Parkside Power Washer (Lidl) April 2020

davidm25

Hi all

Does anyone know anything about the power washer currently on sale in Lidl?

https://www.lidl.ie/en/p/great-gardens/petrol-pressure-washer/p40579

Model no is (I think) PHDB 4 C3 (if that helps).

Have read mixed reports of these devices, would appreciate any experience boards users might have to share.

It will be used almost exclusively for powerwashing the (cobblelock) driveway so need something with that bit of clout for this job.

Thanks in advance,
Dave

colm_mcm

I’d be skeptical. Engine would probably be the weak point, assuming it’s a no name Chinese yoke.

I have seen B&S engines in Parkside lawnmowers so maybe I’m wrong.

Magic ]=)

Ton of bad reviews about this one. Was going to buy it but got the electric one instead and don't regret. Cleaned the cars and whole house and around it. It's not as powerful as I wish it was but for the money spent it's great. Got a few attachments for it from lidl and it does the job.

The Red Ace

I got one of these five or six weeks ago, needed it to wash the house down before painting and for the money it is more than up for the job, with 3000 psi it took off all loose paint moss etc, also very light on petrol, for the money and a three year guarantee can’t go too far wrong for regular diy jobs.

moonshadow

Got one today, used the feck out of it, Great bit of kit and if it didn't start again tomorrow I got my money's worth out of it.
I've no doubt it's good, as long as you have water running before starting, release the pressure on the pump before starting.....
Read the instructions about 10 times and get it in your head. It's pressurised so needs to be minded.
Very happy.

matildajane

got one of these as well and so far it has done a great job no problems at all. would like to use it independent of outside tap but the suction hose kit is not included in the packaging. Does anyone know if these attachments are universal size? If I was to buy a draper one would it fit?

irishproduce

Hope it's not too late to jump on this thread.

I have a PHDB 4 C 3 model of this that I haven't been using.

It acts funny when running but on the side of it is a little sticker indicating not to use water mains with it. It is a tap with a red circle running through it.

Are those units supposed to be used with a water butt or whats the story? Odd to indicate not to be used with mains

Thanks

The Continental Op

The  PHDB 4 C 3 shouldn't be attached to the mains supply because the pressure safety valve on the high pressure side dumps water back to the input side therefore you could be polluting the water supply. Thats why they say not be be connected to a drinking water supply, but that doesn't stop most people. If the machine was completely fcuked and left connected then you might get some water thats been through the pump back in the water main but if its working fine the net flow is going to be out of the tap.

The input pressure max is nearly 90psi so you won't damage the unit connecting it to the average mains supply. I say average as I know ours can go up to 150psi sometimes but thats very unusual.

The pressure washer is designed to work if required from a static water supply like a barrel and self primes up to a meter lift.

irishproduce

That is a fantastic explanation, Continental - Thanks.

I am having difficulty with it in that using it on the mains, lasts about 5 mins before the engine starts making heavy noise and it has to be switched off. If I want to pull the cord then to start it again, it won't pull, the cord is locked. To free up the cord, I have to remove the plastic casing, then twirl the head once with my hand and it will let me pull the cord again. The problem repeats itself though within a couple minutes again. I had assumed the using it on a pressurised mains was causing this problem. Am I right in that assumption? The mains pressure where I am is suite high

The Continental Op

I can't imagine that the water supply would have an effect on restarting the engine? The way the engine stops might? Thinking about it the starter shouldn't even be engaged until you pull the cord. I suspect there might be a spring loose or missing on the starter. I think then engine is a copy of a honda (GX 200) so spares for the starter recoil shouldn't be difficult to find if needed.

The Continental Op

Was on Amazon for something so checked looked for water pressure regulator. 20 quid an adjustable one with a gauge to give you a rough idea of the pressure https://www.amazon.co.uk/VIFER-Pressure-Regulator-Adjustable-Durable/dp/B08BP19X5B/ plus a few quid extra for some 1/2 inch fittings to get a hose pipe to fit. I have similar pressure regulator on our mains supply for the washing machine.

The other water related issue could be flow rate the machine could be starved of water after 5 minutes if the water flow is poor and the stalling engine might engage the starter as it splutters to a halt? You can have high pressure but low flow rate.

irishproduce

I wonder if that could be the problem, flow problem. The hose is 50m in length. Would that cause an issue?

Essentially, after a couple of minutes the machine stutters and sounds like struggling. Then once I switch off, the cord can't be pulled again unless I take off casing, manually turn the wheel inside. Once I do that, it works for another few mins until it struggles again

The Continental Op

You can easy work out if it is ...... goes looking for the instruction manual pdf

..........

Min flow rate 8.3 liters a minute

Max flow rate 10 liters a minute

..........

So put the end of a hose in a bucket for 1 minute and measure what ends up in the bucket. If you are spraying a full blast like most people do then the machine must be getting a minimum of 10 liters of water per minute.

irishproduce

Max flow rate 10 litres a minute.

Do you mean spraying full blast must be minimum 8.3 litres?

I am not clear how the minimum and maximum could be 10 litres per minute

All that said, you're test will demonstrate for me if that's the problem. I am going to carry out this test because I think it might be the problem. Thanks a million

The Continental Op

The figures in the manual aren't clear what minimum means but I'd want to be sure I was getting what they say is the max.

The Continental Op

Just another thought on this to test the water mains flow rate at the worst possible case use check it just after the Power Washer conks out or let it run on full bore for a couple of minutes before doing the test. Left for a bit the pressure in the mains can build up which will increase the flow rate for a short period.