# Power washer/alternative you don't have connect to garden hose?



## colin72 (Sep 2, 2010)

Hi

I'm in an apartment and need to clean my screens indoors. Obviously, I won't be connecting to a hose. I'm not screen printing as a business and won't be doing it very often so I don't want to buy a washout booth or spend hundreds of dollars.

Is there any kind of power washer or alternative that would give me decent PSI to wash screens? Is there anything I could buy to use in the bathroom for example?

Thanks!


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## thutch15 (Sep 8, 2008)

colin72 said:


> Hi
> 
> I'm in an apartment and need to clean my screens indoors. Obviously, I won't be connecting to a hose. I'm not screen printing as a business and won't be doing it very often so I don't want to buy a washout booth or spend hundreds of dollars.
> 
> ...


You could use a shower head attachment. If your process is correct you do not have to have high pressure. Something like the picture I am attaching would work.


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## ScreenFoo (Aug 9, 2011)

I want to say SkinnyWizzard was saying one of those pressure pump garden sprayers works OK. The shower head would be better than just dumping water on it.

Be careful if you decide not to use high pressure, it's easy to make a screen look clean when it's actually evenly contaminated. Back when I was forced to do this for lack of equipment it seemed I used a lot of labor and water for less than ideal results. Of course I should make the disclaimer that I'm pretty well spoiled now on reclaim.


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## thutch15 (Sep 8, 2008)

ScreenFoo said:


> Of course I should make the disclaimer that I'm pretty well spoiled now on reclaim.


Forgot about reclaiming... that is possible, but difficult without some high pressure.


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## RhinoGuy (Jul 26, 2011)

Before we had a pressure washer we reclaimed our screens at a car wash. Its amazing how fast you can reclaim a screen when you are paying by the minute.


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## thutch15 (Sep 8, 2008)

RhinoGuy said:


> Before we had a pressure washer we reclaimed our screens at a car wash. Its amazing how fast you can reclaim a screen when you are paying by the minute.


Haha I did the same thing.


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## CreativiTEES (Sep 1, 2010)

Right now I have a garden hose hooked up to my sink with converter I bought from home depot and I can unscrew it when I don't want it connected. I am in the process of finding a converter so I can attach it to my shower spout, which is what I thought I bought but it turned out to be for the sink. I was using a shower head before that and I hated it it took forever.


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## TYGERON (Apr 26, 2009)

thutch15 said:


> Forgot about reclaiming... that is possible, but difficult without some high pressure.


Doesn't have to be difficult. "High" of course is relative. If an emulsion is underexposed or improper chemicals are used prior to reclaiming you can have difficulties. But with a reclaimer formulated for the emulsion you're using, it should take normal pressure. Actually no more than washout pressure.


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## colin72 (Sep 2, 2010)

Thanks for all of the ideas. I really appreciate it.


I didn't know there were convertors that let you hook up a garden hose to a faucet and shower. Could you then somehow use one of the convertors to hook up a small power washer?


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## spankthafunk (Apr 9, 2007)

thutch15 said:


> You could use a shower head attachment. If your process is correct you do not have to have high pressure. Something like the picture I am attaching would work.


When I was in my apartment I used one of these with capillary film and never had any problems. As long as you aren't doing fine detail, halftone dots, and exposing properly you won't have any problems. And you still probably won't have problems with detail. Good luck!


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## CreativiTEES (Sep 1, 2010)

colin72 said:


> Thanks for all of the ideas. I really appreciate it.
> 
> 
> I didn't know there were convertors that let you hook up a garden hose to a faucet and shower. Could you then somehow use one of the convertors to hook up a small power washer?


Yes I don't have a power washer yet but when I do I will by a Y adapter and hook one to the regular hose and one to the power washer . 
A shower head does work, don't get me wrong but for all the extra work to reclaim screen its worth the couple of dollars for the parts you need to hook up the sink/shower.


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## colin72 (Sep 2, 2010)

I bought an adapter for the shower ($5), a 10' hose ($7), and a Green Machine power washer from Lowes ($98 + $12 for a 2 year warranty). 

I looked online at tons of low price power washers and this one seemed the best choice (because let's face it, most of them suck). I'm not a buy-the-warranty-guy but it seems to be a no brainer with power washers.

Everything works great. My last visit to the car wash must have cost me at least $6 in quarters so $120+ for this set up will definitely save time and money.


Thanks again everyone. I really appreciate it.


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## spankthafunk (Apr 9, 2007)

Good luck! Send pics of your setup and let us know how it works out for ya!


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## thutch15 (Sep 8, 2008)

colin72 said:


> I'm not a buy-the-warranty-guy but it seems to be a no brainer with power washers.


haha that is exactly what I did... probably first and only ext warranty I will buy. Had to assume that my cheap pressure washer was not made to be used as much as I use it.


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## littlewing830 (May 15, 2014)

colin72 said:


> I bought an adapter for the shower ($5), a 10' hose ($7), and a Green Machine power washer from Lowes ($98 + $12 for a 2 year warranty).
> 
> I looked online at tons of low price power washers and this one seemed the best choice (because let's face it, most of them suck). I'm not a buy-the-warranty-guy but it seems to be a no brainer with power washers.
> 
> ...


Hi,

I was wondering if this system worked well for you? Do you get the same amount of water pressure as you would using an outdoor hose hook-up?


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## lvprinting (Sep 23, 2014)

You won't need a ton of water pressure to get a pressure washer going. Instead, you need a good flow rate. I have my own well/water pump and I don't even need to pressure wash my screens if I scrub them properly with emulsion reclaimer and a scrub brush. Reclaiming a screen only takes me a few minutes using a hose.

My method is simple. Spray reclaimer on clean screen (no ink) using the widest mist spray setting on the spray bottle. Scrub for a few seconds, flip the screen to the other side and repeat. I do this a few times and it falls right off using a hose sprayer "flat" setting.

I don't dilute my reclaimer, nor do I use a dip tank.

Sent from my SM-G900T using T-Shirt Forums


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