Tips to store your pressure washer in winter :
Pressure washers are not used during winter time. For preventing unnecessary damage on winter season, it is required to follow few set of rules while storing a pressure washer. Pressure washers are available in mainly two categories : electric and gas. Electric washers are less powerful and takes a little maintainance as compared to the gas models. But winterization is necessary for both of these models.
Suppose you forgot to flush out the water and keep it 'safely' during the winter time. Winter is over and you find that the water is leaking and the motor is not working.You may think that your washer is covered under warranty and it is not a big deal if any small part of got damaged during winter, then I would suggest you to check the warranty card one more time as most plan doesn't cover water damage on winter time.
In this post, we will talk about few simple but important points to help you keep the washer safe in winter. Even if you are not using the washer for more than 30 days, follow these steps to avoid any damage.
1. Clean the system :
First of all, add fuel stabilizer to the gas tank and run the stabilizer through the whole machine. Run the machine to circulate the stabilizer for atleast few minutes.
Next, we need to remove the water and other cleaning detergent from the washer. For cleaning the detergent tank, you can also use warm water. You can place one suction tube in a bucket of warm water and turn the pressure washer on to clean the machine with this water.
Also detach the detergent holder and rinse it with warm water. Repeat it until all detergent is removed from the system.
you may also want to use anti-freeze liquid after the above steps.
Finally, remove any excess water from the spray gun by squeezing the triggar. Then remove the spray gun from the hose. Check the user manual of the pressure washer to learn how to remove it.Keep it in a dry place and remove the back end of the hose that is attached to the pressure washer.
Drain the water from the hose and the spray gun. You can also use one clean cloth to keep the items dry.The hoses should be disconnected from the pressure washer during winter time. If you are using a gas pressure washer, you should always drain the gas.
2. Disconnect all power sources :
Disconnect it from the power source, remove the battery (if available) and Wind the power cord. If you have an extension cord, hang it on the wall. Keep the battery in a safe place inside your house.
3. Keep it in a dry and warm place :
The pressure washer pump may crack if you keep it in a freezing place. Keep it in a dry and warm place that is cleaned of moisture and dirt. You can store it inside your house,garage or in the basement but store it in a place that won't reach freezing temperature.
Most people thinks that modern pressure washers can handle winter temperature and we just need to store them in a dry place without any concern. This is not completly true. I agree that modern machines are designed with more features using more advanced technology but any fluid in low temperature can damamge machine components. Without proper winterization technique, you have the probability to lose an expensive machine like a pressure washer. It will take hardly one hour to make the hibernation preparation. It's better to be safe than sorry.