Now that you have purchased and enjoyed your pressure washer during the warm months, it's time to get ready for the cold winter months. If you live in an areas where the temperature never goes below freezing you may not need to do anything, but check your owner manual for yearly maintenance. Taking care of your pressure washer before the cold sets in will save you time and money in the spring.
Most pressure washer parts are made of plastic, brass or aluminum and each of these materials are soft and will break as water is left inside and freezes. Even though you may have not used the pressure washer in a while it still may contain water behind valves that may freeze and break the unit.
The following is a basic list of steps to take with your washer to prepare it for the winter months. Always check with your owner's manual for specific information about winter storage.
1. Disconnect the wand and hold the valve open and turn upside down; blowing air from a portable air compressor through the wand will insure that the wand has no water in it. In some pressure washers the wand cannot be removed from the hose, if you have one of these skip to # 2.
2. Remove the hose from the unit and drain all the water from it, use an air compressor to blow air through the hose if you have one. Coil the hose up and tie it in a small circle and hang it up on a wall or put on a shelf to store.
3. Look in your manual or on the bottom of the pump see if it has a drain plug for the water chamber, make sure your have the right drain plug, some unit have oil to cool and lubricate the pump. Once you have taking out the drain plug make sure the unit it unplugged and turn the pump or motor a couple of time to make sure all of the water is out of the pump chamber. The pump may turn hard and it may take two people to do this step. Store the plug somewhere safe and don't put it back in the pump, this will insure that no water will collect in the bottom of the pump.
4. If you have a soap or cleaning agent dispenser remove all the liquid and rinse out the container with water, put the liquid soap in a storage bottle and store it in the house to be used next year.
5. Now I recommend covering the unit with a small tarp or a heavy garbage bag to keep the dirt and dust off the unit. If you store it outside make sure you use a tarp and tie it on very well or us a couple of bungee cords. Make sure to store you pressure washer by itself and do not stack thing on top of it.
6. Now some unit have a built in hot water heater, use the same steps in #3 to drain the water from the heating chamber.
If you decide to use your pressure washer during the winter, don't forget to go through these steps again to make sure there is no water in the unit that can freeze and cost you big time repairs. Even if you have a heated garage or storage unit I still recommend preparing your unit for winter. A little work now and some tender care of your pressure washer will ensure years of care free use and saving in time and money. If you have any question always check with the manufacture of your pressure washer they want you to be a happy customer.
