Pressure washing an airstream

[navyeod]

Set to try to pick up my 58 Overlander this weekend. I have read a lot of threads on washing the airstream and looks like Joy is the safest detergent to use???? I have a honda 11 hp pressure washer and would like to use that also with the widest spray wand. Wife is quite concerned about the look of this thing in the driveway.. My airstream has no worries about clearcoat as it never had it, and if it did it would be long gone under this mess. Any recommendations would be appreciated. David

[SilverAvion]

i try never to use a pressure washer on anything. just my personal feeling.
dish soap and elbow grease (and a good brush) should do the job

[azflycaster]

I agree. Pressure washing is likely to cause more problems with a trailer of that age.

[markdoane]

I wouldn't either. I used a pressure washer to check the the seams on my '59 before sealing them. Lots of water got in.

[navyeod]

I am going to be doing a full monty on this trailer and the inside is pretty well trash as it is. Does this make a diff.

[Gene]

The settings on my pressure washer for a wide and weaker stream aren't a lot more pressure than the nozzle on a garden hose. I stay further away too. Maybe it depends on the pressure washer, how close you are, and the wand. The pressure washer helps me get a lot of water to the top.

Considering that I can use the pressure washer (2,400 psi) at full blast for our pickup and 4Runner and have never had any problems (though don't hit the decals directly), that says something about the difference between the clear coat on Toyotas and Airstreams.

When you are driving 60 mph and the rain is blowing at the trailer at 30 mph, the water is hitting the trailer at 90 mph. How many psi is that? I don't know, but my wild guess is that it may be more than a pressure washer at the lowest settings.

Small scale rant: I do have my doubts my Delta pressure washer delivers a full 2,400 psi. The wand has been replaced once under warranty and doesn't work well. I replaced the hose too as all the fittings were leaking. I wouldn't recommend this brand and I think that it is possible any light duty (i.e., less than $500 or $600) pressure washer is of high enough quality to last very long.

Gene

[Silverwanabe]

If you are going to gut the inside and remove the interior skins, pressure wash should be ok. If there are leaks, you can seal them from the inside with the skins off.
Watch around windows and vents.

Good Luck

[Foiled Again]

Your car's body is made of steel, the airstream is made of Aluminum. You could actually dent it if you're not careful.

I rinse mine at a local car wash after hand washing it with microfiber rags, but I use low pressure and let it fall down on the airstream or hit at a very oblique attitude. I never aim it directly on anything but the wheels and tires.

Paula

[truckasaurus]

A little different but I pressure washed mine from the inside last week, I used an inexpensive Simoniz electric washer with hot water set to medium soft. There was no damage and the force of the washer didn't even take of the tape Airstream had used to hold the insulation in place. I have also taken it through a bay wand wash and was just sensible about the job.

[somefun]

In a desperate attempt to remove sap/droppings from fir trees, I used a pressure washer on my Airstream a couple of years ago. I was careful around seams, but not so much around rivets. I saved a lot of time in the cleaning process, but I've been chasing down new leaks ever since. If I had it to do over again, I would leave it dirty before I used a pressure washer.

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by navyeod

Set to try to pick up my 58 Overlander this weekend. I have read a lot of threads on washing the airstream and looks like Joy is the safest detergent to use???? I have a honda 11 hp pressure washer and would like to use that also with the widest spray wand. Wife is quite concerned about the look of this thing in the driveway.. My airstream has no worries about clearcoat as it never had it, and if it did it would be long gone under this mess. Any recommendations would be appreciated. David

Oops, you say?
How long will you be "allowed" to keep this in the driveway? A full Monty is gonna take more than a few weeks..Just thinking out loud...
I'd say..Go ahead and, wash it. Use some elbow grease for the hard to clean areas, then risen it off..Just stand back a bit..
I don't know but..a case or two of the right kind of beer might even get a few extra hands to turn out..for sidewalk supervision...
My only real concern is..26 ft with a single axle..? That's asking for alot of grunting for just two tires.
Good luck...
53FC

Having said that..
You'll be surprise how the ole gal will clean up~
footnote..
be prepared to re-caulk the seams/rivets in any event..
One last thing and, then I will shut up...be sure to take lots of photos..~

[navyeod]

Thanks for your advice. I am going to leave the pressure washer in its storage spot. Thought of opening up leaks in those rivets makes up my mind. Thanks much.

[navyeod]

I plan to bring it home and park it in the driveway just to strip the interior and take off the belly pan . I will then move it to the fellow who is going to do my frame work. My house sits in a hole and others cant see whats there, but my wife can see it really well and is really not that excited about it being at her home. Hoping when I clean old Eugene up she will be more accepting. . My guess on the full monty is a couple of years of work, but I am in no hurry to head off to camp, at least not yet. Havent made up my mind yet on one or two axles, will see how it tows home and will make up my mind. I know few would go for a single axle. Meanwhile I will look for a place to keep it with some electric power to do the long drawn out rehab.

[glassman]

I used a pressure washer on our AS. Big mistake.
In a week or so later I went inside and there was mold growing on the interior walls!

[Lumatic]

I have used a pressure washer with stripping the clear coat without any apparent ill effects in spite of the advice of others. Maybe just dumb luck I was OK. I was careful not to spray directly into seams etc, and did go back and re seal some of the seams. I also live in NM. For routine washing I would not use a pressuure washer.

[ROBERT CROSS]

What.... your PWing at two feet?

Wide spray at 5 feet for five years, no leaks.
Just stay away from the windows.

IMHO, It's just as important to rinse well, can you say filiform.

[navyeod]

Mine cleaned up fine with simple green and some scotchbrite pads. i wasnt too worried about scratches as i was going to polish later and their was so much junk on the airstream. Tons of tree sap to get off later with solvents.

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by navyeod

Mine cleaned up fine with simple green and some scotchbrite pads. i wasnt too worried about scratches as i was going to polish later and their was so much junk on the airstream. Tons of tree sap to get off later with solvents.

Note the keywords above "polish it later" Scotchbrite will cause some scratching. There are some who would just use soap and a sponge and say the oxidation gives the 58 character. The oxidized patina does look pretty even and uniform from the photo. Once it's gone you will have to wait another 50 years to get it back again.