Like it or not, the day may come when your hot water pressure washer burner isn’t working well. We see this problem fairly often.
Luckily, simple regular maintenance can help prevent more significant issues and keep your pressure washer running with little downtime.
Hot water pressure washer burners need three things to operate: fuel, oxygen (air), and spark. We can’t cover every issue here, but with our knowledge from supporting machines for a while; we can address the common issues. We decided to create a helpful guide, since there is a good chance you may be experiencing one of these issues.
Common Issues and Troubleshooting
The most common issue we see are:
Filter Issues
Fuel Pump issues
Ignitor issues
Burner Motor Failure
Let’s answer some questions.
What is your burner doing, and what is it not doing? This will help us focus in on what area is causing the problem.
No Spark? You may have a bad igniter.
Have a spark? Good, you have power.
Now…
Are you getting fuel?
- Check for a full fuel tank.
- Check your fuel filter. Is it clogged or dirty?
- Is the Fuel pump engaging?
If you run through these questions, you should be able to narrow down the issue, and hopefully get your hot water power washer back up and running!
Maintenance and Failure Prevention
If you are looking to prevent some of these issues, nothing is better than simple maintenance. Below, we have a quick list of the easiest things you can do, to keep your hot pressure washer functioning well.
Every time you use your machine.
Fuel
Make sure you have clean and fresh fuel. Old fuel can wreak havoc on all burner parts.
Check Fuel Filter
Dirty or old fuel will ruin the filter quickly, leading to more issues. A visual check on the fuel filter is never a bad idea.
Air Supply
Before you fire up your hot water pressure washer, make sure it has some room to breathe. Proper air supply and ventilation will help: keep a stronger flame, allow efficient fuel use, and heating.
Storage / Less Frequent Use / Winterizing
If your hot water pressure washer is going to sit for any prolonged period, we recommend taking a few steps to make firing up the unit in the future easier.
Drain and remove unused fuel
Empty the tank. If you are unsure how long till your next use, you can top off the tank. This method will reduce the oxygen exposure to the fuel, resulting in slowing down the varnishing.
Drain off water from the fuel filter
There is a drain on the filter made for this. When preparing the unit for winter storage, fuel additives can work. However, beware, they also tend to dry out the fuel.
If you haven’t caught on yet, fresh fuel is critical. As Kenny Barnes, our past maintenance school professor said, “Fuel, fuel, fuel.”
Thanks for checking out our tips, and maintenance recommendations. If you have tips or advice from your experience, please feel free to comment below!
If you need some help we’d love to chat! Contact your local Alkota pressure washer dealer for expert advice. Alkota Dealers service all brands.
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