Troy-Bilt 2550 PSI Pressure Washer

I picked up a Troy-Bilt 2550 PSI, 2.3 GPM, Pressure Washer from Lowes Home Improvement Stores recently. My main purpose in doing so was to clean off the mold, mildew, moss from my vinyl siding that had accumulated over several years. The sides of my house that face North and West are covered with mold, moss, dirt, or some combination thereof and I finally got tired of looking at it. Here is a photo of the vinyl siding on the house which gives you a good look at the crap that had accumulated on the house. I figured that a decent pressure washer would handle this job and come in handy for other projects down the road.

Picking a pressure washer

So I found myself at Lowes with the initial intention of picking up a Karcher 1800 PSI Electric Pressure Washer for $164.00. I find electric power tools more appealing than gas powered tools because you don't have to deal with the hassles of starting, refueling, changing oil, getting more gas, storing during the winter, etc., etc. On a whim, I called a buddy of mine who had experience with the whole pressure washing milieu. He felt that 1800 PSI was not going to cut it. On his recommendation, I bumped up to the 2550 PSI model for $279. I think he would have had me go with the 3000 PSI pressure washer model for $389, but I wanted to keep the spending to under $300. Besides I could do less damage with a 2550 PSI pressure washer model.

Here's another before photo. I wanted to hit the shutters as well and see if I could add some pop to them with a good pressure cleaning.

After pressure washing photos

Here's an after photo of the same section of vinyl siding as you see at the very top of the page. I used the 25 degree tip that shoots at 1750 PSI and 2.3 GPM to clean the house. My machine came with only three tips. I'm wondering if I can find a tip with a wider angle that can clean a bigger swath of surface at a time? I'll look around. I zipped through cleaning the siding with the pressure washer in no time. I may have gone too fast as it looks like I'll have to go over a few sections again. Still, a remarkable difference in a small amount of time.

After pressure washing photos

Here's a shot of the shutters. My original plan was to remove them from the house and take them to the car wash. Shoot them there and then bring them back and hang them again. Getting my own pressure washer made life easy. Just leave them hanging and shoot them while they are on the house. I was a little worried that I might find some hidden wasp or hornet nest behind these things, so I kept a watchful eye for a sudden attack while pressure washing. Luckily, I had no such problems.

My buddy also said that the detergent tank was worthless so don't even bother getting a model with one. Mine has a detergent siphon which you submerse in a bottle of detergent. I could see making a bleach solution for my driveway. However, I think I would just mop/broom it on beforehand and let it soak for several minutes and then pressure wash the drive.

Before and after shots of the front stoop

Here's a before shot (sort of before, you can see that I've started pressure washing here) of the front steps. What a wreck! The after shot is just below. I will probably hit them again briefly. But what a difference! I took off some patching that someone had done at some time in the past (I really didn't notice it until it came off). The steps went from black to white in no time. I was careful not to hit the painted numbers for long. I could've washed those right away! From there I did the walk and started to pressure wash the driveway. The sidewalk went quickly but the driveway is going to take several sessions unless I can find a 40 degree tip that will clean it. What a great tool for around the house. If you are trying to sell your home or getting your home ready for sale, a couple afternoons with a pressure washer can really make that turd sparkle! Next to painting, this has to be one of the easiest, quickest and least expensive ways to get your home ready for sale.

Here's the after shot of the steps. Next - on to the driveway! I also picked up some additional tips for my pressure washer recently. I got a pack of 5 tips for $24.95. On the package was a handy guide for recommended uses for each tip. The 65 degree tip is for application of soap and chemicals. The 40 degree tip is for windows and screens. The 25 degree tip is for painted surfaces. The 15 degree tip is for concrete surfaces. The 0 degree tip is for hard to reach areas. So my plan to use the 40 degree tip for the concrete driveway may not work. I was using the 25 degree tip but will try the 15 degree tip on the next go round.

Before and after shots of the driveway

Here's a before photo of the concrete driveway. In this photo, you can see approximately 38 years of grime and mold built up on the driveway. You can also see that this area of the driveway is generally shaded throughout the day so any water or moisture on the concrete is not going to go away anytime soon with little exposure to direct sunlight.

Here's a tip. I started by pressure washing the garage siding and door and then went on to pressure wash the driveway. I ended up having to hit the garage again because all the driveway gunk kicked up on it.

Before and after shots of the driveway

Here's an after shot of the same section. It's not completely dry but the difference is night and day. Beyond the chain link fence, I discovered another section of concrete walk buried beneath a few inches of soil. It was actually a lot of fun blasting through all that dirt and blowing mud everywhere as I got down to the concrete walk. Now I feel that I need to take some Thompson's Water Seal and seal the driveway after all that pressure washing.

Tip: I did a section of concrete driveway at a time. Each rectangular section measures about 7 feet by 10 feet. I used a very quick side to side sweeping motion that measured about 18-24 inches wide. If I missed anything, I'd just hit that area again as I walked backwards to start a new swath.

Before shot of the driveway

Here's another before photo of the concrete driveway. In this photo, you can see more of the gunk that I had to cut through. As you look towards the left edge of the driveway, you can see that the mold intensifies. My 2550 psi pressure washer with a 15 degree tip cut through it well. I imagine a 3000 psi or 3500 psi pressure washer would've been better suited to the task. My buddy pointed out that the higher powered pressure washers could do the job with a wider tip - 25 degrees for instance.

Tip: wear googles and ear plugs especially when spending quite a bit of time on a big project such as this. An even better tip is to invest in a longer hose or in an extension hose. I'm going to buy an additional 25 or 50 feet of hose to go with the 25 foot hose that came with it. Why do this? Not only will I have increased range, as it is easier to move hose than it is to move the pressure washer around, but I can stand much farther away from the little noisemaker. It will wear your ears out after a while.

Before and after shots of the driveway

Here's an after shot of the same section. Again, it's not completely dry but the difference is night and day. I hit the storm door, the stucco and the concrete foundation just below the siding. That little section of concrete foundation was completely black before. To the left is just a little dirt that I need to sweep, wash or blow off.

The next day, the driveway was even whiter as it had another day to dry. Another buddy has some problem siding that didn't come clean after an initial pressure washing. I wonder how we can tackle that?

Before and after shots of north side of house

Here's a before shot of the north side of the house

Before and after shots of north side of house

Here's an after shot of the same section.

Before and after shots of north side of house

Here's a before shot of the north side of the house

Before and after shots of north side of house

Here's another after power washing shot of the north side of the house

Before and after shots of north side of house

Here's a before power washing shot of the north side of the house

Before and after shots of north side of house

Here's an after power washing shot of the north side of the house