power washers for deck cleaning

[zigzagzig]

It's about that time of the year where I have to clean and stain the deck one final time for the upcoming winter. I've done it manually in the past with a bucket of water with some bleach and it did a fantastic job getting the mildew and stuff out, but I'd like to use a power washer this year because I'm assuming it's much less time-consuming and generally easier.


My question is: What PSI power washer do I need just for deck cleaning? I don't want anything too harsh...something that might strip the wood or start making it splinter or whatever. Just good enough to get the mildew out and stuff.

Also, is it possible to mix some bleach in there also? Maybe a mixing compartment?

I plan to wash it this week and then stain it this weekend after it's all dried.


Any other advice or past experiences about deck cleaning/staining would be greatly appreciated! Recommend products too please. thanks.

[Slimey]

Good question -- I've been wondering myself about power washing the siding of the house and the deck. We got quotes earlier this year for the house only for $1100 - $2500. I've seen power washers at home depot for $300-500 -- It has made me wonder if it's worth it to pay someone to do this over doing it myself.

[Shawn S]

I bought a Troy Bilt 2,600 PSI Pressure Washer at Lowes this past spring.
It has a 5HP Honda engine on it.
It came in real handy for cleaning the decks & siding of the house.
I think I paid about 400 for it.

Definitely a worthwhile investment if you have a large yard and lots of outdoor crap.

As for deck cleaning…We just bought that concentrated deck cleaning liquid and mixed it in a 5-gallon bucket.
My pressure washer has one of those in-line dispensers, but all it does is mix with water and spray on the surface.
It’s not worth the trouble of hooking all those hoses & stuff.
You still need a stiff brush and some manual labor to scrub the surface.

Shawn S

This is the one I have........

[Slimey]

Originally Posted by Shawn S

...You still need a stiff brush and some manual labor to scrub the surface...

I guess this is the part that concerns me. Is this an all day (or several day) intense job, or something more simple? My deck is actually not too big, it's the siding that I'm more concerned about. It has some oxidization and a few discolored (greenish) spots here and there. If it's just about spraying only, that's something I'm willing to do -- OTOH, if it's about spraying then scrubbing the entire house, it may be well worth the $1100 quote.

[Shawn S]

Originally Posted by Slimey

I guess this is the part that concerns me. Is this an all day (or several day) intense job, or something more simple? My deck is actually not too big, it's the siding that I'm more concerned about. It has some oxidization and a few discolored (greenish) spots here and there. If it's just about spraying only, that's something I'm willing to do -- OTOH, if it's about spraying then scrubbing the entire house, it may be well worth the $1100 quote.

The deck on my house is about 800-900 SQ FT.
The one on the pool is about 300.
The wife & I did them both in one day.
The “scrubbing” part isn’t really that bad.
Just get a narrow brush with a 4FT handle so you can do it while standing up.

Another day for the siding on the house and it was really dirty.
For the siding we have a softer brush with a telescoping handle.
They do make brushes with soap dispensers in them, but most are designed for the low power electric models.

It works great on the deck railings too.
Do it on a hot day because you will get VERY WET from the blowback of the water.
Try to aim downwind if possible, but you still get soaked.

[dallison]

^ i bet if we walked into your garage we would find all red power equip from lowes and home depot, sounds like me

[NOLACLS]

Originally Posted by dallison

^ i bet if we walked into your garage we would find all red power equip from lowes and home depot, sounds like me

I got a troy built weed eater from lowes...4cyl owns my back yard

[dallison]

i have my eyes on a snowblower

[Scrib]

hmmmm

That Troy Bilt looks nice. Although I still need a lawnmower, snowblower and air compressor.

Damn it... I need a bigger money tree.

[dallison]

8.5 hp and 26" wide, i just need to figure out how to get it home

[Stock03CLS]

If you won't be doing any concrete washing (i.e. patio, sidewalks) then a gas-powered washer may be a bit much. If you go with gas, make sure the pressure can be turned down to something below 2000 PSI, because you may end up taking off more wood than you want. Home Depot (at least ours does) currently has an electric 1750 PSI pressure washer on sale for $170. It has an internal reservoir for mixing in cleaning solutions, so there are no external hookups.

I just did our deck this past weekend. It's about 350-400 sq. ft. with railings on 3 sides and 1 set of stairs. Took me the better part of a day...about 6 hours....working by myself. But then again, It hadn't been done since we got it about 2.5 years ago, so that may have contributed to the time. Railings, spindles and stairs took up the most time....about 4.5 hours.

[Scrib]

Originally Posted by dallison

8.5 hp and 26" wide, i just need to figure out how to get it home

I'm going with...



http://www.toro.com/home/snowthrower...6LE_specs.html

[dallison]

that one looks nicer than the troy bilt

[Scrib]

Originally Posted by dallison

that one looks nicer than the troy bilt

Must...Not...Hijack...thread...



Not sure what the Troy Bilt costs, though. The Toro is $999 at Home Depot. However, it's got some pretty slick features on it, and it carries the Toro name, so I'm sold on it. I'll probably get it this weekend.

[Slimey]

Some good advice -- thanks!

[zigzagzig]

^yeah what he said. I think I'm going to home depot to check out some power washers. I'm going to assume 1500psi is the lowest I should go?