A Mans power washer
Paul Mc Cann
Studying the array of Karcher power washers in our local Buy & Queue and
trying to justify buying the nice shiny petrol engined version I began
studying the specs. To my surprise it neither pumped more water nor did
so at a higher pressure than the adjacent electrically powered model.
So where's the beef ?
Is the only advantage the independence given by the freedom from being
tethered to a mains lead ?
Surely there is more to it than that, given that petrol engined versions
of things like chain saws, chipper/shredders, strimmers lawn mowers etc.
are so much more powerful that their electric siblings ?
--
Paul Mc Cann
Ellen Mizzell
Oh deer. I did not realize that buying a power spray was a
gender issue.
--
Ellen Mizzell
Autolycus
Paul Mc Cann <tp...@iol.ie> wrote in message
news:MPG.133f6e8c3...@news.iol.ie...
>
>
> Studying the array of Karcher power washers in our local Buy & Queue
and
> trying to justify buying the nice shiny petrol engined version I began
> studying the specs. To my surprise it neither pumped more water nor
did
I wonder about pressure washer specs. Do they quote max pressure (at
zero or near-zero flow) and max flow rate (with nozzle removed, thus
minimal pressure)? Graphs of pressure against flow rate would be
perhaps too informative - but might go some way towards explaining why
washers perform differently in practice, and might answer your question
about petrol-powered compared with electric.
Incidentally, I see Makro have a Kinzo pressure washer for 47gbp for the
next fortnight, though I've not seen it to know whether it's any more
than a hose pipe with a blue box in the middle. They're also doing
Partner 16 inch petrol chainsaws for 130gbp, Power Devil 550W routers
for 31.72, hammer drills for 17.61, Agojama 14.4V cordless drills for
21.13 and trolley jacks for 11.74.
--
Kevin Poole
www.draycottclocks.co.uk
M.J.Powell
>
>
>Studying the array of Karcher power washers in our local Buy & Queue and
>trying to justify buying the nice shiny petrol engined version I began
>studying the specs. To my surprise it neither pumped more water nor did
>
>So where's the beef ?
>
>Is the only advantage the independence given by the freedom from being
>tethered to a mains lead ?
>
>Surely there is more to it than that, given that petrol engined versions
>of things like chain saws, chipper/shredders, strimmers lawn mowers etc.
>are so much more powerful that their electric siblings ?
Don't forget that 1 HP = 746 watts.
Mike
--
M.J.Powell
Andrew Paxton
Ellen Mizzell <$news$@snuffy.in2home.co.uk> wrote in message
news:8b61je$oe$1...@teasel.co.uk...
> >
> >
> > Studying the array of Karcher power washers in our local Buy & Queue and
> > trying to justify buying the nice shiny petrol engined version I began
> > studying the specs. To my surprise it neither pumped more water nor did
> > so at a higher pressure than the adjacent electrically powered model.
> >
> > So where's the beef ?
> >
> > Is the only advantage the independence given by the freedom from being
> > tethered to a mains lead ?
> >
> > Surely there is more to it than that, given that petrol engined versions
> > of things like chain saws, chipper/shredders, strimmers lawn mowers etc.
> > are so much more powerful that their electric siblings ?
> >
>
> gender issue.
>
> --
> Ellen Mizzell
>
>
engines back-to-back to create the ultimate pressure washer.
Anyone figured out how to mate the inlet port to a hose-loc connector?
AndyP
Andrew Paxton
Oh, there should have been a smiley at the end of that ;-)
AndyP
Ellen Mizzell
>
> Oh, there should have been a smiley at the end of that ;-)
I supplied one. :-)
--
Ellen Mizzell
Simon Avery
Hello Paul
PMC> Studying the array of Karcher power washers in our local Buy
PMC> & Queue and trying to justify buying the nice shiny petrol
PMC> engined version I began studying the specs. To my surprise
PMC> it neither pumped more water nor did so at a higher pressure
PMC> than the adjacent electrically powered model.
Odd. Not seen the Karcher model, the only petrol engined ones I've
seen have been rather large. (Trailer sized)
PMC> So where's the beef ?
PMC> Is the only advantage the independence given by the freedom
PMC> from being tethered to a mains lead ?
I would think so, along with an added safety blanket, though modern
electric models are pretty well sealed.
