How to Protect a Pressure Washer from Frost?

[awemawson]

Winter coming on, and no doubt it will freeze at some point, which got me to think about winterising my pressure washers.

I have a cheap-ish Chinese petrol operated one, and I've recently bought a rather splendid, but pretty old (1993), Karcher HDS 550C diesel / electric steam cleaner - both of which will obviously suffer if frozen.

Now although removing all the water would solve the issue, in my experience you never actually mange to get it all out - how do I know - 'coz I always seem to get a puddle from them when theoretically empty

So - I 'could' take them into the heated workshop but it's a pain as I try to keep it as dry as possible for the sake of the lathes and milling machines - if I must I will but I don't want to . . . . . . . . .

. . . so is it possible to get them to ingest antifreeze in some way or other ?

or do you have a cunning way of protecting yours?

 

[8ob]

A well insulated box/small shed and a bulb on a frost stat.

Bob

 

[Eric the chicken]

I run mine ‘til it’s empty and leave it in the workshop, after five years, no problems. As far as lathe, drilling machine etc, spray PX24 on slides etc. so far so good after 15 + years.

 

[Migmac]

Somebody had to take over

 

[OJCar]

^ As the bowl of petunia said " Oh No, not again!"

 

[RWD3M]

I run mine ‘til it’s empty and leave it in the workshop, after five years, no problems. As far as lathe, drilling machine etc, spray PX24 on slides etc. so far so good after 15 + years.

PX24?!!!

That's a bit of a give away sir!

For the uninitiated, WD40 will do

 

[James1979]

Somebody had to take over

Migmactube doesn’t have the same ring to it

I’ve had a lidl petrol one for years. Just make sure it runs drier than a dry thing then put it in the workshop.

Had to replace one PRV when I lent it to someone and he didn’t listen

 

[skotl]

My Karcher blows one of two gaskets (sometimes both) every year! My solution is to have spares on hand...

That said, I just bought a petrol washer and it will be going in the new shed. The instructions say to put antifreeze in the shampoo draw pipe and pull the starter cord four times to get it sucked into the system, so I'll be doing that.

 

[hotponyshoes]

Providing the seals won't suffer from some sort of incompatibility I don't see why you couldn't fill it with antifreeze at the end of the year.
Maybe just remove the outlet hose and make up a short length of inlet hose so you can suck it directly out of a tub until it runs through.

Mine seems to drain itself pretty well so I've never had any issues. Maybe see if you can reroute the plumbing on yours or even add a drain point somewhere?

 

[armalites]

My Karcher 601 has a header tank, I made a pipe to link the inlet and the outlet and put anitfreeze in. Just run the unit up and it cycles it through.

Another option is to make a fitting that you can blow through the inlet with an air line, it will purge the water out but you may need to briefly run it.

Personally the simplest solution is to keep it above freezing.

With many of them especially the cheaper units dry running isn't good, I always take the hose off mine and run briefly run till it stops flowing.

 

[rtcosic]

Cable tie the trigger in the open position so there is an outlet for the 'overpressure' if any residual water freezes and expands.
I haven't tried this so 'at your own risk'.

 

[Migmac]

Migmactube doesn’t have the same ring to it

I’ve had a lidl petrol one for years. Just make sure it runs drier than a dry thing then put it in the workshop.

Had to replace one PRV when I lent it to someone and he didn’t listen

I’m not changing my name

 

[carbon]

Antifreeze is the best way, depending on the machine either add it to the header tank in the machine or add some in a bucket and let the machine suck it in that way. Run it until the antifreeze makes its way to the outlet of the machine.

When using the machine again catch the water antifreeze mix in a suitable container to use again, don't wash vehicles until all the antifreeze is out and the water is clear.

For hoses and triggers the same can be done but it's easier to hold the trigger open with it elevated and let the water flow from the hose when disconnected from the pressure washer/ steam cleaner.

 

[carbon]

The instructions say to put antifreeze in the shampoo draw pipe

Unless the pipe is on the inlet side of the pump this wont help much, most low pressure detergent systems will be fitted to the outlet side of the pump and as such detergent/antifreeze won't enter the pump. Also the dilution rate will mean very little antifreeze gets into the system

 

[brightspark]

i just run some antifreeze through in the header tank on mine or the karcher on the watyer inlet supply and suck some though from a bucket

 

[Agroshield]

...I always seem to get a puddle from them when theoretically empty...

Do the machines not have a single inlet and a single outlet, both of which are threaded (3/4 BSP inlet, M22 outlet is common). Put a rubber-washered blanking cap on each, make some spiders homeless, no puddles and keep in the workshop. Blow through the delivery hose and gun with an airline.

If you put an airline on the inlet to the machine and gave it a few puffs, would it have any harmful effect? Would it assist in removing residual water?

M22 caps: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282042993978
BSP cap: https://www.toolstation.com/washing-machine-plastic-valve-cap/p30766

 

[Bornfree]

I look after about 10 diesel powered cold washer's I've put anti freeze tanks on all of them, but the idiots who use them just cannot get into their heads to pump the anti freeze back into the holding tanks. We have at least 150m of pressure hose on them so they hold a lot. So after a few days they have lost all the anti freeze so freeze ups are common. The triplex piston pumps take the frost incredibly well but the unloader valves do not. So I always keep a couple of spares in the van at £300 each.

 

[Eric the chicken]

PX24?!!!

That's a bit of a give away sir!

For the uninitiated, WD40 will do

I can see where you’re coming from but PX 24 is available commercially, which is how I got mine (5L can) I did come across it though whilst working with the MOD, which is what put me on to it as an anti-rust treatment Initially. I don’t think I’d use PX 24 for long term protection ( 3 months plus) but for use on machine tools that are used every week or so I think it’s fine, as I say it works on my machines.

 

[Parm]

My Karcher blows one of two gaskets (sometimes both) every year! My solution is to have spares on hand...

That said, I just bought a petrol washer and it will be going in the new shed. The instructions say to put antifreeze in the shampoo draw pipe and pull the starter cord four times to get it sucked into the system, so I'll be doing that.

Clearly you are that very rare breed of man that reads the instructions

Congratulations !

 

[armalites]

@awemawson I must admit I skim read you post, I'm pretty sure your HDS550C should be very similar to my HDS601. Mine has a header tank, so putting antifreeze in is easy and all you need to do is link the in and out.

I have a quick release on my pressure hose and I run a Geka claw coupling on the inlet so it's pretty easy to do.

The other benefit of the quick release pressure hose is it means you can pump the machine out without it being under pressure, this also helps if air has got in the system.