PowerFit PF31023B Surface Cleaner, 15-Inch

PowerFit PF31023B Surface Cleaner, 15-Inch

I was getting ready to powerwash my sidewalks and I saw a YouTube video by the Lawn Care Nut in which he had a special attachment for a pressure washer for washing flat surfaces like sidewalks and driveways.  The model he used and the model used in a video reference by his video didn’t get such good reviews, but there were other similar models that did get good reviews.  Traditionally I would use the yellow tip of my pressure washer (next to maximum force, but with a narrow stream) to pressure wash concrete.  It works well, but it is tedious, time-consuming and I get so dirty from the spray scatter that I need to go through a 10 stage decontamination process when I am done.

So, time for a new toy.  This arrived yesterday and I debuted it today.

It connects to a standard pressure washer wand quick connect end.  The stream is directed down the center shaft and out 2 nozzles.  The water jet is directed at an angle to the ground causing the nozzles to spin.  The jet path is 3 inches wide and halo diameter is 15 inches.  So as you move it back and forth you have a 15″ swath.  (instead of a 1 to 3″ swath from the typical yellow tip.  This makes the job faster and decreases striping and other unevenness of the cleaning pattern.

It took me about 90 minutes to clean my entire front sidewalk, the sidewalk leading from the driveway to the front steps, the front steps and landing and the concrete strip in front of my garage.  I estimate that is roughly 2 to 3 times faster than with just the yellow tip.  I suspect that if it were used with a more powerful pressure washer, say 3000 psi, it would not require as many passes and the cleaning would be faster. When I was done, I was relatively splatter free, dry, and didn’t require the 10 stage decontamination process.

Many reviews complained that these type of units are not very durable.  One suggested you take it apart, clean & grease it, and reassemble it for maintenance to prolong its life.  I noted the appearance of some “play” in the nozzle mechanism after the 90-minute use, so I did the above process to attempt to restore it to its new condition.

After Cleaning

Although I followed the online instructions, when it was reassembled, there was still the same amount of “play” in the mechanism.  I think the “play” is caused by wearing of the plastic ‘O’ rings in the faucet-like insert.  Hopefully, it will last a few more uses.  It’s not terribly expensive at $62.48, but it would be preferable not to consider it a disposable unit.

Unit on Amazon