Pressure Washers: How to Safely Use These Machines
If you are looking for a power tool that can help you do cleaning jobs easily, then you are looking for pressure washers. Basically, pressure washers are best described as a garden water hose on steroids. With pressure washers, you will be able to clean almost any type of surface easily and efficiently.
With pressure washers, gone are the days where you have to get down on your knees and apply some elbow grease just to clean your garage’s concrete floor or your patio’s wood deck. Also, with this power tool, you don’t need to manually get that squishy and disgusting stuff out of your roof’s gutter with your hands. All you need to do is blast them off with the pressure washer.
However, although power washers are considerably safe to use, improper handling of this power tool can lead to damage to properties or even injuries. This is why you should treat this equipment as if it were a chainsaw, brush cutter, or other power equipments.
So, here are some of the safety precautions that you need to take whenever you operate a pressure washer. By keeping these safety precautions in mind, you can be sure that you will be able to avoid damaging properties or getting you or other people injured by it.
Before you operate the machine, make sure that you check everything in the machine. This means that you should look for leaks in the pump, check for oil leaks if you have a gas operated pressure washer and check the electrical cord for tears if you are using an electric powered one.
The hose should also be checked for wear and tear. Keep in mind that if you frequently use the pressure washer, the hose may experience wear and tear through frequent dragging and you also need to remember that this part is subjected to very high pressure.
You also have to make sure that the hose adapters are fastened and secured to avoid it from slipping or even detaching.
You should also make sure that the inlet and outlet ports, such as the wands, nozzles, and spray tips are free from clogs. You need to remember that you are operating the machine at a very high pressure. This means that if there are any clogs in the inlet and outlet ports, it can propel these small objects at a very high pressure, which can cause damage to property or even injuries.
It is also very important to wear protective gear whenever you use or operate pressure washers. You may get tempted to wear your shorts and a pair of flip flops or your bathing suit when operating this machine but this is one of the things that you should never do when operating pressure washers. Wear goggles, ear plugs, boots, jeans, and raincoat. This will protect you from minute objects that may be propelled by the intense pressure.
Lastly, make sure that you clean the equipment before you store it. If you used detergents or cleaning chemicals such as chemical degreasers, you may want to run clear water through the entire system. You should also let the engine cool down before you storing it away.
These are some of the safety precautions that you need to remember whenever you operate a pressure washer. By keeping these things in mind, you will be able to avoid damage to property or even injuries.