What Happened Today

Alright, so my high-pressure washer just straight up died on me halfway through cleaning the driveway. Dead as a doornail. No water spraying, just a sad hum. I sighed, figured I was in for it. Grabbed my basic tool kit – screwdrivers, wrench, pliers – you know, the usual suspects.

Getting Down & Dirty

First things first, I unplugged that thing. Safety first, always. Then I started poking around. Checked the water inlet screen – it’s this little mesh thing where the hose connects? Totally clogged with grit and leaves. Looked like a mini compost pile stuck in there. Yanked it out and gave it a good scrub under the tap. Reassembled... still nothing. Dammit.

Next suspect? The oil level. Peeked at the oil sight glass – looked low. Dribbled in some fresh pump oil until it hit the mark. Crossed my fingers... plugged it back in... same sad hum. Starting to feel annoyed.

Finding the Real Culprit

Time to get serious. I took off the pump head cover thing. Saw white foam around the seals. Uh oh, that usually means air’s sneaking in somewhere. That kills the pressure quick. Traced the whole water inlet path again, hose connections, everything. Tightened every single nut and fitting I could find with my wrench, even ones that didn't seem loose. Gave it a little extra muscle. For good measure, I popped off the outlet nozzle tip too – it had some dried crud built up. Poked it clean with a toothpick.

The Moment of Truth

Reassembled everything, muttered some kind of prayer. Hooked the hose back up nice and tight. Plugged it in, pulled the trigger... WHOOSH! Full power spray! Almost punched the air! Felt stupid about missing that loose connection earlier – such a simple thing. Took longer than I care to admit.

• Moral of the story? Check the easy stuff twice before you panic. That inlet screen clog was step one, but loose fittings killed the pressure.
• My dumb move? Not tightening all the fittings the first time round.
• Time saved next time? 100% going to check seals and fittings first before tearing deeper. Live and learn!