# Running a Karcher from a water butt



## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Did this today, well ran it from a 25 litre drum.

Very pleased, it worked very well, never thought to try this before, just basically cut a small section of hose and attached a hozelock to one end (which connected to the Karcher) and stuck the other in the drum.

Very pleased now as this was waste water from my Reverse Osmosis unit. Nice to be getting filtered water and have no real wastage from the filter! :thumb:


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## Autovogue (Oct 1, 2006)

run mine from the tank in my van all day long, no probs at all


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## Glider (Jan 10, 2006)

Always better to have the water butt slightly higher than the pressure washer though.


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Glider said:


> Always better to have the water butt slightly higher than the pressure washer though.


Oh you tease, do explain


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## Glider (Jan 10, 2006)

Gravity or "head" pressure, better than the pressure washer sucking too hard, does sound like a blow.......job don't it.


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

:lol:

Will raise the water source next time.


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

How much water did you use to do the whole car Neil?


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## GlynRS2 (Jan 21, 2006)

You are just trying to convince me to get an RO system aren't you.
Good use for the waste water.
I was thinking I might run the waste into a water butt, to use for watering the garden. This would have a tap on so would be perfect for feeding the pressure washing. Good thinking Neil :thumb:


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## bigal76 (Aug 15, 2006)

Am I right in saying that you need a Karcher 3 series or above to be able to use a drum for a water source (i.e. not connected to mains) or do 2 series do that as well?


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Alex L said:


> How much water did you use to do the whole car Neil?


I only saved one drum for the test, but this cleaned all 4 wheels and arches, then I did the plastic lowers and rinsed around the whole car.

So quite alot all in all.

I think 50-60 litres could do the car comfortably.

I'll see next week as the water is all stored away now. :thumb:


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

GlynRS2 said:


> You are just trying to convince me to get an RO system aren't you.
> Good use for the waste water.
> I was thinking I might run the waste into a water butt, to use for watering the garden. This would have a tap on so would be perfect for feeding the pressure washing. Good thinking Neil :thumb:


I imagine that even though you are under hose pipe ban conditions, this solution is workable as your sourcing water from a butt? If so, great feeling 'beating' the system


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

bigal76 said:


> Am I right in saying that you need a Karcher 3 series or above to be able to use a drum for a water source (i.e. not connected to mains) or do 2 series do that as well?


I am unsure to be honest, I run a 4 series machine. :thumb:


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

Neil_S said:


> I only saved one drum for the test, but this cleaned all 4 wheels and arches, then I did the plastic lowers and rinsed around the whole car.
> 
> So quite alot all in all.
> 
> ...


So with a 2 bucket wash nearly 80-100 litres?


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Alex L said:


> So with a 2 bucket wash nearly 80-100 litres?


Yeah, I did 10 litres on the wheels, plastics. 10 litre rinse bucket and 10 litre wash.

Plus Gilmour use, so around 100 litres. Quite pleased really as I thought I was using more like 150 litres. :doublesho


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

Neil_S said:


> Yeah, I did 10 litres on the wheels, plastics. 10 litre rinse bucket and 10 litre wash.
> 
> Plus Gilmour use, so around 100 litres. Quite pleased really as I thought I was using more like 150 litres. :doublesho


I thought my 50 litres to wash a car was bad, although if i had access to a hose i could see the extra being just un blasting the underside, wheels and arches:thumb: :thumb:


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## jac-in-a-box (Mar 15, 2006)

I came up with this solution to beat the hose pipe ban this year...I ran it past a few of the local water authorities who had the ban in place, generally it was "approved".

One response from one WA said it was OK to use "provided I didn't fill the container with a piece of hose connected to the domestic water main that exceeded 4 feet in length"!!

Anyway my version which usefully doubled up as a storage box for products when travelling:



















Plastic storage box for nought and a couple of quid on fittings - works perfectly

Agree with comments regarding raising the container above the level of the power washer..give the pump a positive pressure and avoid unecessary stress on the pump unit

Dave


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Very good idea! You had a ban up in Dundee?


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## PETER @ ECLIPSE (Apr 19, 2006)

ive got a small karcher 090, which i use if i have to use the genny , works fine from the tank in the van


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## Glider (Jan 10, 2006)

Glad we don't have hosepipe bans up this way.


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## jac-in-a-box (Mar 15, 2006)

Neil_S said:


> Very good idea! You had a ban up in Dundee?


No, not here...we're usually knee deep in the wet stuff

I used it for my forays South of Hadrians Wall this year - worked well too

Dave


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

Dave I thought the bans were exempt for commercial use?

