Under Pressure

Today in Tedium: Yard work—even at the best of times—is a pain. We’re no strangers to voicing our disdain for the mundane, often monotonous tasks involved with keeping a yard maintained. Nor are we averse to admitting that wayward leaves can sometimes be a pain. But sometimes there are fantastic solutions to these yardwork conundrums. Now, I definitely did not miss my calling as an arborist or a landscaper. Cleaning up branches and trimming trees are my least favorite bits of yard maintenance. But there is one thing I truly enjoy: power washing. Using a pressure washer is a fun, powerful way to clean things up, blast dirt off surfaces, and have a good time while doing it. In today’s Tedium, we’re putting things under pressure as we discuss the story of every dad’s favorite power tool: the pressure washer. — David @ Tedium

(Jenny Products)

The pressure washer can trace its roots to prohibition

Some say that necessity is the mother of invention. But more often, it seems that happy accidents play more of a role than they’re given credit for. Such is the case with the pressure washer. Born of an accident in one man’s garage, the pressure washer would go on to become a staple of industrial and household work.

Our story begins in the small town of Moon Township, PA. A small town situated along the Ohio River, Moon Township is actually part of the Pittsburgh Metro area. Settled in the 18th century, the area was named “one of the best, affordable places to live” in the northeast by BusinessWeek back in 2007. But that isn’t the town’s only claim to fame: one of their residents was responsible for creating the precursor to the pressure washer as we know it!

It all started when Frank W. Ofeldt II was working on his whiskey stills at home. In 1926—seven years before prohibition officially ended—Ofeldt noticed something unusual: the steam from his whiskey stills was removing grease stains from his garage floor. Ofeldt knew his way around steam engineering and immediately saw potential in using the steam-cleaning technique in an invention.

This became a light bulb moment for Mr. Ofeldt, prompting him to look for a pump casting and try to design a cleaning contraption based around his discovery. He found the Homestead Valve Company and began collaborating with them on his new design.

Fred Scheuman Jr. Recalled the meeting as a unique experience:

Frank Ofeldt was a neat guy. He was a brilliant, rough and ready engineer, too. But he had the marketing sense of a nit.” Ofeldt and Homestead’s Schuchman joined forces and soon began developmental work on what was temporarily termed the “Hypressure Vapor Spray Generator.”

An adman who worked at the agency by the name of Eltinge decided to christen it the “Steam Powered Jenny” instead.

Essentially, Frank W. Ofeldt II created a steam-powered cleaner.

The magnificent device ushered in new developments that eventually led to the development of the pressure washer as we know it today.

(via Kärcher))

The steam-powered pressure cleaner would eventually give way to further innovation

Enter Alfred Kärcher, who created the first design that would become the modern pressure washer in 1950. The German inventor was responsible for creating the first real pressure washer—the DS30 high pressure washer—which would go on to inspire many more upgrades and innovations.

Although the German inventor passed only nine years after his creation appeared, the company carried on, expanding its research and development.

Kärcher developed the first modern high pressure washer device. But the pump wasn’t quite up to snuff. Throughout the decade and well into the next, Kärcher continued to develop and expand the design. Then the Cat Pump came along and revolutionized the inner workings of the device.

The Cat Pump company created the Uniflow piston pump that lasted 10 times longer and could reach incredibly high forces. Technology continued to advance and by the mid 70s, they had Piston pumps that could reach 3,000 PSI. These innovations led to the modern pressure washers we have today.

The name Kärcher has pretty much become synonymous with quality when it comes to pressure washers, offering many unique models—both gas and electric. Today, they hold patents and manufacture cleaning products of all types.

For a fascinating look into the evolution of Kärcher pressure washers, our friends over at The Internet Archive have an extensive collection of old operator and parts manuals for you to peruse at your leisure.

(peachtreepressurewashing/Flickr)

Pressure washers work in mysterious ways (but not really)

Part of the broader appeal of pressure washers is blasting crud, dirt, and debris off surfaces. But the inner workings behind them are just as fascinating.

A gas pressure washer has a few components that help it do its thing. There’s a motor (for electric) or gas tank (for, um, gas-powered models), a water pump, water inlet, high pressure hose, a tank, and usually a spray gun attachment with nozzles. The way they work is fascinating.

Per Explain That Stuff!, the washer is usually connected to a faucet or other water source. Water flows from that Source through the hose and gets filtered into the inlet. When the motor or engine kicks in, it powers up the washer to provide impetus for the pump to do its job. The pump draws in the water and any soap, mixes them together, and heats them to a fairly hot temperature. The pump then proceeds to squirt the water into a reinforced high pressure hose. The nozzle on the attachment is narrow at different angles to allow for adjusting the pressure even further. This high pressure jet stream is what cleans things so effectively.

Personal protective gear is your friend, too. Pressure washing tends to kick up a lot of debris, so having eye gear is a good idea. Gloves, too. Also, it’s like swimming: you’re going to get wet. But, ultimately pressure washing is a satisfying activity worth doing. And if you’re not sure how to use one, we’ve got you covered.

Today, people use pressure washers for everything from cleaning their driveways to removing branches and paint. There are so many uses for a pressure washer, it’s hard to list them all. Aside from their value as a maintenance tool, sometimes people get a little creative and unconventional with how they use their own pressure washers.