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by Peter Brett - June 2005
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01444 440188
High Pressure Heaven?
My second confession is that I have managed to break a few pressure washers too, and discussions with manufacturers and sales reps have revealed that they can be unreliable on account of the pressure systems they use and the inevitable misuse that they receive.
Well, I used the ALTO P150 for many happy hours and it didn’t miss a beat. It was also strangely popular with other people in the office who borrowed it “just to do a small task here or there”, so I guess I am not the only one who likes pressure washing. The point is also that it remained happily reliable and leak free during the entire time that it was used, so I am happy to say that it earns its “Industrial” badge.
Industrial doesn’t mean complicated. It took me only a few minutes to connect a lance to the pressure hose, connect the water via a standard click fit hose fitting and switch the machine on. It thrummed for a few seconds and then stopped, and then thrummed into life again as I pressed the trigger and nearly had the lance out of my hand under the water pressure generated. It literally took me a few minutes to clean my domestic paved patio of its winter accumulation of dirt, grime, moss and even grass growing through the cracks between the paving slabs. The pictures might show the difference between the clean and the dirty paving slabs, and I am sure you will agree that it’s a difference worth the effort.
“Industrial” also doesn’t mean heavy and hard to handle or move around. With its built-in trolley (on large 200mm diameter wheels) and built in handle it is easy to move it around. Although it weighs over 24 Kgs it does not feel heavy or unmanoeuverable, even up small flights of steps. It is remarkably compact for the power that it has, and I found that its “footprint” in my shed was about the same as a couple of electric grass strimmers
I, and everyone else who used the pressure washer, thought how wonderful it was to have a really practical reel and winding handle to accommodate the impressive 15 metre long anti-kinking pressure hose.
There is nothing worse than having to coil up a wet hose and spray lance round a carry handle and watch it all slowly unwind as you trundle it back to the shed.
On the ALTO P150 you can wind up the pressure hose, store the lance in its carrier and wind the power cable onto its cleats at the end of your task, barely getting your hands wet. It really is easy compared to some of the pressure washers I have used.
I used two spray lances supplied as standard with the machine and each one performed very well. The TORNADO lance was excellent at cleaning flat surfaces, producing a flat spray of high pressure water that was very easy to direct. It is also possible to adjust the pressure on the lance by rotating its nozzle or the water volume regulator on the base of the machine.
The Powerspeed lance was my favourite though, producing a circular area of invincibly powerful water spray. Bird muck on the car? No problem.
Safety is taken care of as a small rocker switch behind the trigger guard will lock the trigger.
Also included at the back of the machine is a built-in removable detergent or shampoo reservoir, that is a decent size and will automatically add the detergent as you wash. I nearly got my car washed before running out of detergent! Being transparent, the reservoir is easy to monitor by eye, I think I was being just a little too thorough.
An interesting feature, and one which should appeal to the “greener” ones amongst us, is the suction mode.
This allows the inlet hose to be placed in a rain barrel, for example, and use collected water to do the pressure washing tasks. In an area like the South of England where hose pipe bans are already being threatened, it is a good way of using water that hasn’t been expensively purified. It also keeps you on the right side of the authorities. Of course, a filter should be used on the suction end of the hose because nasty bits are not a good idea in the pressure cylinder.
Frankly, I would be surprised if Nilfisk ALTO get this machine back within a few weeks. I know that the editor has his eyes on it for cleaning up the patio etc on his newly-built house, and the neighbours in my close have made a few comments and suggestions about the jobs I could do for them with it. My car needs cleaning again, and I have thought I could powerwash the floor of my garage. The ALTO P150 is the nearest thing I have come across to clean that filthy floor short of diverting a local river through it a la Hercules and the Augean Stables. This machine is highly recommended - it is great fun to use and very useful and practical too.
Airstream Communications