Pump Maintenance and fix for Pressure Washers

If you have a pressure washer enterprise you will at last need to convert out or mend the pump. There are a few things you should know to make such convert outs easy. You may also need to study up on inhibitive maintenance so that you do not have to worry about pump failure. Your pressure washer probably has one of two dissimilar pumps if it is industrial grade. Either a Cat Pump or a normal pump; both are commerce standards. normal is the leader in the commerce for sales and many prefer Cat as it sucks good from plastic water tanks.

Your pump is powered by two parallel belts connected to your engine. You should make sure not to starve your pump from water. When the water tank is empty turn off the engine. Starving a pump will burn it out in about thirty-five minutes. The maker says five to ten minutes, but that's not life threatening. Your pump has a safety highlight whereby when you are not spraying the water, it will automatically by pass into the tank provided there is sufficient water for the complete loop. Thank you. We also understanding it was one of our great ideas. You should convert the oil in the pump every month. Make sure your pressure washer rig is on level ground and fill the pump to the red dot on the center of the eyeglass. Over filling is a unmistakably bad idea.

On your pump you will observation six large bolts. Inside of the holes are check valves with springs. After 300-500 hours you should convert them. You can do this yourself. The valve kits are .000. It's very easy:

Unscrew bolts

Remove old valve

Replace valve

Make sure to seat the valve evenly

Screw the bolt back in by hand

Make sure the O-ring on the bolt is snug

Tighten with wrench pretty tight

Inspecting The Pump

If you drain the oil and it's got bubbles in it or has turned white, then you have a blown seal and water is getting into the oil because: It overheated due to water starvation; The casing cracked because of vibration; You forgot to convert the oil, dummy (0 mistake and one lost day's work if you can get the parts that fast).

Check to see if the belts are tight. If not tighten them. Look for water drips. A slow drip on the exit side of the pump could cost you as much as 150 Psi at the nozzle. A fast drip (two to three drops per second) could be a 250-300 Psi loss at the nozzle. A steady drip stream might be a 500 plus Psi loss. When you see water leaking, fix the leak Asap. Be sure to use ample Teflon tape when re-tightening fittings. This will stop hereafter leaks, prevent rust and make fittings easy to isolate in the future.

A hole in a hose or leak on the inlet side of the pump causes air to get in. The pump will act as if it's starving for water. It might even pulsate. When the water level in your tank reaches a point below the leak in the hose, air will replace the water and you'll get zero pressure. That makes it very hard to wash anything.

Low pressure in the pump can be caused by a whole of things; these are by far the most common, but this is not a complete list, commonly if you go thru this list the question will be solved, check the easiest things first such as water supply:

Faulty pressure gauge (Replace)

Out of water (Fill up tank)

Old or worn out tip at gun nozzle (Replace)

Incorrect tip (Remove and replace)

Belt slippage (Tighten belt)

Hose leaks (Fix leaks)

Faulty unloader (Replace)

Mis-adjusted unloader (Re-adjust)

Worn packing in pump (Take it to dealer)

Inline filter clogged with dirt (Clean it)

Obstruction in spray nozzle tip (Remove it)

Chemical metering valve sucking air (Turn it off)

Slow engine rpm (Check engine)

If you have a pulsating issue at the gun or the engine is ranging pressure, this is a completely dissimilar question than low pressure. You should check for: Worn piston packing (Call dealer). Pump sucking air (Fix hole), Blockage in valve (Remove, check valves and take out blockage). If it is ranging and very noisy or if your pump is only noisy check for:

Air in suction line (Check water furnish and connections)

Broken or weak inlet or dismissal valve springs (Call dealer)

Excessive matter in valves (Check and clean if necessary)

Worn bearings (Check and replace. If necessary, call dealer)

Vibrations from mounting (Tighten it. If unable, call dealer)

If you find the presence of water in the pump oil, it could be caused by: Blown pump head seals, High humidity in air (Change oil more often) or Piston packing worn then call your dealer. If water or oil drips from the lowest of the pump this could be a whole of things such as Piston packing worn, the O-ring plunger retainer is worn, Oil seal worn, Pump head seal shot or Crack in pump head. If any of these call the dealer and see if they have the parts in stock, you may be able to fix it yourself if you feel confident, if not you will need to leave your machines with the dealer for repairs.

