Pressure Washers Can Cut Holes in You?

Posted on August 11, 2007 by lesjones

Something else I didn’t know. “Exactly eight years ago, my ex-brother-in-law, Joe, damn near lost his foot. He was victim of a pressure washer incident.” The real problem was the infection, but the pressure washer is what created the wound. Yowch.

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3 Responses to Pressure Washers Can Cut Holes in You?

  1. triticale says:
    August 11, 2007 at 2:56 pm

    They cut carbon fiber and stainless steel using water jet saws. A pressure washer delivers a non-trivial fraction of that stream. I would have known to keep it away from human flesh.

  2. Les Jones says:
    August 11, 2007 at 4:18 pm

    I knew about water cutters for concrete and such, but I didn’t realize an ordinary household pressure washer could have that much force. I’ll have a little more respect for those things from now on.

  3. Billll says:
    August 11, 2007 at 10:25 pm

    I used to work for Hotsy Corp, and their washers run from 1200 psi up to 3000 psi. I once made a pass across a 2×4 with a 3000 psi model, and left a cut 1/2″ wide and 1/4″ deep. Even the smaller ones will cut (slowly) through a plastic barrel and excavate a pit in an asphalt parking lot.
    Fun toys.