# Pressure washer wont start



## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

Isn't getting spark at the plug. The shop said it could probably figure it out for $300. It's a 4 gpm cat pump and Honda 9 HP motor. Probably 15 years old. Am wondering if I should get a new 13 HP Honda motor with general E4040 pump for $1099. Oh yeah, I haven't been able to get after market down streamers to work on this unit.


----------



## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

You know what I'll say, Damon.


----------



## Dave Mac (May 4, 2007)

get one off craigs list for 300-500


----------



## TLC Painting (Feb 18, 2013)

Damon T said:


> Isn't getting spark at the plug. The shop said it could probably figure it out for $300. It's a 4 gpm cat pump and Honda 9 HP motor. Probably 15 years old. Am wondering if I should get a new 13 HP Honda motor with general E4040 pump for $1099. Oh yeah, I haven't been able to get after market down streamers to work on this unit.


Damon Sorry to hear about your power washer,
I go to spraymall.com for all my power washing needs I got a 13hp Honda Cat pump 4000 psi and 3 50 foot hoses Non marking and wand with chemical injector for 1200.00 bucks with free ground delivery!!


----------



## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

PressurePros said:


> You know what I'll say, Damon.


Actually I don't. Or maybe I do. You'll say call Bob! Right?


----------



## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

TLC Painting said:


> Damon Sorry to hear about your power washer,
> I go to spraymall.com for all my power washing needs I got a 13hp Honda Cat pump 4000 psi and 3 50 foot hoses Non marking and wand with chemical injector for 1200.00 bucks with free ground delivery!!


Yeah that's where I saw the 4 gpm general pump model for $1099 free shipping.

Btw how long did shipping take?


----------



## PressurePros (May 6, 2007)

Damon T said:


> Actually I don't. Or maybe I do. You'll say call Bob! Right?


On a more general note.. time to replace. Dave makes a good point. This is a good time of year to pick stuff up from failed business ventures. 

That is a good price for that machine. Downside would be its direct drive versus belt drive but you shouldn't have any issues unless you were drawing from a tank and were parked on a decline with tank lower than machine.


----------



## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

Pulled the trigger today on that new machine. Hope it doesn't take too long to get here. Not much need for pressure washing in the rainy season here. I guess the chemical injectors are all quick release these days. Maybe that's why my old unit had problems. Looking forward to getting 15 years outta the new one too! Actually when I think about it, maybe I'm not looking forward to getting 15 more years outta it!!


----------



## TLC Painting (Feb 18, 2013)

Damon T said:


> Yeah that's where I saw the 4 gpm general pump model for $1099 free shipping.
> 
> Btw how long did shipping take?


5 days they are on the east coast, if your chemical injector doesn't work like the one I got you may need to reverse the fittings ...


----------



## Ultimate (Mar 20, 2011)

What did you get? 

And as far as down streamers, it's not a a bad idea to just have a couple spares put together with quick connects and line and all. If the thing starts acting up just plug in a new one and figure it out later off the job site.

When you have time, this is a good article http://pressuretek.com/dointekar.html about getting the correct down streamer according to your unit. Big time saver on the job when you get it all dialed in.


----------



## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

The EZ4040HG from spray mall store. 13 hp Honda 4 gpm general 4040 pump. 50' line & gun. Now I'll have 200' of line. Maybe I can leave it in the van or trailer and not have to lift it so much. I could lift my old 9 hp pressure washer. Hoping I can pick this one up. Maybe time to get ramps. 117 pounds according to the mfr.


----------



## Ultimate (Mar 20, 2011)

Having 200' is awesome. I completely understand that as a painter, with washing being such a small part of an exterior paint job, washing efficiency isn't really up there on the priority list. But a winter day or lazy Sunday getting a small buffer tank and 15 gallon chemical tank with a reel installed on a small trailer would make every wash prior to paint so much less painful. If you already have a trailer to spare, the investment is really very little aside from time putting it together, which you will get back when washing afterwards.


----------



## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

HouseOfColor said:


> Having 200' is awesome. I completely understand that as a painter, with washing being such a small part of an exterior paint job, washing efficiency isn't really up there on the priority list. But a winter day or lazy Sunday getting a small buffer tank and 15 gallon chemical tank with a reel installed on a small trailer would make every wash prior to paint so much less painful. If you already have a trailer to spare, the investment is really very little aside from time putting it together, which you will get back when washing afterwards.


What's a buffer tank? I've been thinking of getting an extra cargo trailer. Maybe this one will have the fold down ramp back door. I would need it to be multi functional though. Have it also work as a paint job trailer. I love having a cargo trailer for exterior repaints.


----------



## Ultimate (Mar 20, 2011)

A buffer tank ensures _ample supply of water_ to the pump at all times. Feed water from the house to the buffer tank and the pump draws from the tank. It's also good to bypass into the tank to keep fresh cool water running through the pump even when the valve on the line that puts water on the house is closed. Both key items in long pump life. 

I don't know if I would want to share a washer set up with a cargo trailer I commit to jobsites of another sort. On the note of efficiency it defeats the purpose as far as I am able to follow that through. Coming from experience as a pc, investing a day building and then working off of a small open trailer dedicated to washing beats lugging 100+ lbs on wheels, the lines... I guess it depends on how many exteriors someone does a year and the size of them.


----------



## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

Thanks HOC. I like your idea of a small open trailer. Much cheaper than an enclosed trailer, so easier to justify for dedicated use. Perhaps I should have got a skid unit instead of wheeled but oh well. I'll have to check out pressure Tek or something for the buffer tanks etc 
Do you have any pics of your setup you could share?


----------



## Ultimate (Mar 20, 2011)

What you have is good for what you do. Probably four or so bolts takes your washer off the frame and it can be mounted directly to the floor. A 55 gallon tank would be plenty for buffer and a 5 gallon bucket for chemical. https://plasticstoragetanks.com/cgi...?xm=on&p_id=0055FSN00055-23-S&-ppinc=norwesco 
A phone call to Bob would take care of everything else. Here is my advice to make it simple and right the first time. Call Bob, tell him what washer you have and what you want to do. Tell him, 'Send me everything I need to go from my buffer to my pump, then from my pump to my down streamer. Every fitting, every line, quick connect, everything.' He can be trusted and he deals with exactly that all the time. 

The line with the white stripe is coming in from the buffer tank through a filter with the sticker on it. The grey whip line goes to the unloader, which bypasses into the other clear line back into the tank, or through the black line which leads to the wand. *The plumbing from the whip line out was done by a distributor I have recently decided to cut ties with. In principle this photo gives an understanding of how it works, but I am re plumbing all of that probably today with bigger lines and smoother bends for better flow. 

Simple is better often times, but just for fun, here is a set up I aspire to mimic someday. http://youtu.be/S3kmxutXmSk 
Hope this helps.


----------



## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

Thanks HOC, I only just now saw your post. Will look into the links etc.


----------

