Here are the hints and tips on how to properly use and maintain your Pressure Washer. These hints and tips are primarily for gas powered pressure washers, but the procedures for how to start your unit would be the same for electric and/or battery powered units.
When you bought your pressure washer, it came with an Owner’s Manual. If you bought it used, go online and get a digital copy of the Owner’s manual. Take 15 minutes and read on how to operate and maintain your unit. Make sure you write down your Model Number and Serial Numbers for your unit. Make sure you also write down the model number of your engine.
Before you start using your pressure washer.
- Only use fresh gas. See paragraph below.
- Check your oil in your engine before you use it. See below.
- Use the correct tip for the application. Some tips have a wide path, some have a very streamlined path.
- Make sure your unit is on a level piece of ground.
- If your unit has a soap dispenser, fill that with the correct fluid.
- Hook up your unit to your water supply before you start.
- Check your air filter. You want your air filter to be clean of all debris before usage.
- You can only run your gas powered engine on your pressure washer for about 15 seconds without having water running to your unit. Otherwise you can and will damage your pump.
Fuel
Always use fresh gas. Using 100% pure gas is great, but you don’t have to. If you use 10% Ethanol gas, use mid-grade gas. Do not use any Ethanol gas more than 10%. If you read your Owner’s Manual, it will state that you should use at least 89 Octane. Gas starts loosing octane after 30 days. Only buy the gas that you will use in one month. If you store your gas in a gas can, make sure it is out of the sunlight and out of the elements. You don’t want water to get in your gas.
Oil
Always check your oil level before each use. This is so you can verify that you have the right amount of oil. You will be able to notice right away if you are loosing oil or if you have too much in your crankcase.
- If you don’t have enough oil in your engine, you can seize your engine, then you might as well replace the whole mower.
- If you have too much fluid in the crankcase, it could be that you put too much in, which is bad. It is like running in mud. It will put too much strain on trying to start/run. It could also mean that your carburetor is not shutting off the flow of gas correctly. Again, it is too much fluid in the crankcase and it dilutes the oil so it doesn’t lubricate the engine correctly.
Starting Procedures
- Set up your unit with gas, proper wand tip and on level ground.
- Hook up your water supply.
- Before your start your pressure washer, gas or otherwise, squeeze your trigger on your wand. You will hear it spitting and sputtering. It is the water going through the pump and you are purging the air from the pump. If you don’t do this, then you will not get the pressure that you are expecting and could damage your pump.
- After all the air is out of your pump, release the trigger and start your unit. Once it has started, pull the trigger again and you should have pressure.
STORAGE PROCESS
There are several different ways that you can store your unit when you know you aren’t going to be using it for 3 or more months, like over the winter. Some call it Winterizing, but it is the same process you can use on mowers, trimmers, chain saws, blowers, tillers, anything that is gas powered.
- Use Pump Saver in your pump. It is like radiator fluid for your pump. It does a couple of things that are important to your pressure washer.
- By using a Pump Saver in your pump, it is pushing all the water out of your pump so that any minerals in the water won’t cause having in your pump. It will make it so there is no pressure on your pressure washer when there are mineral deposits in there. (If your unit is under warranty and you bring it in because there is no pressure, this is the first area they will check. If there are mineral deposits in your pump, it will void the warranty.)
- By using a Pump Saver in your pump, especially during the winter months, it prevents your pump from cracking. If you leave water in your pump, and your pressure washer is kept in an area that isn’t heated, the water will expand and crack your pump.
This section is pertaining to the engine on a gas powered pressure washer.
- Use Stabilizer in your gas. You can use Stabilizer in your gas year round and it won’t hurt anything. By using Stabilizer in your gas, it will help prevent the gas that is in the system from gelling up and causing carburetor issues when you go to use it again. Being that most people only use their pressure washers once or twice a year, this is very important.
- Some people swear by just draining your gas out of your unit when you are storing it. That is fine, but there will still be some gas in the carburetor that can still cause trouble. You can drain it, then still try to start it. Don’t forget to prime it so you get the gas out of the primer bubble too.
- You can combine the first two by putting Stabilizer in your gas. Run it for around 5 minutes so it is distributed throughout the fuel system. Drain your gas. Prime it and try to start a few times to try to get as much gas out of the primer and carburetor as possible.
- To really hedge your bets so that when you need to use it again, use the Stabilizer in your gas. Run it for around 5 minutes so it is distributed throughout the fuel system. Then once a month, start it and run it for 5 minutes to get the gas moving.
- Any gas that you have left over when you put your unit in storage, get rid of the gas in a safe manner. Do not use it in your equipment when you start using it again.
When you use your unit again after it has been in storage, use FRESH gas. Gas that was purchased within the past 2 days.