PMC> Surely there is more to it than that, given that petrol
PMC> engined versions of things like chain saws,
PMC> chipper/shredders, strimmers lawn mowers etc. are so much
PMC> more powerful that their electric siblings ?
Obviously depends on the size of the engine, but engines do tend to be
more flexible than many electric models and infinately more
controllable. (Full range of power rather than on/off)
I can't see a reason why you couldn't make your own, come to think of
it. The pump would need to be something special, of course, but any
ol' engine of the right size could run it.
Hmm... You've got me thinking now. :)
--
Simon Avery, Devon, UK
Non-plaintext messages are deleted automatically and not read.
Ashley Phoenix
Mizzell<$news$@snuffy.in2home.co.uk> wrote:
>Oh deer. I did not realize that buying a power spray was a
>gender issue.
Whatever do you mean by that?
Ash.
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
Nick Nelson
> In article <8b61je$oe$1...@teasel.co.uk>, Ellen
> Mizzell<$news$@snuffy.in2home.co.uk> wrote:
> >Oh deer. I did not realize that buying a power spray was a
> >gender issue.
>
> Whatever do you mean by that?
I guess the combination of the subject line and your
complaint that the big shiny petrol one was no more
powerful/better suggests a connection between the
importance of size/power/performance in a purchase
and gender (which you probably never intended ;-)
Nick.
Ellen Mizzell
> In article <8b61je$oe$1...@teasel.co.uk>, Ellen
> Mizzell<$news$@snuffy.in2home.co.uk> wrote:
>>Oh deer. I did not realize that buying a power spray was a
>>gender issue.
>
>
> Whatever do you mean by that?
>
It was a joke.
--
Ellen Mizzell
Simon Avery
Hello Andrew
AP> Don't mock. Even now, Men are trying to figure out how to
AP> connect two Mini engines back-to-back to create the ultimate
AP> pressure washer.
"More power!"
I'd only be impressed if you could clean windows with it.
From the next county.
bigegg
Ashley Phoenix <ashleyphoe...@hotmail.com.invalid> wrote:
> In article <8b61je$oe$1...@teasel.co.uk>, Ellen
> Mizzell<$news$@snuffy.in2home.co.uk> wrote:
> >Oh deer. I did not realize that buying a power spray was a
> >gender issue.
>
>
> Whatever do you mean by that?
Petrol powered power spray = big toy 4 big boy.
--
Big Egg
Peter Parry
wrote:
>Petrol powered power spray = big toy 4 big boy.
Nah, kids stuff. I do recall a runway de-icer with two forward
facing jet engines, now that was a real power washer (well, as long
as the brakes worked - if they didn't it became the fastest backward
travelling truck in history).
--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/
Robert Winstanley
<pe...@wppltd.demon.co.uk> writes
MRD (Mechanical Runway De-icer), also very good for melting/lifting
large areas of tarmac. Fuel consumption wasn't very good so the engines
were strapped onto a fuel tanker.
--
Robert Winstanley rwins...@compuserve.com
There are two secrets for success;
1: Don't reveal all your secrets 2:
Ben Harrington
>
> "Andrew Paxton" <a.pa...@uea.ac.uk> wrote:
>
> Don't mock. Even now, Men are trying to figure out how to
>
Imp engines, surely.
Ben
Mungo Henning
Peter Parry wrote:
> Nah, kids stuff. I do recall a runway de-icer with two forward
> facing jet engines, now that was a real power washer (well, as long
> as the brakes worked - if they didn't it became the fastest backward
> travelling truck in history).
I was travelling back from working in Norway one winter. The plane pushed
back from the stand and joined a queue to be de-iced.
As we stopped in the de-icing area, either one or two little trucks with
boom arm
travelled towards us.
The totally-enclosed cab of the truck was on the end of the boom, and the
driver
could elevate and position himself so that the nozzle at the boom end
could
squirt hot de-icer on to the wings.
I marvelled at the ingenious machines.
Upon arriving at Glasgow I saw our version of the same procedure: a bloke
wearing
manky yellow oilskins standing with a hose on the back of a truck.
I guess the Norwegians need the cold-weather equipment more than we do.
Sigh...
