Equipment exposed to rain...

[mikew 14]

Hi Everyone,

I guess this question is for anyone who has an open trailer, works out of the back of their truck, or has had prior experience with this... You are washing a house and it begins to

rain. Can the rain damage the motor on your pressure washer? Is a light rain ok but a

heavy rain could do damage? Do you try to cover the motor somehow and keep

working? I'm real particular about my equipment which is why I ask. I have not had this

happen yet but I know it will!

Thanks,

Mike

[wesley 15]

I dont work of an open trailer anymore, but when I did the rain never affected the machine. We try not to work in a downpour but have from time to time with no ill affects with machine.

[seymore 90]

Your equipment will rust after being rained..It should still work fine but look like crap.

[Larry B 55]

Thhe exhaust rusts in the rain but other than that no problems. Until it breaks down or you are changing someething around and you are fixing it it the rain. In the NW it rains often so I have not had any real problems associated with it.

[bforbis 14]

The only issue I had with rain was in the wiring harness. When it rained, moisture got into the harness and would short out something. Once I figured out what was causing the shorts, It got taped up to help water proof it. SInce then no issues with rain, other than already posted with rust

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Check the UL rating. If it has been rated by canadian UL standards, it should be able to take a full spray from the pressure washer without shorting out or causing an electrical failure.

Other than that, yes, the machine will exhibit rust on exposed metal surfaces. Use some naval jelly on these areas and then rinse off. Use a high heat paint to recoat the area to avoid further rust issues.

Rod!~

[John Orr 206]

If you have a hot water machine, you may want to consider adding a "lid" so that water does not get in. My first trailer has a vertical burner and it rusted-out at the base and almost fell through. I now have a pie plate (painted black) that flips up when the burner starts. I will be creating one for my new two-man rig soon. I also had a vinyl cover made for when the burner has cooled.

[CCPC 26]

My stuff gets rained on all the time, and I hate it. I love having an open trailer, but my next trailer/box truck will be enclosed. I've used my machine in the rain many times with no problems. It does have quite a bit a rust on the muffler and a little rust on a few other spots. I always cover the pressure washer when I think its going to rain, but if it rains while I'm out working, I don't bother covering it. I believe covering a wet machine is probably worse than letting the rain finish with it, and letting it dry out.

[mikew 14]

Thanks everyone for the replies! My machine is a cold water belt drive so I don't have to worry about the potential for burner problems yet...but I'll keep than in mind when I step up to a hot machine.

Rod - I'm not sure on the UL standard. I'll look tomorrow in the daylight. That is interesting though about being able to take full spray. I wouldn't want to try it though if I didn't need to.

I want to avoid the muffer, etc... rusting if I can though. I like my equipment to look as nice as it runs!! Should I do the naval jelly now before it has a chance to rust?

Thanks!

Mike

[PLD 14]

Should I do the naval jelly now before it has a chance to rust?

No. Naval Jelly is a rust converter. Use appropriate PAINT before rust.

[mikew 14]

No. Naval Jelly is a rust converter. Use appropriate PAINT before rust.

Ok, Thanks Philip.

Mike

[CCPC 26]

Where do you buy Navy Gel? It sounds like that would help on some rust spots on my trailer.

[Jhignutt 14]

It should be fine i power washed for 5 or 6 hours in the snow this weekend and had no problems.

[Don Phelps 85]

Where do you buy Navy Gel? It sounds like that would help on some rust spots on my trailer.

HD, Lowe's and most paint stores.

[Grime Dawg 14]

Hi All,

I'm a newbie here and just signed up a few days ago.

First I want to give a big THANK YOU to all who respond on this board. Wow,what a great place

to get years of experience and save a ton of money and aggravation. I have learned a tremendous

amount here and feel that every purchase I have made to get my business of the ground has been

a smart one based on the brilliant minds on this board :)

In the case of rust prevention, since nobody has mentioned it, I would definately check out

http://www.por15.com . I'm currently getting my (open) trailer set up and did not want to

deal with rust issues from rain or from chemicals. So after much research I came across

this site, and these are the products I am using to hopefully PREVENT a lot of maintenance

problems down the road.

The Por15 rust preventative is very unique and has received a lot of praise from auto restorers.

It bonds through a 'mechanical' bonding -Vs- a chemical bond like practically every other product

on the market. Once applied to a properly prepared surface, moisture 'cannot' get to the metal...so

therefore NO rust. It is also resistant to many chemicals including acids.

Be prepared for sticker shock. It's $33.00 a quart!

And it is very particular on how it is applied. Get the free PDF information and instruction sheets

and read them CAREFULLY! The Por15 is a single component coating. But you MUST use a seperate container

to paint from (unless you will use the entire can at one time) and you MUST make sure that the paint rim

is clean otherwise when you seal the can, you will never get it open again.

If you decide to order be sure that you understand what each of the 4 available colors are best used for,

scan through the site and the information sheets to find the details. I didn't even know that there were

different colors (types) until I got to the order page. Each color is a little different in it's qualities

and use.

Also, Por15 is used on BARE metal only (the rustier the better).

Be sure to check out their other products too:

A) The 'Hardnose' paint is a two component topcoat for items that are already painted and you don't want

to strip it to bare metal. These paints are extremely tough and also resistant to chemicals, but not the

same as applying Por15 directly to bare metal.

B) The 'PC Glisten' is a CLEAR two-component paint that can be used over polished aluminum (like aluminum

wheels, diamond plate, or anything you want a clear but tough coating on etc.). Also extremely tough...and

costly.

Be sure and get their 'Metal Ready' etch product if you are going to use the Por15. The preparation is key!

I used F-18 in place of their 'Marine Clean' to clean grease and dirt off. I would think any alkaline cleaner

would be fine for the initial cleaning, but the etch is different than stuff like Ospho, and it's best to use

their 'system'.

OK, so just in case you think I've covered 'everything" trust me I haven't. You'll need to spend some time

reviewing all the information before you buy and use any of these products.

And finally, just a heads up...these coatings take a full 4 days to harden completely. So you CANNOT use

whatever you're coating for 4 days.

Hopefully this info. will be of help to someone. My apologies for the novel, just wanted to pass along

what I know.

Todd Couch

P.S. I know it may sound like an ad for Por15, but I'm not affiliated with them in any way except that

I've given them HUGE chunks of my money in the past few weeks. OUCH!

[R L S 14]

Todd,

You sound like my brother, he loves and preaches to everyone about POR 15. Seems like great stuff.