Gerni or not to Gerni

[John1]

OK folks I am buying a Gerni on Wednesday as I want it primarily for the concrete so I can clean out the cracks ready for repairing ready for painting or artificial turf or whatever Pam decides to cover it with. The Gerni will be a 120.4 as all the reviews seem to lean in this direction [price wise].

 I don't want to be spending a large amount of money on a machine that will lay idle for months at a time. Had a top of the range Karcher and had problems with it. Nothing wrong with the metal pump [as I still have it] but the hose was what looked like spot welded in one place [ the hose connection to the pump outlet] and trying to undo it to get a new hose as it was broken by my gremlins [nobody admitted running over it] so it broke I still have the metal pump and wands as I take everything apart to get to the screws and small bits and pieces as I don't like waste.

Has anyone got one of these Gerni's and how's the best way to store them.

You may not own a Gerni but if you have had problems with Water Pressure Cleaner's what were or are they and could you fix them.

[darylhewston]

@John1

We had 2 Karchers and they both failed after a short amount of time.  Now we have a Gerni and had no problems at all over the last 18 months.  We use ours all the time so long term storage is not a problem.  I do vaseline the 'O' rings occasionally to keep them in good condition.

If you will only be using it for say 2-3 times per year, why not hire?  This way you won't have the maintenance issues and you have the option of both cold and hot water washers. 

Cheers'n'beers

Daryl

[Joker]

Yes, I was thinking why not hire as well. I have often thought it's a bit crazy to buy items like lawnmowers, wheelbarrows and pressure washers when most of the time they are just sitting in the shed. I reckon a local co-op with neighbours would work well. 

[John1]

I must have this down on Bunnings as I have had a bad time with their service it stinks. But I was wrong about my Gerni [not the service] brought the Gerni home and opened the box. Came screaming in Pam the b's at Bunnings have jipped me on the added extras on the Gerni says their's a tornado fitting in their and it aint. My English and temper are not very good.

So it's going back started to pack the box. Oh no sudden change of heart and temper unlike my old Karcher that had wands the Gerni only had head sections and with a bowed head and a nervous laugh told Pam they were their its just they were hidden [ to embarrassed to say they were in plain sight].

Sorry Bunnings. 

Hire against buying. I hired an Acrow to do a job took it back and then found I had to hire it again and again, only for small jobs then found some months latter Bunnings had Acro Props for about the same cost as I paid for the hire over the amount of times I hired The Acro.

I find I own it and it's their when I need it and the $250 I paid for  the Gerni [$199] and the drain line [about $50]. I was spot on the same price they had them at Supercheap except the brush was also in the package at Supercheap. Bunnings wont match the price as the kits had different accessories.

[Andy_Mann]

@John1, how's your Gerni going, have you put it through the paces yet?

True story:

We have a Stihl unit (RE160?) which wasn't an el-cheapo, but we had a problem where not enough water passed through the pump for it to kick in at full output pressure. In my naevity, I took it to our state (SA) Stihl distribution centre for them to look at, & after a week, got the bad news that it would be too expensive to repair. The good people that they were, put me onto a sale special of a unit that would be perfect, & for a never to be repeated, $299. I wasn't sold on the notion that our $1000 (less than 10 y/o, brass body pump & ceramic coated piston) unit was unrepairable, & that a $299 unit would cut it. So instead, I took it back home & ran some $7 Clothes Iron Cleaner (scale remover) through it, & Ca CHING, happy days. : )

Don't yah just love our Australian retail system???

[boris]

From my experience I suggest you consider a more powerful motor than the cheapest models, perhaps the mid range level. I've blown up a couple of the cheaper ones over the years!