How to winterize a Pressure washer? In 5 Easy Steps

If you are looking for how to winterize a pressure washer?  Efficiently To Enhance the work-life of your Pressure washer then this post is for you. Here I Will Share Step by step guide of How you can winterize your electric and gas pressure washer.

When the temperature falls below the freezing point, you need to think about the proper storage of the pressure washer. It takes a few minutes to winterize the power washer.

Winterize is the maintenance process Either if you are using Gas and Electric pressure washer, the Winterize Process Keeps your machine in Good condition and runs smoothly for the longtime. 

In this post you will know how to winterize pressure washer with antifreeze? To learn the whole process let’s first understand why it is necessary

Why Winterizing a Pressure washer is Necessary? 

This process extends the life of a pressure washer. Generally, In winter season most people Store their pressure washers because the temperature drops below the freezing point and they have no plan of cleaning for the Next upcoming month. The remaining water in the pressure washer freezes that damage the internal seals & piston of a Pump. 

Most of the people forgot to winterize pressure washer and don’t know how to winterize it and hesitate. so this is the easy guide to solve this problem.

To mitigate this problem, the winterization of a pressure washer is necessary to protect the internal seals by keeping them lubricated when the pressure washer is not in use. 

Winterizing a pressure washer avoids the rusting and mineral deposits in the internal parts of the pump.

How to Winterize an Electric Pressure washer? (In 5 Easy steps)

It is easy to winterize the Electric pressure washer over the gas because there is no need to winterize the Electric motor.

Let’s see the Entire process of Winterization of an electric pressure washer in 5 Easy Steps:

Step 1: First of all, remove all the detergent From the pressure washer and fill the detergent tank with hot water. 

Step 2: Secondly, Connect the Garden Hose, turn on the pressure washer and Hold the Spray Gun, Now Run 2 to 3 Minutes at low pressure or Until all the detergent water Exit form the pressure washer. This process will Flush out all the Detergents from the pump and help to get rid of Clogging.

Step 3: Unplug the pressure washer disconnect High-pressure hose and garden hose Stored them on Hook

Step 4: Add the Antifreeze or Pump Saver to Protect the Internal Pump Seals. The Antifreeze helps to Lubricate the seals and internal valves and prolong pump life. It also saves from other damages like Rusts & corrosion. 

Step 5: Store the pressure washer inside your home in a cool and dry place.

The main point is that you have to keep your pressure washer free from detergent if you have no Plan for cleaning. the empty detergent from the pump then it is safe from mineral deposits.

This is the complete and easy guide of how to winterize a pressure washer with antifreeze that saves the pressure washer from deposits.


Can you use Pump saver on electric pressure washer?

This is the common question from the user, Yes can use RV antifreeze or any other antifreeze or pump saver to save or increase the pump life of your valuable pressure washer.

The process is simple and easy which I mentioned above, the winterization is quite necessary for those who live in too cold Environments where the temperature reaches to freezing point.

this is the only electric pressure washer maintance required

How to winterize a gas pressure washer?

Winterize gas pressure has one more step compared to Electric pressure washer. People always ask how to winterize gas pressure washers? Here we will describe the process that I follow to winterize my gas pressure washer.

You will need fuel stabilizer and Pump saver (antifreeze) for the effective winterization process

Step 1: First of all, flush out all the detergent and water from the pressure washer to make the process easy.

Step 2: Mix the fuel stabilizer with the fuel in the fuel tank and run the pressure washer for two to three minutes at low pressure. So it can circulate in all the fuel lines and carburetor. 

Step 3: Connect the garden hose with a pressure washer and turn it on for the water supply. Now take the Bucket full of tap water instead of detergent, connect the feed tube to the pump, and one end in the bucket. Now connect the Black color soap Nozzle in the wand & Pull the trigger and run the Pressure washer at low pressure until flush out all the detergent.

Step 4: Disconnect the garden and high-pressure hose 

Step 5: Finally, add the Antifreeze or Pump Saver at the pump inlet that prevents the seals and valves from damage from the mineral deposit and cracks from freezing.

This is the best way to winterize a pressure washer, this winterization process takes up to 10 minutes which is quite necessary if you plan not to use a gas pressure washer for more than one month. 

If you live in a place where the temperature falls more to a minus degree then you should definitely use the pressure washer pump saver or Antifreeze. An economical pump saver can save your expensive pressure washer.

Advantage of Using Pressure washer Pump Saver

  • A quality pump saver protects the seals and piston of a pressure washer.
  • It prolongs the life of pump
  • It lubricate the internal parts of the pump and clean the mineral deposits and cracks 
  • It also improves the performance of pressure washer

Best Pump Saver Brands you can use

  • Briggs & Stratton pressure washer Pump saver
  • AR North America pressure washer Pump saver
  • Karcher Pump Guard Antifreeze pump protection
  • Simpson cleaning pressure washer pump guard

How to Winterize Commercial Pressure washer?

Generally, Both the gas pressure washer and electric pressure washer is used as a commercial pressure washer. For commercial purposes, this winterizing process is quite important because expensive machines require a little maintenance and if you are going for a Holiday then you should definitely winterize your pressure washer.

The process for a commercial pressure washer is the same as normal pressure washer but one thing you should keep in mind, you have to use some extra Pump saver antifreeze solution and also use an extra fuel stabilizer if you winterizing gas pressure washer.

Do you need to winterize pressure washer?

I will say a big yes you definitely winterize pressure washer for longevity, Here I shared the best tips and tricks to winterizing a pressure which I follow for my pressure washer because I live in a cold area.

I usually use my electric pressure washer twice a month. you should also use a pump saver that enhances the pump life and lubricate the internal parts of the pump.

FAQ about How to winterize a Pressure washer?

Q.1) What happens if a pressure washer freezes?

When water freezes inside a pressure washer it damages the internal seals, valves, and Piston of the Pump. Frozen water (ice) bends the valves and pistons of the pump. The mineral deposits and corrosion in the internal assembly of pump damage and shorten the work-life.

Q.2) How to drain water from a pressure washer?

The process is simple, like Normal use: turn off the tap water from the garden hose and run your pressure washer at lowest pressure for 1 minute. Running freely without any inlet water will drain all the water from inside the pressure washer.

Q.3) Can i Use RV antifreeze in my pressure washer?

Yes RV antifreeze is Good and inexpensive Antifreeze compared to others. The ingredients include Ethyl Alcohol, Dipotassium Phosphate, Propylene glycol that has good anti freezing disinfectants properties. This is the perfect anti-freezing solution for pressure washers.

Final words

We mentioned the whole process of How to Winterize a pressure washer for both Electric and gas pressure washer in a simple way. Winterizing a pressure washer is much needed if you live in a place where temperatures fall below freezing point. The frozen water can harm the internal seals, o-rings, and springs in a pressure washer or in any machine.

It takes a few minutes to winterize a pressure washer as well as low cost. this process keeps your pressure washer updated for long term use and makes it free from damage, cracks, etc. The process is quite simple and there is no rocket science in that you can do as well.

Hope you like this post please do comment if you have any queries regarding this post. Thank you!

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