Mungo
--
Mungo Henning - it's a daft name but it goes with the face...
mun...@bigfoot.com http://www.itacs.strath.ac.uk/
I speak for me, not my employer.
john_h_schmitt
<ben.har...@bt.com> wrote:
>> Don't mock. Even now, Men are trying to figure out how to
>> connect two Mini engines back-to-back to create the ultimate
>> pressure washer.
>Imp engines, surely.
No, that would be a /_Le_ Mans/ power washer.
John Schmitt
M.J.Powell
<pe...@wppltd.demon.co.uk> writes
>On Wed, 22 Mar 2000 20:14:13 +0000, bigegg <big...@hardboiled.org.uk>
>wrote:
>
>
>
>>Petrol powered power spray = big toy 4 big boy.
>
>
>facing jet engines, now that was a real power washer (well, as long
>as the brakes worked - if they didn't it became the fastest backward
>travelling truck in history).
In the big freeze of 1946 (?) the GWR used a jet engine mounted on a
flat truck to clear snow in s. Wales. They had to discontinue because it
blew all the ballast from under the sleepers.
Mike
--
M.J.Powell
Nick Nelson
> I used to run one of these :-)
>
> MRD (Mechanical Runway De-icer), also very good for melting/lifting
> large areas of tarmac. Fuel consumption wasn't very good so the engines
> were strapped onto a fuel tanker.
Yikes, it sounds like a V2 waiting to happen.
Nick.
Peter Parry
n.w.n...@education.leeds.ac.uk (Nick Nelson) wrote:
>Yikes, it sounds like a V2 waiting to happen.
Oh no, much worse. At RAF Wildenrath I resided in a large wooden hut
by the side of an aircraft dispersal owned by the resident Army Air
Corps Flight. Now there was general agreement that giving the army
any sort of aircraft was silly, after all if deities had meant them
to fly they would have organised a brown and green sky.
However someone had decided to give them little hocilepters to play
with and these lived next door to me. One Christmas the weather did
the usual German trick of well below freezing temperatures for a week
followed by very heavy supercooled rain which froze the second it
touched the ground.
Within minutes a few cm of ice had formed to be covered a bit later
by snow. The airfield was kept clear but of course the Army were all
off on leave over Christmas and the New Year so their corner filled
up (that it was also used by the RAF snow ploughs as a convenient
place to park unwanted snow was of course entirely an innocent
mistake).
When the Pongos finally reappeared they were confronted by a mound of
snow several feet high. The traditional solution of issuing all the
troops with shovel, trench, qty 1 and sending them out to dig failed
to make much impression, so the Major told the 2i/c to find something
better. He of course passed the problem to the Sqn Sgt Maj who
promptly delegated it to the HQ Cpl.
Now for those with no military knowledge HQ Sgts and Cpls (no matter
what service or what nation) are all the same. They are all slightly
elderly, seedy overweight criminals with a contacts book which would
be the envy of Peter Mandelson. By virtue of their shady past they
have "interesting" information on most of the people in the book and
are arch experts at extracting favours. The black economy in the
military is much bigger than it is in real life. (I once became the
rather embarrassed "owner" of some very large and expensive American
surface to air missiles and Radars as a result of a multicornered
trade involving my HQ Sgt, some very very naive Americans, some
rations and an Arab HQ Cpl - however that's a long story).
HQ Cpl promptly went to the RAF section which held the Runway
de-icers and "borrowed" a MRD plus its operator. He was working on
the simple principle that it looked to be the biggest and meanest
looking machine in the inventory and therefore had to be the best.
Arriving at the dispersal the operator explained it wasn't a snow
plough designed to move banks of snow, but a few whacks over the head
and the explanation that it didn't matter, there was an acre or three
of forest for the snow to land in persuaded him to get going.
The first I knew about this was my building shaking and an enormous
blizzard outside. This was closely followed by airborne ice flows
crashing through the roof as sheets of ice a couple of inches thick
were lifted by this monster and flung into the air. Taking up a
defensive position (under the table) I fairly rapidly conveyed to the
army both my unconditional surrender and a short description of their
parenthood.
Unfortunately no one could get close to the de-icer to get them to
turn it off (Imagine a 20 ton fuel tanker, on either side mount jet
engines with their inlets by the cab doors and their exhausts some
20ft forward of that). Not only are there no silencers there is not
even any cladding over the engines.
