Pressure Washer Not Working
Why suffer from an aching body when your handy pressure washer can do all the hard work for you. They're brilliant on patios, drives, garden furniture, barbecues, vehicles and many other outside objects and surfaces.
If your pressure washer has come to a halt, you are without a doubt bound to panic if you've planned a barbecue. Well, don’t! Thankfully, we have gathered a few steps that you can take to get your pressure washer flowing again.
Switches
The most tedious of jobs becomes stress-free when the pressure washer comes to use, like removing mud off garden tools, freshening garden furniture, blasting off peeling paint and even cleaning the family vehicle.
If your pressure washer is refusing to work or even turn on, the culprit could potentially be the power switches. Most pressure washers use two micro switches that disconnect both the live and neutral connections between the supply and the motor. These switches can jam cutting the power out from reaching the motor. In order to check yours do the following:
Safety First! Please make sure that you have disconnected the appliance from the mains before beginning any repair.
- Access the pressure washer, locate and examine the switch assembly.
- Check the micro switch by pressing the switch button - these should make a loud click and click again when released.
- Look for signs of burning or melting on the switch’s terminals.
- If the switches do not click or there are signs of damage from heat, the switches will need replacing.
If new switches are required then take a look through our online catalogue for the replacement pressure washer switches you need.
If you wish to have a go at replacing the faulty or burnt out switches take a look at our video guide.
Motor
The sole purpose of the motor in your pressure washer is to power the water pump. The pump pushes the water to high pressure, which is then released from the hose at speed through a trigger gun and spray lance.
If your pressure washer is on its last leg and you have checked the plug fuse, cable and switch the problem is likely to be the motor. You can identify a faulty motor by performing one simple check:
Safety First! Please make sure that you have disconnected the appliance from the mains before beginning any repair.
- The motor should radiate a loud buzzing sound.
- Using a multimeter (see our guide on how to correctly use a meter here) check for continuity.
A working motor will have a resistance of between 20 and 50 ohms depending on the model. If you’re getting a much higher reading; then your motor can be confirmed faulty and therefore will require replacing.
For a replacement see our range of spare pressure washer motors to get your appliance back up and running.
To see how to replace the pressure washer motor see our video and get your washer working like a dream again.