Pump lubrication should be done every three months or 500 hours, which ever comes first. Use Sae 40 weight oil or equivalent for Cat pumps. Use 20/30 weight non-detergent oil for normal pumps. It should be hydraulic oil with anti-wear and rust inhibitor additives. The oil level should be checked by seeing in the window on the side of the pump. Only fill oil half way to the red dot.

As a pressure washing contractor you must understand how to maintain and mend your equipment, think about it.

11 Tips for Air Compressor Maintenance

Now that you've invested in an air compressor to run all of your air tools you're going to have to learn how to keep it up and running. Because the accepted handyman's air compressors don't typically require daily upkeep, it's easy to forget about them and neglect their upkeep. This can be a costly oversight so it's vital for you to keep an eye on the following maintenance tips.

Maintenance Tip 1: Read and succeed Your Air Compressor's Manual

Nothing stops an air compressor faster than an owner who doesn't read the owner's manual. There's going to be some straightforward tips in there for you that will help you to get a nice long life out of your air compressor - straightforward stuff for you to do that you would never have understanding to do unless you read it. Plus, if you don't succeed the rules in your air compressor hand-operated there's a occasion that you'll void your warranty. That in itself should be sufficient of an incentive to read the "flipping" manual.

Maintenance Tip 2: Drain The Moisture From The Tanks

The receiver tank collects moisture from the air that it's compressing - especially if you live in a humid climate. Most tanks have a valve for draining this moisture that accumulates and it's up to you to make sure that these are drained regularly. Before draining the water you should be sure to issue the air pressure from the tanks.

Maintenance Tip 3: Clean Intake Vents

If you force your air compressor to work too hard to intake air you're losing power on your compression. This will gradually degrade the capability of your tool. Be sure to keep your intake vent as clean as inherent and check them regularly especially if you're working in a dusty or dirty environment.

Maintenance Tip 4: Tighten All Fasteners

Your air compressor's a running, vibrating motor and it will loosen its screws, nuts and bolts on a regular basis. Be sure to check these periodically and tighten them up if you find any that have jiggled loose.

Maintenance Tip 5: Check Hoses Regularly

Check all your hoses periodically as they are the veins of your air compressor. If they come to be cracked or corroded they could soon begin to leak and then put undue strain on the rest of your compressor's components. Be sure to check them and replace them if you find them cracked or damaged.

Maintenance Tip 6: Test the security Shutdown System

Your air compressor may have a built in security shut down. The function of this ideas is to shut off your compressor if it's getting too hot, or if the engine's oil pressure is too low. This test will help you ensure a longer chronic compressor.

Maintenance Tip 7: Check and convert Air Filters As Needed

A filthy air filter is only hurting your air compressor by allowing dirty air from the surface in, plus forcing it to work harder to intake air. Check your filters regularly and convert them if you notice a heavy build up of dust and dirt. convert every six months or so if you use it infrequently.

Maintenance Tip 8: Clean the Fuel Tank

As with any motor you need to periodically clean out the fuel tank to ensure optimal operating conditions. You should look to clean out the motor on your air compressor once every year or so to remove any residual build up from the fuel. This will reserve the life of your engine.

Maintenance Tip 9: Check and convert the Compressor Oil

If you're running a compressor that uses oil you should be checking it on a daily basis to make sure that your motor is topped off. Then, every 500-1000 hours of use you should be changing this oil to ensure maximum functioning of your air compressor.

Maintenance Tip 10: convert the Separator Element

The separator element prevents the inordinate use of oil, but it has to be replace periodically. Keep your compressor in top health by replacing the separator element every 1,000 hours of operation.

Maintenance Tip 11: Clean the Heat Exchangers

If your heat exchangers are dirty then they can't do their job, which is to sacrifice the operating temperatures of your air compressor. Clean them regularly to keep your operating temperatures down and increase the life span of your air compressor.

By following the tips above you'll ensure a nice long life for your air compressor, plus the jobs that you use it for will go faster and more productively. A well maintained air compressor is a marvelous motor for any job site or workshop, so keep yours running smoothly.