With winter often comes a lot of additional machine maintenance that nobody is really looking forward to.
By making sure that you have a good idea of how to winterize your electric pressure washer, you can avoid a fair bit of hassle when it comes time to bring it out of storage in the following spring.
Should I Winterize my Electric Pressure Washer
If you are wondering whether you need to winterize an electric pressure washer at all, the answer is that you absolutely will. Thankfully, it is not as much of a troublesome process as it is to winterize a gas-based pressure washer.
You will still need to take a few steps to ensure that nothing is getting affected by the freezing temperatures of winter.
Do you live in an area with a mild winter or not?
It is important to note that if you live in an area that has a mild winter, you may not even have to bother with the winterizing process at all. The goal of the winterizing process is to protect all of the parts of the pressure washer from being damaged due to subfreezing temperatures.
In places that do not receive those temperatures, there’s a good chance that you can probably skip this process entirely.
When all is said and done, it is easier to winterize an electric pressure washer than it is to winterize a gas-based pressure washer. The electric machine is not going to be subject to the same issues in freezing weather as a gas-powered engine is, so the only thing that you will need to take care for will be the pump systems, and these are pretty easy to winterize, even if you aren’t savvy with machinery.
Preparing Your Pump System for Winter Storage
Preparing the pump system for winter storage is very easy to do, and you won’t need to invest in much to get the job done. First things first, you will want to make sure that you have the necessary materials to get the job done. This will include a bucket large enough to fit the detergent suction hose in it.
You are also going to need to make sure that you have some antifreeze that is designed for the pumps of an electric pressure washer. This can be relatively easy to find as long as you know where to look.
Most stores that cater toward electric pressure washers will have what you need, as this is a relatively important part of winterizing your electric pressure washer.
Now that you have everything that you need, you are going to want to start by preparing a bucket of tap water. Once that bucket is full, you will want to put the detergent suction hose in it and attach the garden hose to it.
Clear out all of the detergent solution from the detergent suction
You will want to turn the tap on and then you will want to turn the pressure washer on, holding the gun to spray the water for approximately two minutes.
The goal of this is to clear out all of the detergent solution from the detergent suction hose so that there is no potential for that to freeze and cause damage to the internal structure of the pressure washer.
Once this has been done, you can disconnect the garden hose from the detergent suction hose. You will want to pull the gun again to ensure that the system is entirely emptied of the water inside of the pressure washer so that nothing has a chance to freeze over. From here, you can empty and put away the bucket of water.
If you want to make your own detergent for your pressure washer read this.
Store your pressure washer inside if possible
As for the pressure washer itself, you will ideally want to store it inside where it will not be exposed to any freezing temperatures. If this is not feasible, you will want to thoroughly protect the pressure washer so that it will not have a chance of being exposed to the freezing temperatures of winter. This can be done with tarps and other coverings.
Before you completely seal everything away, you will want to pour the pump-saving antifreeze into the pump inlet. This will protect all of the inner seals of the pressure washer so that by the time spring rolls around again and you are ready to clean off your driveway, you can start up your electric pressure washer without a worry in the world.
More questions about Pressure Washers
Where Is the Best Place to Store the Pressure Washer?
In an ideal situation, you will want to keep it in both a warm and dry spot, which would be an attached basement or garage to your home. This will not only prevent the pressure washer from being exposed to cold temperatures, but the dry air will also ensure that nothing has a chance to grow on the pressure washer as you wait for winter to be over.
Do You Have to Cover a Pressure Washer up?
While it is not necessarily a requirement to cover the pressure washer, it is generally good practice to do so as it can prevent dust from gathering on the pressure washer and it can also keep it covered from water exposure, preventing rust. Storage covers for pressure washers are relatively inexpensive as well, so there is no reason not to do that.
When Should You Begin Winterizing your Pressure Washer?
You should try to begin the winterizing process before temperatures at night reach freezing. The time of the year that this happens varies across the country. It will be best to winterize the electric pressure washer earlier rather than later, so keep an eye on the weather and when it is predicted for temperatures to reach freezing at night.
