How to Repair Pressure Washer Hoses Efficiently and Safely

Pressure washing has become a favorite cleaning technique in some regions around the globe because rather than spending days cleaning the outside of the property, the pressure washer can speed up the process. Likewise, it can clean areas that are difficult to work on by hand.

Since the hose expels water at high pressures, it is only obvious that such part would wear and tear after some time. The good thing is that you can consider learning how to repair pressure washer hoses so that you would not buy one each time.

With that in mind, if the washer’s hose is busted or has a really noticeable leak, rather than sending it immediately to the garbage, you ought to consider it as a DIY project and attempt to repair it. If you are not a handy individual, then you can get someone to do the repair for you.

Generally speaking, you should not use a power washer if the hose is damaged or in need of repair because water is traveling at high-pressure levels. With such amount of force, using a damaged hose can cause a serious injury to the person using it or even those who are around.

Nonetheless, not all hose damages are repairable. Hence, this article will help you learn how to fix a pressure washer hose that has leaks.

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How to Repair Pressure Washer Hoses

Before you begin repairing the hose of your pressure washer, you should check if the machine is not switched on or plugged. If it is, then you should switch it off and unplug it.

Things You’ll Need

To repair the pressure washer hose, there are several things you will need. Before going out to buy a repair kit with a patch, you should check to see if you have needle nose pliers, an o-ring fitted for the pressure washer hose connection, and a male and female pipe thread quick-connect coupler. If you don’t have needle nose pliers, you can always use shears. You may also need a wrench.

Also, if you don’t have any of those items, you should pick up a repair kit at your local hardware store. The repair kit may or may not include a patch for the hose. For your protection, you should also have a pair of gloves and safety glasses.

What You Need to Do

Initially, you need to press the trigger on the pressure washer hose to discharge any water that may have remained in the hose. Once completed, you then have to identify where the leak in the hose is located. This may be a bit difficult, but you can use the soaping method wherein you put soapy water in the hose and look for air bubbles. If this method proves futile, you may be able to locate the leak by drying the hose and searching carefully.

When you have finally located the leak, dry the area. Using the shears, cut the hose exactly where the leak is, ensuring that the cut is straight across. File the edges of the hose down before adding the male and female couplers. Add the male coupler to the first end, then crimp the end so that it can be flat on the hose.

If there are compression rings, then you should tighten them. Add the female coupler to the other part of the hose and repeat the process as above. You should then thread the male and female ends together. To ensure that they are tight enough, you can use a wrench.

Some Tips and Warnings

To ensure that the hose does not disconnect and cause bodily damage, ensure that the rings are fully recessed and that the couplers are tightened together well. Also, for safety, when testing the pressure washer hose, you should do so in an open area, and when there are no persons around.

You can also just test the hose at a lower pressure to see if the leak persists. You should do all testing with your safety glasses on as well. Additionally, you should not use a patch on the leak because the water in the hose will force the patch to loosen, which can cause serious injuries.

Nothing lasts forever and there comes a time when you will need to have your hose replaced. Repairing the hose should not be attempted if you do not have the right tools. Generally, it is not recommended unless you are familiar with it because replacing the hose entirely is actually very affordable.

When you repair a hose for yourself, it is very likely that the wire is not shaped perfectly to hold the proper shape and after some time it will not hold and will leak again. If such is the case, to save time and money, you can simply replace the entire hose.

Final Words

Pressure washers do a lot of damage to surfaces when they are not used properly. If they can damage the surface, just imagine what they can do to your body. Some people have experienced life-changing bodily damages as a result of pressure washing.

With that in mind, you should always make it a rule to wear safety glasses and protective gear when repairing and testing a defective power washer as the water pressure expelled from its hose can cause permanent eye damage. Also, it is very important that you do not attempt to use a power washer that has a defective hose without replacing or repairing it.

If you anticipate that the process on how to repair pressure washer hose would be a bit of a chore, then you should replace the hose entirely. Also, even if you have the expertise to repair the hose, the repaired hose should only be a temporary thing.

A repair on the pressure washer hose may work for some time, but eventually, after some wear and tear, it will be necessary for you to replace your power washer’s hose completely. The replacement hose can be a generic one as they may be cheaper and easier to source than the power washer’s original hose.

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I am Carl. I have been a DIYer for over thirty years and I love troubleshooting, building, fixing and experimenting with new products. When not in the shop tinkering with some project or other, you can find me outside working on my yard. You'll often see me using power tools like pressure washers and lawnmowers to tinker around with different projects! Although I've been doing this for over 30 years, there are still plenty of ways that people can make things easier or more efficient- so stay tuned!

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