Pressure Washers

Why do pressure washers all seem to have different designs for hose connectors. Many years ago, the lance on my Alco washer broke and was repaired by fitting an air hose connector which worked well.

Recently, I washing the car (before the onset of the hot weather) when my plastic cased small washer blew up. There was a loud bang followed by streams of water from the casing. Because Lidl were advertising a new one for £40 the following week, Disconnecting the lance, the rest went to the tip.

The new washer is ideal, light in weight and although not a very high pressure is well equipped and ideal for washing the car and not forgetting the 3 year warranty. It was also a surprise to find that the old lance fitted the new machine.

This morning, I had to pop into Aldi to get a few items of groceries when I found a wall and floor washer at a knockdown price (last one) of £4.99. Got it home and was surprised to find that it fitted the Lidl machine. Now looking forward to the drought ending so that I can finish off the car and get the winter grime off the paved area around the garage.

I have 2 other washers, one is the Wolf Sky Blaster where a casting on the pump outlet is broken. At the moment it is on the list of jobs to do, having failed to "solder" the aluminium, I hope to build it up and then machine to fit. This one has unusual hose fittings but I may be able to make a connector to fit the Lidl machine which will get me through until there is time to fix the casting. The Wolf came with one very useful attachment, an extending lance with accessories for applying detergent and washing. It is ideal for cleaning the upstairs windows which I would like to do before the winter. If only all washers had standard fittings as on air equipment we would not have to throw away so many useful bits.

I think it is because many of the 'designers' in common with computer programmers live in a bubble containing their computer screen and a hatch through which fast food is delivered. Since they never do anything practical nor come into contact with the real world they have no experience of common standards for connectors etc and what the widget does anyway.
The prototypes are approved by a managing director who has never done a days physical work in his life, a marketing manager who only cares whether the colour matches his tie, and a production manager who gave up trying to knock sense into them years ago. They will all have moved on to a higher paid job before the item hits the shops.
The only reason your Lidl bits fit is because they came from the same designer on a Friday so he was saving time by clicking on the predefined component module so he could get back to his games console.

I have to say that I get quite hot under the collar hearing pressure washers every other day in our road as people keep their cars clean while the crops and gardens wither in the heat.

Walking through the village a few years ago I came across a chap who had just cut a strip out of his car's paintwork with a pressure washer. Quite cheered me up!

Dave

I feel that us people who live at the source end of the Thames should use plenty of water so we can send it down to London after we have bathed in it and flushed it.

Mike

Why wash a car?, I remember seeing a car in Dunedin (NZ), probably a Uni student's pride and joy, covered in dust and dirt, and on the rear window, carefully written by finger, "don't wash me,grow something".

I think the reason that the bits off one machine won't fit another is to tru and make you stick to the same make, then again you go back a few years later and find that that maker's bits won't fit the old model, sorry I don't know!

Ian S C