You may have a pressure washer that you keep for personal use, or you may do pressure washing professionally, but either way, you want to get the most out of your investment and get the best results from your washer. With some basic care and maintenance, including replacing various pressure washer parts at regular intervals, your washer will last longer and do a better job. You can do a lot of the maintenance yourself. Like with your car or any other machine, if you subject your pressure washer to severe conditions, you should perform maintenance tasks more often. Not all these procedures will apply to all pressure washers, but consider these to be general guidelines.
Inspect the engine oil daily, or before each use. You should change the engine oil after 50 hours of use, and the oil filter after 100 hours of use. Check your air cleaner every 50 hours, and clean the air cleaner after three months. If you have a diesel-powered pressure washer, check the diesel engine coolant daily or before each use. With diesel units, check the battery every week. With other type of pressure washers, check the battery level monthly.
The engine fuel filter needs to be changed after 500 hours of use or six months, and the same time schedule holds true for spark plug maintenance. Every year when you put your washer away for the winter, you should clean the fuel tank, de-scale the coil, and replace the fuel lines and high pressure hose. It will be almost like starting with a new pressure washer next season.
The pump oil should be checked daily or before each use, and it should be changed every 6 months or 500 hours of use. Every year, you should remove the back cover from the pump and wipe out the bottom of the crank case with a lint-free rag to get rid of sediment. This is an easy step that can help prevent the need for an unexpected pump repair.
Every six months you should replace the spray nozzle, and you should clean the water screen and filter every week. Inspect, tighten, and if necessary replace drive belts every six months. Check the bearings and tires on the trailer every month, and tighten the lug nuts.
Pressure washers are subject to hard use regularly, and of course wear and tear is expected. But if you keep up with maintenance, you can prolong the life of your washer while getting the best performance out of it. They tend to last for 2,000 or so hours of use, give or take. You can get an hour meter to attach to your pressure washer so you can monitor how many hours of use you’re putting it through. Some of them can be set to flash after 50 hours to remind you that it is time to change the oil, check the air filter, and do other routine inspections.
As with any power tool, taking care of your power washer and replacing power washer parts as necessary can help you get the absolute maximum useful life out of your system.
