3000 psi.

[DaveVY]

Comon, were men! We love things with big engines and lots of horse power!

 

I use a 3000 psi on my car and it doesn't do any damage. Buy something with a little more juice. There great to use when you need to clean the driveway, garage, windows, patio furniture, ECT... Its not only going to be used on the car.

 

 

Don't have 3000psi unit here but a 2400psi Karcher unit with a 5hp engine. It is around 10 years old and the only thing that I have needed to do is add gas, change oil and replace an o-ring gasket. Getting ready to replace another 0-ring soon and replace the pressure hose. I have used an electric unit my parents have and after having the gas unit... wouldn't want the electric unit as the cleaning power is much less. The electric unit works, just takes much longer to get the job done.

 

But I don't have a foam lance and no plans to get one... though they do look like fun!

[DaveVY]

Oh trust me, I would love to have one of those, but my horrendous water pressure wouldn't stand up to 3000 psi.

 

Don't worry about your water pressure, just your water volume. Small pressure washers don't require huge GPM, mine requires only 2.5 GPM. Take your hose with no nozzle and fill a bucket for 1 minute, how many gallons did you get? Don't forget that a small hose diameter will constrict the GPM.

 

[Bunky]

Don't forget that a small hose diameter will constrict the GPM.

 

This would include the water line to the faucet. I checked mine and the feed for the outside faucet drops down to 1/2-in at a T-connection maybe 10ft from the faucet. I use 5/8-in hoses. full flow water shutoff, but I know the hose reel adds a loss (bypassed that when evaluating water flow/pressure) plus the under the house run. I have lower pressure/flow due to the water softener setup but enough to run a 2.5GPM gas or my Kranzle.

 

I really noticed that flow makes a different in fire hose nozzles. I had one but never worked well but tried the Adam's and it seemed to perform better in lower pressure/GPM situations.