Power washing advice needed

[Fenway]

I need to power wash some things around my house.

My drive way needs to be cleaned. I want to spray my deck and re stain it
I need to re paint my trim and want to clean it before painting.

I have 0 experience. I know the first step is rent one. What else do I need to know?

[Pete-FWA]

Get something with decent volume. PSI isn't everything. If you only have 1.5 GPM or some low flow like that, you'll end up spraying mist.

3 GPM and at least 2500 PSI is good for the jobs you mentioned.

Higher pressure and volume could help with the concrete, but aren't required by any means.

Concrete is more forgiving than wood. Getting too close with the tip can actually put marks or cuts in wood on the deck and certainly on softer trim pieces.

EDIT: Are you in Indianapolis? I have one heck of a custom built machine, but I'm not sure where you are or how loaning it might work.

[Fenway]

Thanks, I just watched some clips on YouTube. It looks like I need a decent piece of equipment with a variety of nozzles for different applications.

[Pete-FWA]

I have a fan-style spray pattern on mine that does everything I want.

Some offer scrubber tips that send a rotating band of water out, much like specialized massaging shower heads. Those can scour a surface well, but they concentrate on a smaller area and require a bit more control on the wand.

One other comment: renting a good machine is far more efficient than buying a low-end piece of equipment. While the $120 electric ones do serve a purpose, they'd likely not do what you want and would take a great deal more time doing most tasks.

[Scutter01]

Sam's Club sells some halfway decent gas-powered ones in the $300 range. I highly recommend gas over electric.

[Pete-FWA]

Unless you have an industrial 220-3 phase electric, gasoline is definitely the way to go.

I have a stout Karcher that was plugged into my wash bay at my old shop. Killer machine, but the electricity limits its portability.

[Fenway]

Someone told me there is a Troy Built for about $280 at Lowes that is a decent machine. Also heard Sams has some deals as mentioned earlier in this thread. I have a couple of projects I need to take care of and don't want to be renting all the time. If I buy one for $300 or less use it a couple of times and then sell it for $200 I think I would still do better vs renting. FWA I'm on the N side of Indy.

[Scutter01]

I found a lot more uses for my power washer than the one for which I bought it. It's true that I don't use it more than three or four times per summer, but it comes in extremely handy when I do. Well worth the purchase price, in my opinion.

[Scutter01]

Just finished power-washing my camper in preparation for our first camping trip of the year in a few weeks. That makes three times I've used it this year already. I've never power-washed the camper before, but I can't imagine why not. The thing looks brand new now.

[Fenway]

I went to Sams on 96th street the other day and all they had was some $500 model. overkill for my needs