Pressure washer question

[Murmansk]

I've got a Nilfisk pressure washer and bought a patio cleaning attachment for it.

It's roughly circular with a brush that forms the wall of the thing and sits on the ground in use. Inside there is a rotating arm with two nozzles on pointing slightly to one side.

The pressure of the water is clearly meant to make the thing rotate and it did so when I first got it 4 years ago but it stopped working and I gave up on it

I've now got it out again and tried to make it work but it doesn't rotate, just squirts.

I tried cleaning all its nozzles. There are three holes in the centre which seem to serve to let some of the incoming water out so the entire flow doesn't just go through the rotating bit, so I blocked two out of the three with screws to make more water go to the rotating bit. It does now rotate but not particularly fast and the end result is that it still doesn't clean my patio!

Any ideas on this?

[Chris J Dixon]

If you just flick the rotating arm when dry, how freely does it rotate?

You can sometimes get enough grit or sand in the moving parts to jam it.

Chris

[Murmansk]

It rotates very freely

[Tim+]

Does the pressure washer still work with the ordinary lance? Is the pump working at full flow with the patio cleaner?

I ask this as my pressure washer?s output changes depending on my lance setting. On one setting it just squirts mains pressure water, on the other setting the pump provides high pressure water. Maybe a pipe obstruction is stopping the pump ?ramping up? its output?

A poor flow *into* the pump can also do this with my pump.

Tim

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Did it clean when it did work? Seems a little odd to rely on water to rotate it. Brian

[Tim Lamb]

In message <s1ks22$5q2$ [e-mail], "Brian Gaff (Sofa)" [e-mail]> writes

Excellent question, Brian.

I have a similar unit for a different washer. My complaint is that the jets do an excellent job of cleaning a very narrow circular strip. Moved across the patio at any speed you create a *coiled spring* pattern.

I think the OP has a pump problem. Frost damage has always been a risk with pressure washers stored in garden sheds.

>

[Murmansk]

Thanks for those replies

Yes, it did clean effectively at first and I remember being impressed at how fast it rotated.

I think the machine is still washing at full pressure as when I use it with just the lance and one of the two heads, it produces a kind of flat/blade-shaped jet that is very effective and could easily blast imperfect mortar out between bricks and it sends slate chippings flying into next door's garden if I'm not careful.

[Jeff Layman]

Have you checked that the each of the nozzles points slightly backwards? Even without pump pressure the head should rotate at slow speeds. I just cleaned my patio with my Bosch (not very effectively, I must say - the flat jet lance spray is much more effective, but gets water and mess everywhere), and found the cleaning head rotated slowly even without me pulling on the trigger. Once I did, the pump activated and the rotation increased rapidly.

[wasbit]

Probably not a lot of help but my Nilfisk compact attachment works well. It's quicker than conventional pressure washing. IIRC it wasn't very expensive.

[Muddymike]

Mine does that.I just blow back through the nozzles with the airline and its fine again for several hours.

Brilliant tool for cleaning hard surfaces.

Mike