Bosch Fontus Pressure Washer

One of our very first videos showed how we clean the caravan. In that video I showed how we use some pump-up garden sprayers at the storage yard. At that time, we had no running water at the caravan, so we literally washed the caravan with liquid and equipment bought in from home.

One of the first bits of top advice we shared was don’t use a pressure washer on a caravan. But, there is always a “however” and in this video I discuss pressure washers and caravans and give some top tips and advice on using a pressure washer with a caravan.

For me a pressure washer conjures up visions of equipment that plugs into the mains, connects to a hose and it being dragged around the garden cleaning patio slabs, garden furniture and decking. If one is feeling adventurous connect it to a long extension lead, roll out the hose and you too can impress the neighbours by cleaning the car. In this house, that is just too much like hard work. With mains cables, hoses and cleaning heads, it would take just as long to get the pressure washer next to the car, then take it to a hand wash garage. This would be unless, there was a cordless, portable system….

Introducing the Bosch Fontus cordless portable power washer. Its battery powered, contains its own water supply and can deliver an impressive 15 bar of pressure.

So, let’s have a quick tour around the cleaner and then I will let you know how we have gotten on with it over the past 3 months. We have used it extensively around the house and car and, as the video above shows around the caravan too.

The Form factor
Everything you need is held within the body of the Fontus. The hose is neatly tucked up at the back, the jet and additional brush are held with a compartment at the front and the 18v battery fits neatly underneath. Although it’s quite hard to get this on and off initially the battery compartment opens to allow the removal of this battery for recharging.

The settings

On the top of the Fontus is a battery level indicator, power selection and a power switch. I found for cleaning the car and the patio, the pressure would remain on max, however for the caravan I turned the selection right down to its lowest setting. Reducing the power will prolong the battery power, but will not conserve water.

The Water Supply

The Fontus can take 15 litres of water and filling from a hose is easy. The inlet has a filter to remove any debris whilst filling and clear windows on both sides show a clear indication on how much water is contained.

Finally, being a portable device, the handle extends up, allowing easy transportation between essential spraying jobs. A handy holder on the handle allows you to put the spray head down when not in use.

Its performance

15 litres of water can last a long time. I managed to clean the car in one tank, and have managed to clean the caravan in 15 litres of water too. Although, I used an additional bucket of water and shampoo in both sessions. The supplied battery lasted for 3 consecutive uses when I went mad spraying everything in the garden. But being a Bosch device, you can swap the battery for any 18v Bosch power pack. Ideal if you own any of the Bosch cordless tools. Sadly, I don’t, so recharging for 2 hours was my only option.
The Spray head

The spray head has several settings from jet, to a selection of fine sprays. It also has some sort of dribble setting too that would be perfect for plants, just not caravans or cars. The addition of the brush that clips onto the head is perfect for quickly cleaning surfaces. I used this on the windows at home, around the frames and window seal etc, but I found the bristles much to firm to use on the caravan sides or car. However, I did use this attachment to clean the bottom of the Aqua Roll, and the wheels of our waste master.

I also used the brush to clean the waste outlets of the caravan with some degreaser I managed to remove the residue of waste water, shampoo and grease from the caravan sinks and shower. A good job, quickly done.

Conclusions
The Bosch Fontus is a great bit of kit. However, it’s not as powerful as a mains powered device, but for me that’s fine. I have used it on the patio, the decking, car and caravan. In all applications it did a great job. I would say that additional accessories would be a great addition. Perhaps a long-handled brush, or a detergent bottle to allow application of snow foam, car shampoo or wax. I know these are on the market, but unsure if they would fit the Bosch Fontus eco-system.

The battery box I found quite difficult to open on ours and, locating the battery was a challenge to begin with. It seemed to fit on in a counter intuitive way. But after some fiddling and closer inspection, I haven’t an issue since.

I also noticed that the bottom of the spray head started to unscrew after removing the hose a few times. To remedy this, it just needed screwing back up again, but its something to watch out for, especially as removing the hose puts some stress on this part of the spray head. Oh, and whilst we are discussing hose removal, make sure you switch off the Fontus before removing the hose. It leaves you rather damp, with a hilarious water fountain display, not unlike the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

We have used this device for about 3 months. We have used it, abused it and really put it through its paces and we like it. Not being tied down with hose connections or mains leads trailing everywhere means it is easy to use around the house. For the caravan, its been great for cleaning bits and bobs, like the Cadac and water containers. It has also been great just keeping the caravan clean without using the wash bay at the storage centre and removing any small spots of muck.

I’m off to pretend I am 007 again with a pressure washer and zap anything I can find in the garden, but if you are interested you can get one of the Bosch Fontus cordless cleaners here:
https://amzn.to/2K5swzB

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