Pressure washers are fine IF you know how to use one on the van.A lot of people get to close with them and thats when damage can happen.Blasting too close to the awning rails for instance can "blow" out the sealant and cause leaks.I use one with Snow Chem at the start of the season taking care not to get close to all the bits that have sealant then followed by my favorite polish/cleaner Showroom Shine.
Provided you keep nozzle well away from seams then its ok to use a pressure washer. You need to resist temptation to blast out lumps of dirt/mould around seams & clean with soap & brush, ie use washer as you would a hose.
I never use it on the body but always blast off the chassis during winter months after towing on salted roads.The body just gets washed with brush and fenwicks added to water.
My advice was to avoid pressure washers unless the caravan is really thick with grime and if you do have to use one, never aim directly at the paintwork but to point it at an angle of around 45 degree so the water bounces off. Even then you have to be careful cleaning round areas where there is sealant as if you get too close a pressure washer can cause severe damage leading to leaks in various places. I prefer to use a basic hose pipe with a long extension brush as this lifts any grime much mildly as long as you use the proper added caravan cleaner to the bucket of water on application. So if there is a need to pressure wash the bodywork you need to take extra care in it's use.
I have used a pressure washer in the past - before I realised it's potential for damage to the seals of the 'van. Don't di it any more. Also don't like bringing the 'van home because we have to keep it on the road, so I use One Dry Wash while we are away on holiday.
Pressure washers work well because of the speed that the water hits the surface material, so if you are using it close enought to clean well, the chances are you are also causing damage to the paintwork itself.
I was indirectly involved a few years ago in the re coating of a very large building which was steel cladded with hardened paint powder coated. The building owners had dutifully annually cleaned their buildings by contract with jet with pressure washers.
It turned out that these washers even when tuned down produced enough power to put tiny holes and cracks in the paint work.
The paint on vans and cars is much less able to deal with pressure washers than the paint on the building.
You also have issues with wet joints on your awning rials and the jet spray being strong enough to spoil the seal behind any furniture you have such as the window rails etc. Jets washers can be strong enough to push the sealant to one side especially if it is older and becomming more brittle, therefore making way for the rain when it comes. You can be producing problems you didn't have origonally.
I speak from experience on this, but was/am happily capable enough to repair the damage I had produced.
The 'dangers' of using a pressure washer all result from blasting off dirt at close range. Provided one uses it as a hosepipe with nozzle well away, ie wet the 'van, wash with a brush & rinse off, one will find that the pressure washer is more effective than a hose.
Hi bob, I have used a pressure washer on my van to rinse offroad dirt and grass cuttings, hose nozzle set at the lowest pressure to produce a spray, stand 6feet from van and use it like a garden hose (as if watering the lawn) only use full pressure on wheel rims only if needed. I wash my van with caravan cleaner and a soft brush, rinse off, when dry use showroom shine. I posted a topic on here last year, about a company that used pressure washers to clean my mates caravan, if you had seen the damage done by them you would never contemplate using a pressure washer as it is supposed to be used, if using one take great care and take note of all the advice given on this thread.
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Reading back a few posts,i think the no no crowd must be using the wrong chemicals or using it to actually remove dirt and grime,and thats a definate no no on the van.If you take the car to a car wash do they just blast off the dirt no,they use a chemical called snow chem(can be seen on you tube)To loosen and bring the dirt to the surface,then they use a pressure washer to rinse it off.
Been using a pressure washer for years on all my vans but,like ive said you do know how to use it on the van by standing not to close for fear of blasting out sealant.Come to think of it, is it not just the older vans that have an oil based sealant ?
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Topic: pressure washers
