How to properly Maintain your petrol pressure washer

When it comes to cleaning around your property, there aren’t many tools more convenient than pressure washers. They’re powerful, efficient and multi-purpose, it really is difficult to find any faults in them.

However, in order to give your pressure washer a long and effective career, you are going to need to ensure that you learn how to maintain it properly.

This is particularly important when it comes to petrol pressure washers – these models are powered by fuel and thus have complex mechanisms inside in order to function.

This can result in a large variety of complications if not maintained correctly, and if left too long this could render your petrol pressure washer useless! 

We are sure that you want to avoid this scenario, so we’ve prepared the following guide on how to properly maintain your petrol pressure washer. Read on to find out more!

Preparing your Petrol Pressure Washer

We’re going to start off by repeating something you’ve probably heard a million times – read the flipping manual! Every petrol pressure washer is different, and they all have their own maintenance idiosyncrasies.

It might be boring, but trust us – reading the manual will always save you time (AND MONEY) and ensure that you maintain your pressure washer effectively.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s take a look at some maintenance tips that you should always consider before beginning a petrol pressure wash:

– Firstly, you should always ensure that the fuel and oil levels of your pressure washer are sufficient, but be careful not to overfill it.

– Ensure that the water inlet screen is clean, and unclog it if necessary

– Make sure that every connection for hoses and extensions are secure, otherwise the high water pressure could cause damage

– Test all of the tools that you plan to use in a safe environment to ensure that they work correctly.

– Once you’ve done all of this, conduct one final risk assessment, ensuring that no part of the pressure washer is damaged in any way.

Maintaining your Petrol Pressure Washer after use

Once you applied the previous tips to your pressure washing preparation schedule, you probably went ahead and started cleaning. That’s great, as long as you used your PPE and conducted a risk assessment on the area you were cleaning, we’re sure that you did an excellent job. However, once you finished the job, we hope that you didn’t simply put away the pressure washer for storage! There are a few extra maintenance jobs that you should always take care of after cleaning – let’s take a look at these.

– You should begin by cleaning the unit from any excess detergent that may have spilt onto it. Remove the detergent attachments and run clean water through the unit to clear out the standard hose.

– Once you’ve done this, it’s time to relieve the pressure from the machine – simply turn off the device and the water supply to do this.

– Make sure that the pressure washer trigger is locked and put the kettle on whilst you wait for the unit to cool down.

– Disconnect any attachments that are still connected to your pressure washer, and drain any water remaining. You may have to pull the recoil handle a few times to do this.

– Clean away any remaining debris from the pressure washer, dry it off and carefully move it back to its storage area.

Maintaining your Pressure Washer Engine

The engine is the heart of your petrol-powered pressure washer, and if it isn’t properly maintained, it may not last as long as it should do.

As we mentioned earlier, every pressure washer is different so you should read the manual carefully to learn exactly how to maintain your specific model. However, there are a few general rules that will help you get started.

When conducting any maintenance on your petrol pressure washer, always ensure that the device is turned off and that you are working in an outdoor area.

You’re going to want to replace the engine oil and inspect the spark plug regularly. Clean around these areas to ensure that no debris falls into them, and replace any parts if they have any form of damage to them.

You’ll also want to check the air filter every time you use your pressure washer, cleaning or replacing it if required.

Don’t forget to pay attention to the fuel system – you should never use gasoline that is more than a month old and never use any fuel that the manual doesn’t specify is safe for use.

Additional Maintenance Advice

OK – we’ve just about covered everything that you need to do before and after using your petrol-powered pressure washer, but there are a few final things that we need to investigate.

We’ve provided this as a simple checklist – it really is worth working through this list when you have a few moments to spare:

– If you ever notice a damaged O-ring on your device, ensure that you replace this to prevent leaks.

– Feel free to lubricate any connections in order to ensure that attachments can be used without applying force

– Keep any vents, connections and parts clear from debris and grime

– Always store your pressure washer in a dry area that is protected from low temperatures and weathering.

Final Thoughts

Wow, we sure did cover a lot throughout this guide! It might be a lot to take in, but feel free to print all of these tips out and keep it handy whenever you are preparing to use, maintain, or store your petrol pressure washer.

It may all seem a bit boring, but trust us – proper maintenance is going to make your pressure washer last a seriously long time. 

The last thing you want is to get sloppy and end up having to pay for repairs or even a new pressure washer shortly after buying it. We hope you’ve learned a lot today, now get out there and show your property what your petrol pressure washer is capable of!