Converting Gasoline Pressure washer to Electric

[oil pan 4]

Putting QDs between everything really helps breaking it down for storage.
Being able to get all the water out of the pump, lines and spray gun will prevent freeze cracking when it cools off.

[dremd]

The hose came from the factory with quick connects, easy to pull hose and bring it someplace warn.

Found excellent side effect of larger nozzle, the washer now runs comfortably on an otherwise lightly loaded (few cfl's and a wireless access point) 15 amp gfci breaker. Previously I'd blow a dedicated 20 amp if I wasn't careful with bypass.

I'll get a real wattage soon using my TED (kill-a-watt is Mia).

Used it today to clean up some scrap to make an arguably green device that ill post about in another section soon.

[dremd]

Still kicking, I went to a slightly smaller nozzle which allows me to operate bypass free nearly continuously on a 20 amp breaker. I had a heck of a lot of cleaning to do at my grandmothers, and I ran it for 5 hours + with only a single overheat (of the motor) worked nearly as well as a 5+ hp gas, was much quieter, and I never have to worry about carburetor/ ignition/ fuel/ oil.
I use it daily for small task, but this was by far the longest run yet.

[oil pan 4]

I am building one now.
I have a 220v 3hp single phase 2 pole (3750rpm/noload) motor with 5/8'' keyed shaft and a standard 2.5gpm 3,000psi pressure washer pump that takes a 3/4'' shaft. Going to couple them together with an aluminum jawed urethane spider shaft coupler and a 3/4'' keyed shaft.

If I try to spin the pump up to full speed (3700 to 3400 rpm) at 3,000psi and try to get 2.5gpm out of it that's come out around 4hp.
So if standard 2.5gpm nozzles cause the motor to draw too much power then I will go to larger nozzles to drop the pressure and the power consumption.

[dremd]

Sounds like you are on top of it.
There is a nozzle chart linked in this thread someplace.
Don't forget about the bypass, excellant for tuning, that last little bit, running on lighter cables than you should, or foam cannons that are difficult to get in many nozzle sizes.
I've done all of the above.

As an update, mine still licks but several times a week.

[oil pan 4]

I'm still looking for a pump, might go with a 3.4gpm 2000psi pump.
Edit; I will be going with the heavy duty 3.4gmp 2000psi "general" pump.
Running the 3.4gpm pump at 2000 psi puts me closer to 3hp than 2.5gpm at 3000psi does.

[oil pan 4]

Ok the 3/4'' keyed shaft and spider couplers are in, they fit together perfectly.
The motor and pump should be in tomorrow.

I want to wire it up so that a low voltage momentary switch on the spray wand turns the electric motor on and off.
That way I don't have to worry about the motor flipping the circuit breaker when it goes to bypass or worry about the pump or motor over heating from being on but not spraying water.

[dremd]

I considered the switch, but where I normally operate my washer the circuit has a tough time starting my motor (which is out of a 20+ year old air compressor).
The commercial electric washers use a pressure switch which I believe northern tool sells in various pressures, I think they eliminate high pressure starts, but I'm not sure. Worth checking out for sure.

[oil pan 4]

Where I work our pressure washer is set up with switches like that.
The first day I used it I noticed some one had left it on, so when I was done washing a piece of equipment with it I went to turn it off and saw that the motor wasn't running.
So I gabbed the pressure washer gun, brought it around to the door way where the pressure washer was located and squeezed the trigger and the electric motor kicked on while the trigger was pulled and shut off when I released it.
Hadn't see that before, I always figured something like that was possible.
I am used to the kind of electric pressure washer that stays running when you let off the trigger.

I wanted to use some of those on/off pressure switches but its not in the budget right now, at some point I will upgrade to them.

[oil pan 4]

Ok I have a capacitor start capacitor run motor.
No wonder I got it so cheap, I bet the person that sold it to me couldn't figure out how to make it run.
I know how they work and what it takes to make them work.
So I am going to have to have the pressure washer run all the time.

Normally you connect the cap start circuit to a centrifugal switch. Since I don't have a centrifugal switch I will start it with a manual switch.