Are you wondering why does my pressure washer have a cracked pump? You are in the right place. It’s actually due to a lot of reasons, which you will know as you delve further.
Washer pumps are used to pump water at high pressure from the hose. If it’s not functioning properly or generating enough pressure there could be many reasons for which the most commonly occurring issue is hairline crack, the crack can even lead to exploding because of high pressure.
If you’re analyzing the problem with the pressure pump, the first task to do is to check the pressure washer pump thoroughly to find out the issues. If the washer pump is cracked you’ll find a small hairline crack or wide crack underneath or near the pressure washer from where water is leaking. After finding and confirming the issue we gotta fix it. Here are some easy guidelines to follow which can help to fix the problem Keep reading!
Why Does Your Pressure Washer Have A Cracked Pump?
The main task of the pressure washer pump is to generate high pressure up to 3200 psi. So the body of the pressure washer pump is made of strong solid metal to hold enough pressure. So, why does my pressure washer have a cracked pump? The cracking and leaking do not commonly occur but it could be due to the following reasons:
- The machine is now too old and the walls of the pump become thin and are unable to hold pressure and get cracked.
- Excessive tightening of the screw more than required can also cause a crack.
- If the machine gets hit by something hard or fell it could get a crack.
- The water freezes inside the pump and causes the crack, as when water freezes it increases in volume and puts pressure on the walls.
Fixing A Pressure Washer With A Cracked Pump
Whatever the reason could be we first need to find out the exact position of the crack and then follow the necessary steps to fix it. Follow the below-mentioned steps on how to fix a cracked pressure washer pump. There are two main ways to fix the crack.
- If the crack is wide or there are multiple small cracks, then no matter what you do it will leak again, so in this case, it’s better to replace the washer pump.
- If its hairline crack then this can temporarily be fixed by welding the crack surface. But this isn’t the long-term solution as the the pressure washer pump generates high pressure and welded pressure pump can only hold a maximum of 2000psi and it has pretty much a chance of cracking again. Not only this, but it can also explode due to high pressure so a better step is to replace the whole pressure pump.
If the crack is wide and can’t be fixed by welding then the only option left is to replace the pressure pump. You need to check the part thoroughly to find the part number, code, and model number. You can buy and reassemble that cracked part ( make sure to use the instructions properly to assemble and do not close the Bolts too tight ) and your washer pressure pump is now 100% reliable to use.
Welding A Pressure Washer With A Cracked Pump
The best option to fix the pressure washer pump is welding. Any kind of glue or super glue will not be able to hold the pressure generated by the pressure washer pump no matter how strong the glue is. JB weld or brazing is the best way to fix the crack though it’s not 100% reliable. To weld or braze, here are the following steps:
Step #1. Inspection of the washer pump and confirmation of the crack
The first step is to thoroughly check the pressure washer pump to find any other issue or crack, then check how worse the crack is if it can be fixed by welding/brazing or you need to replace the pump. After finding the crack mark it with colored chalk or marker. Read more about the oil pump.
Step #2. Smoothening of cracked surface
Use an angle grinder and grind off any protruding metal from the cracked area and make it smooth for welding/brazing.
Step #3. Welding or brazing
Now fire up the brazing torch, give it gas and adjust it until it is a nice blue hot flame. Now by using that hot brazing rod carefully joint the ends of the crack first and then build up the gap and leave it for half or full day. Do not forget to take care of your eyes and skin.
Step #4. Finish off repair
Now finish off the repair by using a blending wheel and make the repaired area smooth and shiny. Your cracked pressure washer pump is now fixed, but keep in mind this Welding/brazing isn’t 100% reliable, any pressure more than 2000 psi can easily cause the burst of the pressure pump so to avoid any accident or something troublesome make sure you changed the whole washer pressure pump before any delay as this Welding is just a temporary fix.
It’s A Wrap!
You must have known till now why does my pressure washer have a cracked pump. You can apply our above-listed method and steps to fix it and still if you are not sure; please call any technician for help. Here are the ways how to clean the pressure washer pump and how to change pressure washer pump oil.