Spray Away

Years ago, I discovered a gadget at an RV show that claimed to turn an ordinary water hose into a high-pressure sprayer. The “pitch” sounded good, so, of course, I bought one. It was called a “Water Jet” and it was a rather crude wand with a common water hose connection, an industrial-style valve on one end and a nozzle on the other—actually two interchangeable nozzles, one for high pressure and the other designed to provide a fan spray. It worked great.

For years it was buried in my storage compartment, only to be “rediscovered” each time I changed RVs. Recently, I saw a similar product at a home-improvement store under the Turbo Jet Power Washer nameplate with “As Seen On TV” credentials. It seemed to be the same basic concept, only refined somewhat and packaged differently. Naturally, I bought another one having lost the high-pressure nozzle on my original wand. (I also have a real pressure washer that runs on 120-volt AC power, but it’s not convenient to take with me on trips.)

The Turbo Jet Power Washer is attached to the packaging card with clamps. At first the wand looked like it was bent, but that was intentional to allow for pointing to the ground without bending over.

The Turbo Jet is amazingly similar to my old wand and there are quite a few other such products on the market under different names, but the concept and execution are the same. While it’s a stretch to say that the Turbo Jet (or other brands of wands) can actually substitute for a real power washer, it does come in handy for a number of cleaning projects — and it performs better than a typical water hose nozzle. I read claims on the Internet that this type of wand can generate as much as 120 pounds of pressure, which is far from the performance of a conventional power washer. I haven’t verified this number. Nevertheless, it’s well worth the $19.99 price tag on Amazon and in home improvement stores. And it takes up very little space.

The Turbo Jet Power Washer measures 33 inches long, which thankfully limits bending over when spraying patios or other low objects. It’s made of aluminum, and while the adjustable control valve is basic it does a good job of regulating the water flow. The high-pressure nozzle provides a forceful, targeted stream of water, which is good for removing concentrated dirt from wheels/tires and the wheelwells of any vehicle, for example. The other nozzle provides a wide fan spray (at a reduced pressure) that covers larger areas and is perfect for cleaning vehicles and patios. It should not affect painted surfaces and/or decals. While this wand will help make cleaning an entire RV easier, you will need to be cognizant of RV park rules that prohibit washing vehicles on the site. Be aware, too, of hard water that can create spotting on any finish. If you have a leaf blower, this problem can be mitigated.

If you want to make this wand even more versatile, consider hooking it to one of those “Seen On TV” hoses that expand when the water is turned on and retract automatically when the water is turned off. These hoses are lightweight and take up little space. Add quick-connect fittings to make it even more convenient.

Cleaning is not my favorite activity, so anything that can make the jobs more palatable, like the Turbo Jet Pressure Washer, will be on my wish list. Funny how gadgets recycle over time.