Some 40 minutes later the aircraft dispersal was free of snow and
wrecked, with holes in the tarmac everywhere. My building was
decimated and (poetic justice this) the Army Air Corps Majors nice
tax free Mercedes was scrap having taken a direct hit from a piece of
ice the Titanic would have been wary of.
Unfortunately for the HQ Cpl, so was the Sqn Sgt Majors new BMW. The
last view I had of said Cpl from the hole I had dug in the snow to
get out from under my desk was of a portly figure travelling down the
runway at a most respectable speed being pursued by a very irate Sgt
Maj armed with a shovel who seemed to be intent on teaching him some
new words.
Now this whole episode placed the army in a position which they hated
even more than cats do - they were embarrassed. They had made a
mistake. More importantly, and the cardinal sin, it had been seen by
the RAF.
As the surviving members of my team were patched up and fed tea laced
with restorative substances the Flt Cdr came and rather stiffly
explained that if we sort of "went away" for the weekend they would
restore everything to as new and they were sure no official mention
need be made of this very minor mistake until then.
Shortly afterwards the Sgt Maj (with suspicious patches of blood on
his shirt and sleeves) came and asked through clenched teeth what
colour paint we wanted. Looking at the hut, which would have passed
muster as a location shot for the closing scenes of the battle of the
Alamo, I somehow doubted if paint colour would be an issue.
However the army was not to be embarrassed, no matter what the cost.
That weekend there was furious activity at Wildenrath, a visit from a
Combat Engineering Sqn to the base, a Royal Signals and REME troop
deployment to us and several owners of local houses of ill repute
turning up leading German painters, decorators, plumbers and carpet
layers.
On Monday I returned to a pristine hut with new telephone system
(complete with DBP packing boxes!), new paint, new roof, new
furniture and even a new kettle.
For many months thereafter the workload on the AAC Flt quadrupled as
the various favours had to repaid in helicopter flights (we didn't
ask about how the local owners of the houses of entertainment owners
were recompensed).
Of the HQ Cpl we saw and heard no more, although a hand written sign
saying "foul ground" did appear on a rather suspicious mound in the
woods.
Somehow pressure washers never seem to be quite as exciting now.
Mungo Henning
Peter Parry wrote:
> [snip]
> When the Pongos finally reappeared they were confronted by a mound of
> snow several feet high.
I haven't caught the (assumed) rhyming slang for "Pongo": explain please
Peter?
[another snip]
> Unfortunately for the HQ Cpl, so was the Sqn Sgt Majors new BMW. The
> last view I had of said Cpl from the hole I had dug in the snow to
> get out from under my desk was of a portly figure travelling down the
> runway at a most respectable speed being pursued by a very irate Sgt
> Maj armed with a shovel who seemed to be intent on teaching him some
> new words.
>
Reminds me of the polis officer who was interviewing a man who had been
assaulted in the street:
"Could you describe your assailant?" asked the Polis.
"That's what I was doing when he hit me" came the reply!
Mungo :-)
David Pearson
>From: Peter Parry <pe...@wppltd.demon.co.uk>
>Subject: Re: A Mans power washer
>Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 14:16:41 +0000
>On Fri, 24 Mar 2000 08:08:27 +0000 (GMT),
>n.w.n...@education.leeds.ac.uk (Nick Nelson) wrote:
>>Yikes, it sounds like a V2 waiting to happen.
>Oh no, much worse. At RAF Wildenrath I resided in a large wooden hut
>by the side of an aircraft dispersal owned by the resident Army Air
>Corps Flight. Now there was general agreement that giving the army
>any sort of aircraft was silly, after all if deities had meant them
>to fly they would have organised a brown and green sky.
<snipped - reluctantly>
Thanks, Peter - that brightened up an otherwise dull Friday :-)
Dave
--
"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
- Albert Einstein
Anthony Frost
Mungo Henning <mun...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
> Peter Parry wrote:
>
> > When the Pongos finally reappeared they were confronted by a mound of
> > snow several feet high.
>
> I haven't caught the (assumed) rhyming slang for "Pongo": explain please
> Peter?
Being creatures of dry land, the Army don't like getting too near any
water. Hence "Where the Army goes, the pong goes" according to an RAF
friend of mine... :-)
Anthony
--
| If the gods had meant for mankind to fly, |
| they wouldn't have made the ground so hard, |
| or so far down. |
Peter Parry
<mun...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>> When the Pongos finally reappeared they were confronted by a mound of
>> snow several feet high.
