If you run a pressure washer business you need complete uptime on your equipment, break downs can be costly if your billing rates are $100 to $150.00 per hour. If you are bidding by the job there are times when it is absolutely a great profession to be in. That is if your equipment is working properly. Here are some preventative maintenance for your high-pressure hot water skid unit.

Air Cleaner:

To clean air cleaner, spray WD-40 on it and beat it against a wall. Beat it two to three times before you spray it then beat it again after spraying. If its still dirty, blast it from two feet on the lawn, not on the sidewalk or gutter. (The effluent may go into a storm drain. $10,000 fine.)

Cleaning Cooling Fins on Motor

To clean oil-cooling fins, make sure the machine is cool and spray them with a little white wall cleaner you use to clean truck rims with. Three squirts on each side. Then blast it from six inches away without hitting hoses or electrical parts. Use another pressure washer machine to do this. Otherwise you will be spraying cold water on a hot machine, which can crack the block. If you want to use your own unit, turn the heat on full blast. When you reach 200F you can start. Try not to get water on the belts or pulleys because the water will make them slip and you will have no pressure to clean with. Also, stay away from electrical wires otherwise it might shock the ever living shit out of you. Trust me. It will definitely wake you up. If you plan on working on your machine for anything more than a simple oil change, do yourself a favor and disconnect the giant red cable on the battery.

Other stuff you should remember include:

Do not smoke within five feet of the machine

Do not refuel the tanks while your machine is running, unless you want to win the Darwin award

Do not breath carbon monoxide from the exhaust when working in unventilated areas

Do not leave oily rags next to the machine

Remove excess grease from around the machine

Do not work on things you dont know anything about (especially electrical)

Make sure you buy the right spark plugs

Do not put gas in the diesel tank or vice versa

Do not touch both sides of the battery terminal at the same time, obviously

Do not take off the shroud covering the belts and keep your fingers out of there

Do not spill or splash hot oil from the engine on to your self when changing the oil

That takes care of the engine part. The engine is set for a certain rpm and idle speed. The carburetor is set at exactly what it is supposed to be based on; the PSI of the pump, the number of gallons per minute, rpm of the generator, the load on the machine, the noise of the unit, etc. If you screw with the: Carburetor adjustment screws, Governor low speed adjustment screw, Main fuel adjustment, Throttle stop screw or the Idle fuel screw; then your machine will: Run less efficiently; Break sooner; Run too rich; Run too lean; Cause premature failure or even Cause high pressure hose failure.

Who needs that. Dont tune up your own machine, especially the heart of your machine, the engine, unless you know what you are doing. You should only follow routine scheduled maintenance in the operations manual. Pay attention and play it smart with your routine maintenance regiment. Think about it.