Pressure Washer Cutting Out

[Evastar]

i finally got around to pressure washing the decking, but the pressure washer keeps cutting out, so only got half of it done :(

i can't find the instruction manual for it either, its a Kew Alto Force 5100 X-Tra pressure washer, anyone any ideas where i can get a manual for it or what the problem might be?

[cactikid]

check that you have a good feed of water and no kinks in hose
also on inlet pipe connection there is a wire strainer is it partly blocked with grit.

[Evastar]

checked the hose, seems fine, have been trying to get a user manual with no success, might have to leave it in for repair :(

[satsmo]

I think they were bought out by Nilfisk Eva maybe that's why you cannot find the manual?

I tried to attach the manual in PDF format but it exceeded the size here so here is the link http://webparts.nilfisk-advance.com/pdf/UM_POSEIDON_2_en.pdf

I think it is as close as you can get to your specific model.

[Evastar]

thank you so much :)

i looked on the nilfisk website but the manual wasn't there for my model. the other one looks pretty similar though, so is probs the same manual

[satsmo]

Is it the correct manual?

I am a closet pressure washer geek :)

[Evastar]

not sure, mine doesn't have the dials on the front but looks pretty similar otherwise.

still not sure why it cuts out, i read somewhere else it might be the upload valve? so as a closet pressure washer geek, what's an upload valve and is it easy to fix? lol

[satsmo]

It is usually a spring loaded valve and that could be your problem as the spring may have rusted.

A good spray of WD40 may do it but I do not know your particular model so cannot point it out to you.

I could bet that they will have plenty of spare valves that you can buy to repair it as is usually the case with a product that suffers from a start - stop problem.

[Evastar]

ok found this elsewhere, not sure what it means though:

I have a Kew Alto Force X-TRA that I have had for 5 years or so and has worked fine until recently.
Usually works fine initially then it stalls and will not pump. I have found that if I turn the cold water supply off and release the pressure eg disconnect the feed hose at the tap, then reconnect it, it starts working again, sometimes until next time I stop using it, sometimes for a while (sorry, not sure exactly how long).
I assume there must be some form of a pressure sensor on the cold water feed that is giving a false reading and resets when the pressure is released?




Have the same p-washer (5-6 years old) and the same problem. Opened it and the pressure switch is the crook. A plastic pin has an inner and an outer spring on it (two consentric springs). The smaller inner spring is completely rusted away so the switch no longer operates correctly. Obviously the spring was of a too low quality. The service office say a new switch cost around 400NOK (50 euros) - so the washer is too expensive to mend. But I will try to get it working without the inner spring. Doubt if I succed. So will have to dump the washer.




Don't throw away the washer yet. I got the washer working again. Here's how. Dismantled the washer and the pressure switch which is screwed into the unit. The switch has the power leads connected to it via a little nylon box. You need a spanner to unscrew the switch. Part of the switch is made of plastic. The switch has a plastic pin on which are tread-ed two concentric pressure steel springs to hold against the water pressure. The inner spring which was rusted to pieces has a smaller diameter . Possibly this smaller springs function was to avoid pulsating pressure. Anyway the pieces were jamming the movement of the pin thereby stopping the switch from operating. I removed the loose spring fragments but left the pieces I could not remove as they hung as rings on the pin. Then I greased the spring and pin with propeller grease. Before I mounted the washer I also took out and cleaned the three pistons. After assembling the washer pulsated for a few seconds in the beginning but operates fine now and has done so for a month. May be the pressure is slightly lower, but the repair was worth the effort.


so sounds like if i take it apart i might be able to fix it? where is this pressure switch likely to be? near the water inlet filter or near the on/off switch or where? lol or am i likely to make a mess of it and have the whole thing explode or electrocute me?

