Your industrial pressure washer is a very powerful piece of equipment and that power should be treated with respect, just the same as when you are using any piece of machinery, you wouldn’t clown about when you’re driving your car would you?

1. Horseplay: It goes without saying that you shouldn’t point your pressure washing lance at people or animals and fire water at them, however amusing it might appear in your mind. Paying customers will be particularly annoyed by this kind of behaviour.

2. Writing Words in Dirt: Because pressure washing is very boring in general, and because pressure washers are noisy pieces of equipment, meaning you can’t even have a radio on to help pass the hours, you often find yourself doing silly things like pressure washing your name into someone’s dirty driveway. I think most customers probably wouldn’t be hugely bothered by this practice, as long as you wash the words away that is. I think problems occur when you start writing swear words in huge 10ft letters.

3. Alcohol: Try to avoid doing pressure washing work while pissed as a newt. Again, like in rules 1 and 2, it corrodes that image of professionalism that you are trying to project.  

4. Don’t use your petrol-driven pressure washer in an enclosed place: The reason for this is because your pressure washer will be releasing petrol fumes as it runs. These petrol fumes contain carbon monoxide which has the potential to put you six feet under. If you happen to have an electric pressure washer this issue won’t apply to you.

5. Don’t let your pressure washer run out of water: This isn’t anything that will result in your death, but it will lead to your pressure washer pump being damaged. Seeing how you will have paid a lot of money for your pressure washer, you’ll want to look after it. If you do happen to let your machine’s water supply run dry, (very easy to do) turn it off immediately. If the pump is allowed to run for a prolonged period without any water running through it, it will overheat. I think Kranzle pressure washers can run dry for up to an hour without being damaged??? But anyway it's better to avoid letting your machine run dry and if you accidentally do, turn it off immediately.

6. Unloader Valve: Your pressure washer will have an unloader valve that’s job is to allow the water to shoot out of the end of your lance when you pull the lance's gun trigger. But when you release that trigger the unloader valve will stop the water from going to your lance and send it back to your pump, the water will then be cycled inside the pump. The problem with this is that if the water is left to cycle in the pump for too long, the water will get hot and overheat the pump, damaging it.

My pressure washer has a tap on it which when opened will allow the water to harmlessly pour onto the ground, so when I'm not using the lance but want to leave the machine still running I open the tap. The machine can then quite happily continue to run until it empties its fuel tank, granted of course that it’s being supplied with water.  

So basically what I’m telling you is don’t leave your pressure washer running if you’re not using your lance, unless you've got a tap on it that can release the water, and if it has got a tap make sure you open it.

Tip: You may want to have your water release tap on your pressure washer connected up to a hose that feeds back to your buffer tank so you can save water. A lot of people are on water meters and won't take kindly to you wasting it.

7. Don’t leave your pressure washer running unattended: It’s a bad idea to leave your pressure washer running unattended for any long period of time. It’s just common sense.

8. Maintenance: Your pressure washer should be maintained. On a brand new machine this usually just involves oil changes. After a couple of years of regular use though, you may want to have it properly serviced. You’ll probably get this done at the place where you originally bought it. Although if you bought your equipment over the internet from somewhere far away, you’ll have to locate somewhere locally that can do it for you.

9.Oil Changes
You need to realise that your pressure washer will possibly use different types of oil. It will use oil for the pump, for the motor, and if your pressure washer has a gearbox, that will use oil as well. The gearbox oil will probably be something like EP 90 gear oil. The motor and pump oil will probably require something like 15W 40. Always consult your manual first though as I’m just giving you a rough guide of what it might be. If in doubt phone the people you bought the equipment from. 

10. Secure It: An industrial pressure washer is a prized piece of machinery that some people will look at with envious, desiring eyes. There may also be people who particularly desire your pressure washer because they don’t want to fork out a lot of money to pay for their own. You’ll need some secure place to store your equipment that’s preferably armed with watchtowers, searchlights and machine gun nests.