My Journey Building a Battery Powered Portable Pressure Washer

Alright, so I've been meaning to share this little project I wrapped up recently. I really needed a way to clean things when I'm nowhere near a tap or a power socket. Think about washing down the car after a dusty trip or getting mud off the mountain bikes before they go in the shed. Dragging buckets of water around is just a pain, and those full-blown pressure washers are often too much, plus they need plugging in.

So, I got this idea to build my own battery-powered portable version. I started by rummaging through my garage, looking for bits and pieces I could use. I figured I'd need a few key things:

• A decent 12-volt water pump. I had one from an old camping setup.
• A battery, of course. I settled on a spare 12V sealed lead-acid battery, the kind you might find in an emergency light or a kid's ride-on toy. It had enough juice but wasn't too heavy to lug around.
• A container for the water. A sturdy 20-liter plastic jerry can with a wide opening seemed about right.
• Some flexible hose for the inlet and outlet.
• A spray nozzle. I found a basic garden hose type one initially.
• And various bits like wires, connectors, an on/off switch, and some hose clips.

Getting Down to Business: The Build

First thing I did was to get the pump ready. I mounted it securely onto a small piece of wood, just to give it a stable base. Then, I wired it up to the battery. I put a simple toggle switch in the positive line, so I could easily turn it on and off without yanking wires. Safety first, even with low voltage, right? Made sure all my connections were snug and taped up any exposed bits.

Next up was sorting out the plumbing. I cut a length of hose for the inlet side of the pump. I pushed one end onto the pump's inlet nipple and tightened it with a hose clip. The other end, I just planned to drop into the water container. For the outlet, I attached another length of hose to the pump's outlet nipple, again securing it with a hose clip. The spray nozzle went on the other end of this outlet hose.

I wanted it to be somewhat self-contained. So, I found a way to strap the battery and the pump (on its little wooden base) to the side of the water container using some strong Velcro straps. It looked a bit rough, but it held everything together pretty well.

The First Test Run – Fingers Crossed!

With everything assembled, it was time to see if this contraption actually worked. I filled the jerry can with water, dropped the inlet hose in, making sure it reached the bottom. I double-checked all my connections one last time. Then, I took a deep breath and flicked the switch.

The pump whirred to life! And then… water started spraying out of the nozzle! I won't lie, I was pretty chuffed. The pressure wasn't going to strip paint off a wall, but it was way better than just a regular hose, especially considering it was running off a small battery. It was definitely strong enough for washing down muddy bikes or rinsing salty sea spray off my kayak.

There was a tiny leak from one of the hose connections on the pump – rookie mistake, probably didn't tighten the clip enough. Switched it off, gave the clip another turn, and that sorted it.

A Few Tweaks and Improvements

After using it a few times, I decided the basic garden nozzle wasn't quite cutting it. So, I swapped it out for a slightly better one that had an adjustable spray pattern. This meant I could go from a more focused jet for stubborn dirt to a wider fan for rinsing. That was a good upgrade.

I also added a little filter to the end of the inlet hose, just a simple mesh thing, to stop any grit or leaves from being sucked into the pump and causing trouble down the line. Better safe than sorry.

Final Thoughts on My DIY Washer

So, that's the story of my battery-powered portable pressure washer. It’s not the prettiest thing, but it does the job I built it for. It's super convenient for those off-grid cleaning tasks. I’ve used it for cleaning the car wheels, washing down the patio furniture, and even giving the dog a quick rinse after a muddy walk (on a very gentle setting, of course!).

The battery lasts a surprisingly long time, usually enough for a couple of decent cleaning sessions before it needs a recharge. And the best part? I made it myself from stuff I mostly already had, or could get pretty cheap. It's been a really useful piece of kit to have around.