>
>I haven't caught the (assumed) rhyming slang for "Pongo": explain please
>Peter?
Well the name is slang for soldier, the usually ascribed meaning was
that "everywhere the Army goes the pong goes". However I understand
its derivation is really from the African Mpongo (orang-utan) and was
coined by the Navy many years ago as a term of affectionate
description for their landlubber brethren.
M.J.Powell
<pe...@wppltd.demon.co.uk> writes
>On Fri, 24 Mar 2000 08:08:27 +0000 (GMT),
>n.w.n...@education.leeds.ac.uk (Nick Nelson) wrote:
>
>>Yikes, it sounds like a V2 waiting to happen.
>
>Oh no, much worse. At RAF Wildenrath I resided in a large wooden hut
>by the side of an aircraft dispersal owned by the resident Army Air
>Corps Flight. Now there was general agreement that giving the army
>any sort of aircraft was silly, after all if deities had meant them
>to fly they would have organised a brown and green sky.
CLASSIC story snipped.
Could we have the story about the radars, please?
Mike
--
M.J.Powell
Andrew
<joh...@mdx.ac.uk> writes
>In article <38D9F551...@bt.com>, Ben Harrington
><ben.har...@bt.com> wrote:
>
>>> Don't mock. Even now, Men are trying to figure out how to
>>> connect two Mini engines back-to-back to create the ultimate
>>> pressure washer.
>
>>Imp engines, surely.
>
[fire engine] water pump in the first place ???
>No, that would be a /_Le_ Mans/ power washer.
>
>
>John Schmitt
>
>
>
>* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
>The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
>
--
Andrew
Tony Polson
<and...@skydata.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>Wasn't the Imp engine derived from a Coventry-Climax portable
>[fire engine] water pump in the first place ???
It was indeed. The Coventry Climax fire pump engine was of 660cc
capacity and the Imp engine was merely a stretched version of it.
--
Tony Polson, North Yorkshire, UK
Tony Williams
Deja Vu.... of a thread on the Imp engine in nz.general,
just a few days ago.
--
Tony Williams.
Tony Polson
Just what is your point?
Tony Williams
Tony Polson <news....@btinternet.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 26 Mar 2000 12:24:13 +0100, in uk.d-i-y Tony Williams
> <to...@ledelec.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> >In article <38dfd6a3...@news.btinternet.com>,
> > Tony Polson <news....@btinternet.com> wrote:
> >> It was indeed. The Coventry Climax fire pump engine was of 660cc
> >> capacity and the Imp engine was merely a stretched version of it.
> >
> > Deja Vu.... of a thread on the Imp engine in nz.general,
> > just a few days ago.
> Just what is your point?
Do I have to make a point? I simply remarked
on the coincidence of a thread on the CC/Imp
engine elsewhere, just a few days ago.
--
Tony Williams.
Justin Bell
>On Sat, 25 Mar 2000 08:36:50 +0000, in uk.d-i-y Andrew
><and...@skydata.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>Wasn't the Imp engine derived from a Coventry-Climax portable
>>[fire engine] water pump in the first place ???
>
>capacity and the Imp engine was merely a stretched version of it.
>
one of the most beautiful Lotus's ever?
>--
>Tony Polson, North Yorkshire, UK
--
Justin Bell
Rex Bradley
<Jus...@shepherds-purse.demon.co.uk> writes
top, S/E version, close ratio 'box, **off topic alert is sounding
here**....over the noise of the alarm, based on the Cortina GT. engine,
twin cam Lotus head..
Got to stop, the alarm is deafening.....
--
Rex Bradley
Dave Plowman
Justin Bell <Jus...@shepherds-purse.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> >It was indeed. The Coventry Climax fire pump engine was of 660cc
> >capacity and the Imp engine was merely a stretched version of it.
> >
> The same engine also went into the original Lotus Elite (1959?), surely
> one of the most beautiful Lotus's ever?
Since the Elite's engine was 1200cc, was it the same or just a similar
design? 660-1200 seems a very large range for one block.
--
* Many hamsters only blink one eye at a time *
Dave Plowman dave....@argonet.co.uk London SW 12
RIP Acorn