Fill 'er up

September 30, 2024 12:21 PM

I've acquired this pressure washer. If I do not want to use soap, do I fill that tank with water or leave it empty?

This is my first pressure washer, so I'm not sure. I'm afraid if I leave it empty, something will blow. I can't find anything in the manual.

posted by falsedmitri to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

Best answer: I have a pressure washer, not exactly like that, and have used pressure washers like that, and I do not put anything in the soap dispenser when using it just for water.

The manual for that tool has a lot of warnings on usage and I'm fairly certain that if it required something in the soap tank, there'd be a warning saying it was necessary.
posted by AzraelBrown at 12:29 PM on September 30 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Leave it empty. Water just goes through it unbothered, you'll be fine.

Remember to drain it and store it indoors if winters are cold where you are.
posted by mhoye at 1:42 PM on September 30 [2 favorites]

If you don’t use the black tip it shouldn’t draw anything from the tank; that is pretty standard for pressure washers.
posted by TedW at 3:04 PM on September 30 [2 favorites]

Best answer: See this for an explanation.
posted by TedW at 3:08 PM on September 30 [2 favorites]

Tedw has it- Generac details how their pump operates yours will use a similar mechanism.
posted by zenon at 3:28 PM on September 30 [2 favorites]

Mentioned above, but with winter coming, do make sure you prepare it for storage. It's a good idea to use a pump guard like this, that you connect to your inlet and briefly turn on your washer to draw the contents in, or one like this, that you connect to your inlet and then activate, and it blasts the contents through your pump. Both approaches help lubricate your pump while displacing any residual water with antifreeze. Also make sure to disconnect and drain any water from your high-pressure hose, and from the spray gun, before storing. Good practice anyway, but if it's stored in a location where temperatures can drop to freezing, any water remaining in the pump or spray gun may expand while freezing and cause damage.

Gas or electric, it's very important not to run your pump dry, and do avoid cavitating by hooking up the inlet hose, turning on the hose, and squeezing the trigger on the sprayer wand until any sputtering (air trapped in the lines) stops, before applying power to your pressure washer.
posted by xedrik at 1:49 PM on October 1 [1 favorite]