Pressure washers are a great tool for cleaning your deck, driveway, and other surfaces. However, you need to know how to use it properly. If you’re not careful, you could end up damaging your pump and other components of the pressure washer.
If you use a pressure washer incorrectly, it can cause the pump to break down or even explode! Here are some tips on what causes pumps to break in a small pressure washer.
Using Too Much Pressure
Using too much pressure is one of the most common causes of broken pumps in pressure washers. Most residential pressure washers have a maximum pressure rating of 2200 PSI (pounds per square inch). Using these types of machines with too much pressure can damage their internal valves and cause them to leak or even explode!
The wrong sized pump
The largest factor in choosing the right pump is the size of your water source (the water tank). If your tank is too small for the size of your pump then it will not be able to provide enough water flow at any given time. If you have too large of a pump then it may overwork itself trying to move too much water at once. This can cause overheating problems or even damage other components within the unit such as hoses or fittings.
Excess Debris
The more debris that gets into the pump, the more likely it is for the motor to burn out or for other parts to fail. When this happens, you will need to replace your old pressure washer pump with a new one so that you can continue cleaning your property.
Replacing Pumps in Pressure Washers
Replacing a pump is a fairly simple task, but it can be intimidating if you are not familiar with the equipment. You may find yourself feeling like a novice as you try to remove old pumps and install new ones. The following steps will guide you through the process of replacing a pressure washer pump:
Step 1 – Turn off the power to your pressure washer by turning off the circuit breaker or unplugging it from its power source. Unscrew the old pump from its housing using an adjustable wrench or socket set, depending on whether or not it has a hex nut holding it in place. If there is no hex nut, use pliers to remove any screws holding down the pump.
Step 2 – Remove any hoses connected to your old pump and clean all of them thoroughly before installing new ones on your new pump. It is very important that you do not reuse old hoses; doing so could cause leaks, water damage and other problems with your pressure washer system.
Step 3 – Take off the cover of your new pump and remove all of its parts from their packaging so that you can install them into their respective locations inside the cover of your new pump. Make sure that all parts are installed correctly.
Conclusion
If you are in the market for a new pressure washer, and you want to get one with less environmental impact than the commonly used gas-powered ones, an electric model may be what you want. They are much quieter and easier to store, without all the weight of a typical pressure washer. However, if you do go with the type of pressure washer currently in use, it is crucial that the pump be replaced regularly to avoid damaging your system with built-up debris. If you however, feel the machine has been costly enough to replace pumps, you can always place an order for a new model with the Giraffetools collections.
