Pressure washer

Tom R S

Member
Trying to start my pressure washer. Is it
OK to run it without having water
connected to the pump? Or will running the
pump dry damage it?
 
It's not good on any power washer to run without water in them. They all say when you hook it up to water you should even work all the air out of the lines before running the pump.
 
Me too, but I connect a little piece of hose to the inlet, pointing up, and pour some oil in it before storing. Keeps pump from corroding inside too. Sorta like the expensive pump saver they sell.
 
If you're wanting to run the engine without water. Unbolt and remove the pump from the engine. I had a fuel/carb problem with mine and didn't want water running and making a mess.
 
I got tired of fooling with gas washers and went to electric since I don't do any real HD or commercial work. I got it out for the first time this year, hooked it to the water first. On my gas washers, I always pulled the wand trigger to ensure that water was present for starting. On this electric unit I did the same thing and got no water. Turned it on and a few seconds later got water.

It doesn't seem to have the same pumping system as gas. More like my electric sprayer assume a hose contains the fluid and a series of rollers roll around a hub with the tube between them essentially rolling the water out. RPMs you hear are high pitched so even though the volume contained in the tube, between the rollers may be small, the high RPM vs flow at the nozzle makes for the high pressure.....but this is all conjecture till I open it up and look inside.....but at 1600 PSIG at the nozzle, you aren't going to get there with soft, compressible, plastic hose.
 
Good afternoon: Possibly related question; I have an electric power washer from Home Depot, it was a nuisance to start up partly because my water hose shutoff was at the house (50 feet away) and getting the water and the electric motor switch synchronized was tricky. An old acquaintance was working at the Depot at the time, and he helped me fix the problem by selling me a small manual water shutoff valve, to be put in a certain place in a water line on the washer's plastic piping. I put the valve in as suggested, and the unit worked fine that year. NOW, I CAN'T REMEMBER the startup sequence. Someone reading this may have an added manual valve on their Home Depot electric pressure washer, and can tell me about it.
.
Of all the things I have lost, I miss my mind the most....
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D. Martin, in W. Tenn.
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I've been test running pressure washer engines for 14 years and never had a pump failure that I was certain was caused by running the pump dry. HOWEVER, I never let the engine run for more than a minute, two at the most. It is no fun at all trying to work on one while water drips and pools up under it.
 
(quoted from post at 20:59:26 05/08/23) I've been test running pressure washer engines for 14 years and never had a pump failure that I was certain was caused by running the pump dry. HOWEVER, I never let the engine run for more than a minute, two at the most. It is no fun at all trying to work on one while water drips and pools up under it.

I've also heard it is bad to let it run for long even with water in it and not let fresh cold water come in.
 
(quoted from post at 20:16:55 05/08/23)
(quoted from post at 20:59:26 05/08/23) I've been test running pressure washer engines for 14 years and never had a pump failure that I was certain was caused by running the pump dry. HOWEVER, I never let the engine run for more than a minute, two at the most. It is no fun at all trying to work on one while water drips and pools up under it.

I've also heard it is bad to let it run for long even with water in it and not let fresh cold water come in.

Never had any problems either letting one run for a minute or two without water.

A guy did destroy a 4500psi pump once for me when he left it running while he went to lunch with the water turned on. Replacing the pump was cheaper than repairing it.
 

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