Mountain Washer - Review
The 15 L Mountain Washer plugs into any vehicle with a 12V outlet. The spray gun comes with a 6m long hose and three attachments: brush, spray nozzle, and shower head.
Whether it's a winter mud-fest or summer dust-fest, the ride isn't really over until you wash your bike. That can be easier said than done if you're a high-rise dweller, stage race rider, or team mechanic on the road. If loading muddy bikes into the back of your van is making a mess you might want to check out the Mountain Washer. The kit which looks like a plug-in gas can on wheels is a portable mini power washer that lets you focus of the pleasures of bike washing while doing your part to conserve water. Brought to you by Kinetic Marketing and Distribution from the Pacific Northwest, the ‘made in China’ washer comes with a one year limited warranty and sells for $140 USD. MountainWasher
Specifications and Attachments:
-15 litre tank with thread on cap
-6m x 0.5” diameter PVC hose
-Size 415mm x 235mm x 375mm
-Weight 5.8kgs
-60W / 12V DC
-3m power cable
-Operating pressure 40-130 PSI
-On / Off switch
-Spray attachment
-Shower attachment
-Brush attachment
-Side mesh pockets
-Manual
The construction appears simple and solid.
The washer has a built-in high efficiency pump motor that plugs into a typical vehicle power outlet and is rated to last 15,000 cycles. On the back covered, the on/off switch appears to be fully sealed. It has a six meter long, half inch diameter black PVC hose with plastic quick-release couplings at each end. The 2.5 millimeter thick wall is fairly tough, and shouldn't pinch off or split over time like some garden hoses. The spray nozzle, brush, and shower head attachments snap and turn into the hand-held trigger unit. The grey and orange polyethylene plastic water tank appears to have a solid construction and there are three small locking wheels to roll it around.
Easy to fill, the compact size and portability was convenient. A full tank lasts about ten minutes at full blast.
The water filter can be removed and cleaned if you can get your hand through the hole.
The quick release couplings worked well and are simple to replace. The full connector kit sells on the website for $15 USD.
Trim the hose back, press onto the receiver, and tighten the threaded cap to secure the hose.
Pull the trigger and the pump kicks in, or flip the trigger forward to get continuous flow. Rinse with a wide spray or turn the nozzle for a higher pressure thin beam of water to flush dirt from tight spaces.
Function
The unit was easy to set up and both the hose and plug-in cord seemed a good length. We ran the washer continuously for multiple cycles without the vehicle motor running and had no battery problems. Every time you fill the tank, you’re supposed to turn it on and purge the air from the system. This was straight-forward enough and the washer ran fairly quiet, switching on and off as one pulls and releases the trigger. Flip the trigger forward to get continuous flow. The small nozzle performed well and can adjust from a higher pressure thin beam to a wide light spray. If your bike is really muddy or baked on you may need to be patient since the mountain washer just doesn’t have the flow to wash your bike quickly. The tank held more than enough water to wash one really muddy bike well, and 15 litres lasted about ten minutes at continuous full blast. Washing two muddy big bikes might be a stretch at seven and a half litres a bike. By contrast the garden hose takes about five minutes to wash the same bike, but uses an estimated 35-40 litres.
The long brush was pretty useless for bike washing and like the shower head it was soon stashed in the side mesh pocket for non-bike related uses of the mountain washer. The shower head might be good for washing muddy four legged ride buddies. A removable water filter is located inside the tank, but the three inch diameter opening is a bit small for extra large hands to reach it. The hose’s quick release coupling attached and detached easily, and it was good to see a variety of replacement parts available on the website. In the end my bike and shoes were clean, and I was happy.
Pinkbike's Take:
 | It's debatable if washing your bike is critical maintenance, but it's always a good time to bond with your bike and check for possible mechanical issues. For some folks the Mountain Washer could be considered a luxury item, but for those who really need something compact or portable this unit is a good solution for washing your bike. The hose was an adequate length and the sealing, pressure, and small spray head, all performed well. Although the washer tank and hose seem durable, I would not be too rough on the plastic connections and attachments. The need for a second water source to complete two bike washes make this product a bit impractical, but it made good use of 15 litres and certainly did conserve water. - Chris Johannes |
Author Info:
Member since Nov 20, 2014
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I just got something like that: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Portable-Pressure-Washer-Power-Pump-Car-Jet-Wash-Brush-Hose-Lance-Cleaner-8L-/380984810481?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item58b476dbf1
The good thing is that it does not need that horrible 12V stuff to work. So you can use it in your bedroom spraying massage oil and other fancy juices to your girlfriend and to your girlfriend's girlfriend.
I have been thinking the the exact same pump. Is it working well?
You need to keep the pumping a few times to keep the pressure up but it is good for ur triceps
Q: I'm lazy and lack motivation, what can I do to prolong bearing life?
A: Stop washing your bike so much.
Haha!
I have also heard that excessively washing your bike can cause problems. Just dont point pressurized water at anything that has a seal!
I've always just used straight water for fear of contaminating brake pads, but I'd love to hear about a soap or solvent that leaves my brake pads functional.
Maybe I'm dreaming.
Otherwise I have used dawn with water to get my bike completely covered in suds, and no problems!
Look for the quality though, I had to re fit some seals as there was leakage at delivery due to moron working at assembly or final quality check. I opened all places with seal and two needed to be inserted properly. After that, all issues gone and all works fine since.
I get my bikes clean enough to load them in the car with that.