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How to use a pressure washing with no outside tap?

I have a need for a pressure washer but I have no outside tap. I have heard that some pressure washers can operate from a bucket for small amounts of pressure washing, such as washing wheelie bins and the like. Which ones in the Bunnings range would suite my needs?

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MitchellMc

Hi @MJM,

Yes, it is possible to run a pressure washer without an outside tap as long as some units can draw water from a bucket or other container using a suction hose.

It's typically compact pressure washers and battery or handheld units that have self-priming capability and include a suction hose. The Ozito 18V cordless portable pressure washer and Ryobi 18V ONE+ HP 600PSI EZClean Power Washer R18XPWS10 - Tool Only can draw water from a bucket or container using the included siphon hose.

These would be ideal for smaller jobs like washing wheelie bins, windows, cars and grime around the house.

There are larger and more powerful units from Karcher that will draw from a tank, but the volume of water they use would quickly drain a bucket, and you need to be careful, as if you run them dry, you can cause damage to the machine.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

MJM

Thanks Mitchell,

I'd prefer the Ryobi as I have other tools in the range that use the same batteries. Does the Ryobi offer the feature to add detergent? How long will the 4.5 battery run the pressure washer for?

Melvin

MitchellMc

Hi Melvin (@MJM),

The portable model isn’t compatible with the separate detergent dispenser attachment. If you did want to use detergent, a simple workaround would be to mix a small amount of detergent directly into the bucket of water you’re drawing from. The unit will then pull that solution through while you’re cleaning.

In terms of runtime, it’s a bit hard to give an exact figure as it depends on which mode you’re using. The unit has a Turbo mode, which uses noticeably more power and will drain the battery faster. For general use in the standard modes, I’d roughly expect a 4.5Ah battery to run somewhere around 15–20 minutes of trigger time, but that can vary depending on pressure setting and how continuously it’s being used.

Since you’re already using the Ryobi 18V platform, swapping batteries over during a job is usually the easiest way to extend runtime if needed.

Mitchell

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