The time which you spend maintaining your pressure washer and its accessories will reward you by giving you performance benefits and increased longevity through very little effort. Not properly cleaning and performing routine checks on your cleaning equipment, however, is a sure-fire road to frustration and you will end up having to pay for a replacement long before it’s due. Any piece of machinery needs adequate care and attention but are you conducting these minor checks and basic practices? At PowerBlast we understand the importance of proper maintenance and encourage everyone to carefully read the manuals to their pressure washers to make sure that you are getting the most out of your equipment as well as using them safely. Not all pressure washers are created equally and there are specific points which may be necessary for electric heated pressure washers which are different to those required for commercial gas powered pressure washers, for example, so always check the manual for specifics. However, as a brief outline we have provided some general maintenance tips to help you.
Before Use
Firstly, you should consult the instructions to find out what the maintenance schedule is and follow it. Given the variety of materials and different moving parts present in different pressure washers it is important to not make any assumptions and to stick to the recommendations. Next, if you own a gas-powered washer, you should check the oil and fuel levels and fill if required. Just like any engine a lack of lubrication is a quick way to seriously damage it so pay close attention to the oil levels. Also remember to always do these checks before its use and not soon after any previous use as the fluids will have reached high temperatures. You should inspect the water inlet screen, spray gun and nozzle before using the washer. Check there is no clogging and that all connections are tight and secure. Inspect the hose for any damage marks and then spray test by pulling the trigger briefly. Only once you are happy everything is undamaged and clog free should you proceed. Otherwise you should either flush out areas with water or replace the damaged parts.
After Use
Having completed all the preparation checks and then finished using your pressure washer it is very important to do some small things before putting it back into storage. If you have been using detergent, then this will need to be rinsed out by spraying water at a low pressure through the appropriate tubing. Next you will need to expel all the pressure that has built up within the machine. Unplug the washer and hold down the trigger to remove any remaining pressure. Then allow time for the pressure washer to cool down before removing the attached parts such as the hose and spray gun. Finally, you need to get any leftover water out of the machine before putting it away. You should never leave any water inside the pressure washer thinking this might save on water or preparation time before you next come to use it.