Now you've given me an idea how to use my council recycling box :lol:


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Brazo said:


> Now you've given me an idea how to use my council recycling box :lol:


PMSL! Well it is recycling after all, reuse of the product


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

^^Yes and if your listening Thames Water I'll be sure to reuse my old bath water 





























Just as soon as you reduce your leakgae rates from '**** off' to 'an absolute joke' :lol:


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## jac-in-a-box (Mar 15, 2006)

Brazo said:


> Dave I thought the bans were exempt for commercial use?
> 
> Now you've given me an idea how to use my council recycling box :lol:


Bans - I "think" they are for most of the water authorities who've imposed the ban. However in the early days, to reduce any problems to the customer and myself, I emailed the relevant authorities for clarification and answers were far from clear cut.

Even now, I know some WA's can be indifferent to "commercial" enterprises, and the situation is far from crystal clear.

Council recycling box is ideal I would have used mine, but it's already been pressed into service for similar car care duty!

A philosophical "on the lavvy" thought....2,000 years ago the Romans developed an efficient and effective system for water supply. Fast forward to now...progress? I think not!

Dave


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## PETER @ ECLIPSE (Apr 19, 2006)

the romans didnt have big 7 seies karchers lol


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## Jules (May 21, 2006)

jac-in-a-box said:


> A philosophical "on the lavvy" thought....2,000 years ago the Romans developed an efficient and effective system for water supply. Fast forward to now...progress? I think not!


Quite, and considering we can construct a pipe-line from Sweden to the UK to provide us with natural Gas, why can we not do the same with a water pipe from Scotland to 'dan sarf'?


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## Paul-T (Nov 2, 2006)

My Karcher is about 6 or 7 years old, and runs fine from my recycling box full of water. I'm waiting for our stupid smug next door neighbour to grass me up for using the PW now, but seeing as it is from, in effect, a big bucket, I am quite prepared to fight that case!


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Reg Hollis said:


> My Karcher is about 6 or 7 years old, and runs fine from my recycling box full of water. I'm waiting for our stupid smug next door neighbour to grass me up for using the PW now, but seeing as it is from, in effect, a big bucket, I am quite prepared to fight that case!


Give him a blast with the Karcher if he does


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Neil_S said:


> Give him a blast with the Karcher if he does


If / when it gets cold I will use a bucket of warm water to feed my pressure washer :thumb:


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

I wonder if you could fill your tank up in a van with water from a supermarket jetwash? 4-5 mins should give you enough!

Wonder if they'd mind?


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## Paul-T (Nov 2, 2006)

Its only wrong if you get caught.


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## vsideboy (Sep 1, 2006)

jac-in-a-box said:


> One response from one WA said it was OK to use "provided I didn't fill the container with a piece of hose connected to the domestic water main that exceeded 4 feet in length"!!
> Dave


But it would be ok to fill the container up with several buckets filled up from the mains supply.

Hose Bans really annoy me.

I don't think we are on one but I rinse my car off with the hose set to 'mist' and spray it like i am spraying paint. It has enough pressure to rinse the car off nicely and yet I end up using less than a bucket-full of water. If I was on a ban then it would probably take at least 3 or 4 bucketfulls of water to rinse.

My theory is if you take care then its easy to use alot less water with a hosepipe than with a bucket!


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## The Autowerks (Mar 31, 2006)

vsideboy said:


> My theory is if you take care then its easy to use alot less water with a hosepipe than with a bucket!


couldn't agree more.......i can get away with using just over two buckets of water to rinse the car, and thats using a watering can, and excluding the wheels, they're done separate.

i may look into what my local authority make of the water butt idea, especially filling it up using buckets from the main water tap. would be quite handy, although you still have to fill buckets!!! :wall:


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## vsideboy (Sep 1, 2006)

My water company is still giving away a free hosepipe trigger spray.
http://www.yorkshirewater.com/?OBH=2936&SPAID=57

With this as the first paragraph:-
To help you *conserve* water in your garden this summer we're offering customers a free 5 function hosegun. Simply fill in the form and we'll send it out to you within 28 days. The offer is subject to availability, limited to one per household and only available to Yorkshire Water customers.


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## The Autowerks (Mar 31, 2006)

is it advisable to use the water from a water butt to wash your car with if it is connected to the rain water guttering?? surely it'd have all sorts of muck and grit in it. wouldn't this damage a pressure washer if it were connected to the butt?

so is there some sort of simple filter that can be purchased for the butt in order to trap the large bits of muck?


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## john32 (Jun 23, 2006)

Harry said:


> so is there some sort of simple filter that can be purchased for the butt in order to trap the large bits of muck?


Simple answer is yes, and the kit Karcher sell for the purpose includes an inline filter.


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## The Autowerks (Mar 31, 2006)

superb....cheers!


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## Ennoch (Jan 31, 2006)

john32 said:


> Simple answer is yes, and the kit Karcher sell for the purpose includes an inline filter.


I don't suppose you would have a link for this said kit? Been after something like this but have been unabel to track something down.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Ennoch said:


> I don't suppose you would have a link for this said kit? Been after something like this but have been unabel to track something down.


