Wrestling with the big and heavy 3200psi Briggs & Stratton powered machine was not the cup of Gin that She Who Must Be Obeyed appreciates. Fighting the heavy powered-up hoses amid the noise and din when we did the Low Granite Outcropping’s steep sidewalk, the machine threatened to runaway downhill, and she almost burnt her hand on the hot exhaust. So the sidewalk was cleaned of slippery moss and algae, and enough off that for now anyhow.
Until crossing the parking lot to go to lunch at a local restaurant, She noticed a staffer hosing down the back steps with a lightweight Ryobi electric unit, and thus an idea was born.
Back at the Ranch, after a minimal amount of “some assembly required,” I took-to the deck’s brightwork that had grayed down to a dull dirty finish – the pine edging. Careful! The new unit only displaces 2000psi but that’s plenty enough to put an unwanted trough in the wood and/or raise the grain – and now I need a couple gallons of Thompson Water-seal to finish the wood against the elements. I also shot some of the Trex decking, but it’s not as stained as at the Low Granite Outcropping. So then I handed off to She Who Must Be Obeyed who tried it out on the Sam’s Club teak (or something) bench that had dulled-down to a silvery gray, and that I was using as a cover for the irrigation valves:
A lot less effort to operate, and there’s a “soap” setting and a medium-high pressure nozzle besides the Astro-Blaster nozzle. Easy-peasy.
Powerwash
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Isn’t it amazing how the wood cleans up with a pressure wash? I’ve got an industrial steam cleaner, and decks and fences look new after blasting. I was thinking it was the hot water that did the trick, but yours looks good with just pressure. IIRC, mine runs 3500lbs. Next project: blow the cheap paint off my truck, and get it back to the original PG&E blue!
What is the black color on the wood? Is it some sort of mold? It’s what I’m thinking, anyway.
The black is some of the grain and some of the places where it was incompletely washed!
Actually, I was thinking of the deck and fences here. And the spacer strips in the walkways. All have turned black. Just outdoor wood in general, here in Silicon Valley.
That’s mold or algae I think! My wife noticed that it smelled like the ocean when she washed-down the sidewalk.
Look’n sharp.
Wow.
Need.
Must have!
I hate the gas ones. How noisy is it compared to gas?
It’s much quieter and only runs when the handle is squeezed. You won’t need hearing protection to operate it and the hose is less bulky – plus the hose-reel works nicely. I got the 2000psi one from Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-2-000-PSI-1-2-GPM-Electric-Pressure-Washer-RY141900/205566055?keyword=ryobi+2000+psi+electric
Nice finish on the bench, now it needs sealing… LOL And those small units are nice, but they tend to wear out quickly if used hard.