How To Maintain Your Pressure Washer
July 21, 2015 | Gardening Tips | No comments
A pressure washer is a great appliance to have in your cleaning arsenal due to it being versatile enough to be used to clean a range of things, including your car, garden furniture, patios / decking and the kitchen floor.
But, to get the most out of your pressure washer and to ensure it works to its full potential for longer, regular maintenance is key. As such, we recommend each time you use yours you carry out the maintenance mentioned below…
Before Using Your Pressure Washer:
Before you begin using it there are a number of things you should do, these include…
- Checking the O-rings for any signs of wear and tear. Damaged O-rings will increase the risk of your appliance leaking. If you spot any damage to your O-rings replace them.
- Giving your water inlet screen a once over. You’ll find the screen where you connect the garden hose. You should check to make sure the water inlet screen isn’t dirty, clogged or damaged. If it is, flush it through with water. If it’s damaged, replace it.
- Connecting the water supply hose to your pressure washer, before squeezing the trigger to run the water through. Continue squeezing the trigger until the water flow is constant, and then plug the pressure washer in.
- Checking the nozzle is securely in place, and free from any dirt or debris. You should also check to make sure the nozzle has no signs of damage. If it does you’ll need to replace it. You’ll find an extensive selection of pressure washer nozzles on eSpares.
- Giving all parts and attachments a once over, including the spray gun, its trigger and trigger lock, the hose and detergent siphoning tube. If any of these are blocked with debris, unblock them before using the pressure washer. If any are damaged – even if the damage appears to be minimal or superficial – replace them.
In addition to carrying out the above maintenance checks, we also recommend you unravel all of the electric cable to reduce the risk of overheating, and that you use an RCD adaptor as this will reduce the risk of electrocution.
Pressure Washer Maintenance to Carry Out During Use:
Perhaps the most important thing to do when it comes to using your pressure washer is to ensure you don’t use it without an adequate amount of water. Doing so will increase the pressure in the appliance too much and run the risk of faults occurring and your pressure washer becoming damaged.
After You’ve Used Your Pressure Washer:
Once you’ve finished using your pressure washer, before putting it away we again recommend you carry out some maintenance. This will help to ensure next time it comes to using it, you aren’t greeted by an unpleasant surprises.
Key to pressure washer maintenance once it has been used includes…
- Removing the detergent siphoning tube from the detergent supply and set your pressure washer to a low pressure, before running water through the appliance for a couple of minutes.
Doing this will flush out any chemicals from the hose and filter – removing any detergent residue, which in turn will help reduce the risk of corrosion or blockages occurring.
- Relieving pressure from your appliance by switching it off and unplugging it, before turning off the water and pressing the trigger on the spray gun allowing water to be released. Continue doing this until no more water leaves the pressure washer.
- Disconnecting all attachments from the pressure washer, including the garden hose and high-pressure hose, and drain these of water before storing them away.
After using your pressure washer it is also recommended to check its attachments for any signs of wear and tear, or water damage. If any defects are found, fix them yourself or purchase a replacement part. You should also give the flex cable and plug a once over, before cleaning the pressure washer’s filter to ensure it isn’t blocked by any dirt or debris.
Taking the time to carry out the maintenance mentioned in each stage above will help to significantly reduce the risk of any components of your pressure washer gaining preventable faults. You can further reduce the risk of your pressure washer developing a fault by storing it correctly, in a dry and well ventilated place.
In the unfortunate situation a fault does occur, at eSpares we’ll have the advice to help you fix it yourself, as well as the required pressure washer spare parts and accessories – all available for next day UK delivery.