Do a search on the Karcher web site
:thumb:


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## Ennoch (Jan 31, 2006)

Already tried that. As I said, a link would be superb. Mostly i can find semi-related stuff on american websites but nothing other than caravan websites for sink filters!


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Ennoch said:


> Already tried that. As I said, a link would be superb. Mostly i can find semi-related stuff on american websites but nothing other than caravan websites for sink filters!


Part number 4.730-059.0 refers to Water filter suitable for Usable with the following products:

K 2.40 plus
K 2.94 MD plus
K 3.96 M plus
K 3300 GS
K 4.99 M plus
K 5.85 M
K 7.20 M plus

K 2.89 M plus
K 2.98 M plus
K 3.98 M plus
K 4.96 M plus (Open Me)
K 4.99 M plus T 300
K 5.96 M (Open Me)
K 7.80 MD
K 2.01 plus
K 2.89 plus
K 2.99 M plus T 50
K 3.99 M plus
K 4.98 MD
K 5.50 M plus
K 6.80 M
K 7.85 M
K 2.02 plus
K 2.90 M plus
K 2.99 MD plus
K 3.99 M plus T 100
K 4.98 MD
K 5.80 M
K 6.85 M
K 855 HS

I had a link for a supplier as someone else here wanted a garden hose adaptor for the karchers , hope that helps , I can't look much further at the moment as I am also playing chess on line


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## Tone (Oct 25, 2005)

Ennoch said:


> Already tried that. As I said, a link would be superb. Mostly i can find semi-related stuff on american websites but nothing other than caravan websites for sink filters!


Im guessing its like the one in the following link.. http://www.tooled-up.com/ManProduct.asp?PID=120848

To see if there's a hose pipe on http://www.hozelock.com/HosePipe.asp


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Tone said:


> Im guessing its like the one in the following link.. http://www.tooled-up.com/ManProduct.asp?PID=120848
> 
> To see if there's a hose pipe on http://www.hozelock.com/HosePipe.asp


The one I saw is not like that and much cheaper around a tenner :thumb:


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## Tone (Oct 25, 2005)

Avanti said:


> The one I saw is not like that and much cheaper around a tenner :thumb:


http://www.nextday-karcher.co.uk/acatalog/Karcher_Water_Filters.html

Although i cant find any other suppliers in the UK for cheaper. Oh. i don't own a Karcher by the way, so don't know which fittings they take etc..lol


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Tone said:


> http://www.nextday-karcher.co.uk/acatalog/Karcher_Water_Filters.html
> 
> Although i cant find any other suppliers in the UK for cheaper. Oh. i don't own a Karcher by the way, so don't know which fittings they take etc..lol


That is the one I am on about, search for garden hose adaptor on this forum and there you will find a link for a cheaper supplier and may well have a universal filter for any machine :thumb:


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## john32 (Jun 23, 2006)

I can't find one on Karchers web site, but this is it

http://www.tooled-up.com/ManProduct.asp?PID=120848&MAN=Karcher-Suction-Hose-And-Filter-K-Series

Although it is silly money, I made one, cost about £13

John


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## Paul-T (Nov 2, 2006)

The proper karcher one is in B&Q for £29.99. No ta.

So i just scrape out the leaves and dead things, and away we go.


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## vsideboy (Sep 1, 2006)

Reg Hollis said:


> The proper karcher one is in B&Q for £29.99. No ta.
> 
> So i just scrape out the leaves and dead things, and away we go.


Aye, rinse it out before use and you should be ok.


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## Ennoch (Jan 31, 2006)

Awesome, the £30 one atatched to the hose was precisely what I was after! Many thanks! I need something like that as mine will be forever getting fed from muddy streams etc. Spot on.


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## Ennoch (Jan 31, 2006)

Hmm, if any of you guys want one of these suction hoses, try in your local homebase. Just picked one up for £20 which I thought was none too bad.


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## The Autowerks (Mar 31, 2006)

can you upload a pic Ennoch? what department can it be found in?


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## Ennoch (Jan 31, 2006)

http://www.tooled-up.com/ManProduct.asp?PID=120848&MAN=Karcher-Suction-Hose-And-Filter-K-Series

it's the hose in that link but I can take a pic of the box when I get home from work tonight. It's a black box about 12" square and 3" thick and hangs alongside the karcher accesories (or at least it did in my branch). They only had the one left but I'm sure most stores could order it in at no extra cost if they don't have any in.

Al.


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## alexsix (Sep 23, 2006)

jac-in-a-box said:


> I came up with this solution to beat the hose pipe ban this year...I ran it past a few of the local water authorities who had the ban in place, generally it was "approved".
> 
> One response from one WA said it was OK to use "provided I didn't fill the container with a piece of hose connected to the domestic water main that exceeded 4 feet in length"!!
> 
> ...


Yeah I've done something similar to this today namely *******ising the blue recycling box the council gives you

Much better than fannying about filling buckets up to feed the Karcher!

£5 on fittings from B&Q, drill ahole in the box and hey presto


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