Pressure Washing ...

[shelley w]

Can I pressure wash the inside of my Boler? There are, sadly, enough big worn screw holes on the floor for the water to all seep out of if I do, but I don't want to loosen my ensolite. I just want it clean. 36 years of someone else's dirt ... ugh. I've already removed all the benches and cabinets. There is so much silicone gooped in the grooves around the outside edge of the floor I can't wipe it clean and all the wiring needs to be redone so no harm will come to that. There is also loose paint on my ensolite. Our weather is quite hot here too so any residual moisture will, without a doubt, evaporate. What do you think?

[Scott B.]

Can I pressure wash the inside of my Boler? There are, sadly, enough big worn screw holes on the floor for the water to all seep out of if I do, but I don't want to loosen my ensolite. I just want it clean. 36 years of someone else's dirt ... ugh. I've already removed all the benches and cabinets. There is so much silicone gooped in the grooves around the outside edge of the floor I can't wipe it clean and all the wiring needs to be redone so no harm will come to that. There is also loose paint on my ensolite. Our weather is quite hot here too so any residual moisture will, without a doubt, evaporate. What do you think?

I wouldnt, I think elbow grease and cleaners, putty knife, wire brush etc. would serve you better I dont even think it is a good idea to pressure wash the exterior as the water gets pushed in everywhere. I would hate to see you ruin the ensolite when you hit it with a high pressure washer it will probably rip off. Just my opinion I have a Burro with the fiberglass interior and I wouldnt pressure wash it.

[Daniel V.]

I also think a pressure washer might chew through the ensolite, depending on your pressure setting. I've had good success with a simple brush and a bathroom cleaner with bleach even though based on your description mine probably wasn't nearly as grungy as yours. I'm thinking, though, that some type of hot steam cleaner might help.

[shelley w]

Thanks! I definitely don't want to ruin the ensolite since it's still in good shape. Elbow grease it is.

[Lizbeth]

I'd try it but then again I'm crazy!

I hosed/scrubbed mine out after disassembly (thanks Lauren!). If I had owned a power washer at the time I would have tried it in an inconspicuous area for sure! I also tipped the trailer so the water could run out the door. It worked great and I cannot imagine how I could have gotten it clean without the hose. It was very nasty. It took a few days to dry with fans running 24/7. I propped back the ensolite where ever it was loose so it could dry thoroughly.

After drying and ensolite repair I painted the whole interior with Perma White paint. It still looks great several years later.

[shelley w]

LOL Lizbeth - glad to know I'm not the only one with crazy ideas! I went in again this morning to clean some more and didn't make much progress so I might try the pressure washing yet. I was playing with the settings on the washer and there is quite a range of adjustments. My ensolite is still firmly attached everywhere aside from a few lower edges and an air space around the top/sides of the door. I was thinking I'd use a syringe to squirt adhesive in behind to try to restick it, but I have no idea what kind of adhesive or how to keep the ensolite pressed up against the frame while it dries.

At any rate, what kind of paint did you paint your ensolite with? Someone has already painted this once (and did a terrible job of it). The original colour of the ensolite is a pale grey-green and I know this because the paint is peeling. Do I need to prime it with anything before painting? I'm guessing a latex paint?

[Lizbeth]

My ensolite was a sickly color too but had not been painted....just covered with cooking grease, dirt, mold and cigarette smoke. I had to use several different cleaner to get it clean, it took lots of scrubbing with brushes. In fact it was done twice. After it dried the first time it wasn't clean enough so we had another go at it.

I used Perma White by Zinsser, which is self priming. It took a couple coats. I used a fluffy 4" roller on the walls and a foam roller on the cabinets.

[shelley w]

Thanks for the info Lizbeth. Latex with mildew preventative it is!