PSI required.....

[Crawlerer79]

Guys, I was wondering how many psi is needed by a waterblaster to properly clean a truck.... not just was of mud but also the think scum which builds up on the vehicles over time. What pressure do you guys use and what machine do you use? Cheers guys

[Big]

generally as high as you can get.. makes it easy to remove.. 3000psi petrol blaster will remove all things stuck but one at 1000psi may not.. Im looking at a 1800 karcher mid range for me.. but have used a grunter and its great.. steam blaster would be the bees nees..

[tweake]

low powered water blaster do work ok, just need to be close and do small amounts at a time.
found the cheap petrol models work fine for getting mud off.

getting panels really clean, its faster to use a soft bristle broom and give it a quick scrub. water blasters always tend to leave a film of dirt behind.

[Crash bandicoot]

dunno about psi. but litres per second tends to remove pretty much anything down at the cow shed ...including plastic trim if ya not careful.

[BlakeNZ]

4000 psi can risk taking paint off, and starts getting past seals etc. 2000psi is enough for cleaning trucks. Though the comment amount leaving a film on panels is accurate.

[mumbls]

Used to have the luxury of offroading and then cleaning up at a friends heavy diesel workshop equipped with a kerosene hotwater / steam blaster, doesn't knock paint off but wouldn't put it on a daily, it was a ~$10,000 machine, comapred to the run of the mill $150 hobby Karcher edition I have at home, it has for ever looked might inferior, they hardly to much more than a garden hose and a bucket/brush combo

[hamishh]

Before my petrol one pump stopped working it put out 3000psi which was primo for cleaning i also used ct18 which also worked a treat, now i just use the hot diesel water blaster at work which is even better

[Crawlerer79]

water blasters always tend to leave a film of dirt behind.

Yea, that film is what I was wondering about.

dunno about psi. but litres per second tends to remove pretty much anything down at the cow shed ...including plastic trim if ya not careful.

Mmmm, Litres per minute really depends on the nossle as to the pressure it puts out. You can tip a 10 litre bucxket of water on your truck in well under a minute but because it's not being forced through a nossle it really wonb't do much. Mind you, 10 litres per minute sounds like a fair bit looking at different blaster specs but it really depends as to whether it will deliver the psi

2000psi is enough for cleaning trucks.

Sweet, that's what I'm after

Though the comment amount leaving a film on panels is accurate.

Does upping the pressure more take away the film of scum at all or would it be a waste going up to say 3000psi?

comapred to the run of the mill $150 hobby Karcher edition I have at home, it has for ever looked might inferior, they hardly to much more than a garden hose and a bucket/brush combo

Yea, I'll be looking at something a bit more powerful.... a petrol blaster that goes up to 3000psi max. (a bit more than a garden hose )

Before my petrol one pump stopped working it put out 3000psi which was primo for cleaning i also used ct18 which also worked a treat

Right, this sounds similar to what I'm thinking I'll go with. I have heard a bit about this CT18 but I've never really looked into it.... I will now haha

[NJV6]

No, upping the pressure doesn't help get the film off.

Spray the vehicle with CT-18 fleet wash 1st, let it sit for 15 mins then water blast off gets the film off or just get waterblasting then give it a quick going over with the normal car wash brush.

I use a Karcher 4.something and it gets a lot of use and does all it needs too. Was $600 or 700 though.

[cornflake]

good truck wash will get anything off i use it on houses ect to clean them

also using the head that spins round in a cone them dirt blaster one say about a meter of the car pulls lots of anything off any closer ull rip paint off

[oldblue]

You will also need a good inward water pressure ( flow ), if not the water blaster will starve and start spluttering.

[NJV6]

You will also need a good inward water pressure ( flow ), if not the water blaster will starve and start spluttering.

Many water blasters will suck though, that's why I bought mine, I can run it wherever I can get power and just chuck the hose in a tank or a creek with a filter.

[tuckertrucker]

about 2000 will get most shit off but if you really want a clean truck youre still gonna have to get out the old car brush and give her a soap up. I get mine sparkling like the factory with a hose and hot soapy water. call me a nana for it but it works...