[mtv1]

eva its the water pressure , you need a barrel full of water and the hose on filling it at the same time that'll sort it :)

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRNPGbRFJ-cAVBqRapUPKOexYtBM51YbG0TTNDj7FBoKOOfy41N

[cactikid]

i was going to give you the same links lol sorry

[Evastar]

looks like the water inlet filter is dirty, so will give that a good clean and see if it helps

[Evastar]

okay, i've managed to totally mangle the filter and get it stuck in the water pipe trying to remove it, so have decided to give up and just get a new one.

anyone got any recommendations for me? the one i had was 120 bar pressure, and seemed to be powerful enough, when it worked :)

[cactikid]

dont buy this then lol.
eBay.ie: Hot Water Pressure Washer, Steam Cleaner (item 260762502561 end time 02-May-11 14:51:09 BST) (http://cgi.ebay.ie/Hot-Water-Pressure-Washer-Steam-Cleaner-/260762502561?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item3cb6a805a1)

a few on there with prices also as a guide.
http://www.did.ie/category/Pressure%20Washers/440

[Evastar]

after all that got a cheap one in tesco, ***8364;34.99 and it works fine. :)

was thinking of getting a good one, but i don't have a great track record with electrical equipment so decided against it lol

[cactikid]

hehehe cheap and cheerfull and tesco points

[andi968]

i finally got around to pressure washing the decking, but the pressure washer keeps cutting out, so only got half of it done :(

i can't find the instruction manual for it either, its a Kew Alto Force 5100 X-Tra pressure washer, anyone any ideas where i can get a manual for it or what the problem might be?

It will be thermal cut out on motor to stop it burning out. These are not designed for continuous use try running 10-15 mins on and 10 off to let motor cool down. :)

[bkindtaedugs]

ok found this elsewhere, not sure what it means though:

I have a Kew Alto Force X-TRA that I have had for 5 years or so and has worked fine until recently.
Usually works fine initially then it stalls and will not pump. I have found that if I turn the cold water supply off and release the pressure eg disconnect the feed hose at the tap, then reconnect it, it starts working again, sometimes until next time I stop using it, sometimes for a while (sorry, not sure exactly how long).
I assume there must be some form of a pressure sensor on the cold water feed that is giving a false reading and resets when the pressure is released?




Have the same p-washer (5-6 years old) and the same problem. Opened it and the pressure switch is the crook. A plastic pin has an inner and an outer spring on it (two consentric springs). The smaller inner spring is completely rusted away so the switch no longer operates correctly. Obviously the spring was of a too low quality. The service office say a new switch cost around 400NOK (50 euros) - so the washer is too expensive to mend. But I will try to get it working without the inner spring. Doubt if I succed. So will have to dump the washer.




Don't throw away the washer yet. I got the washer working again. Here's how. Dismantled the washer and the pressure switch which is screwed into the unit. The switch has the power leads connected to it via a little nylon box. You need a spanner to unscrew the switch. Part of the switch is made of plastic. The switch has a plastic pin on which are tread-ed two concentric pressure steel springs to hold against the water pressure. The inner spring which was rusted to pieces has a smaller diameter . Possibly this smaller springs function was to avoid pulsating pressure. Anyway the pieces were jamming the movement of the pin thereby stopping the switch from operating. I removed the loose spring fragments but left the pieces I could not remove as they hung as rings on the pin. Then I greased the spring and pin with propeller grease. Before I mounted the washer I also took out and cleaned the three pistons. After assembling the washer pulsated for a few seconds in the beginning but operates fine now and has done so for a month. May be the pressure is slightly lower, but the repair was worth the effort.


so sounds like if i take it apart i might be able to fix it? where is this pressure switch likely to be? near the water inlet filter or near the on/off switch or where? lol or am i likely to make a mess of it and have the whole thing explode or electrocute me?
Have same problem with force 5100 extra. There is a good video on Youtube showing how to replace the pressure switch (How to repair the KEW Alto Force 5000 pressure washer - YouTube) but the early part showing case removal is where I'm getting trouble! Have removed the two cross head screws holding the handle and also two torx T20 (shallow recessed) screws on the base but cover is still secure. Can anyone help?