Ten Tips for Care and Maintenance of Your Pressure Washer

Maintaining for your pressure washer will go a long way in ensuring its performance and longevity. It will also preserve the life of its parts. Here are some tips to keep in mind when caring for a pressure washer and how to get the most out of it:

1) Always check the oil and fuel. Refill fuel when possible and try not to operate when both are low as it can impact long-term performance. You should change your initial fill after 50 hours of usage. After that, make sure to change oil every 3 to 5 months or every 500 hours.

2) Refill fuel and oil with the manufacturer’s recommended fuel and oil. Your owner’s manual will provide you with instructions about how to refill your fuel and oil and what grade/brand you should use.

3) Make sure tires are inflated properly. Your owner’s manual will provide you with necessary PSI recommendations. You typically want to keep these tires inflated between 15 and 25 PSI.

4) Check nozzles and spray wand to make sure they’re not clogged as it will deter the direction of the cleaning solution. It will also force the pump to work harder and you’ll waste more cleaning solution.

5) Check the gun to make sure it springs back properly. If it doesn’t, it’s likely to need replacement. You can purchase a new pressure washer gun relatively inexpensively.

6) Keep screens and O-rings clean at all times. This may require you to go out and have a professional clean them, but it will ensure that no debris impairs their functioning. Failure to keep the screens and O-rings clean will cause hoses to become clogged. The O-rings secure all of the connections and are what keep the hoses from leaking.

7) Get routine engine tune-ups on your pressure washer, either professionally or you can purchase a tune-up kit yourself. If there’s a suggested tune-up kit in your pressure washers manual, make sure you use that one.

8) Take the proper preventative maintenance steps when it’s winter time. These will vary depending on whether you have a hot or cold water pressure washer pump. This is imperative in cold climates when temperatures venture close to freezing.

9) Make sure spark plugs are kept clean and aren’t dirty as this will impair your pressure washer’s ability to operate.

10) Check for leaks in the hose and plumbing as this will impair engine power. A symptom of this would be low pressure.