Your Pressure Washer Should Not Smoke!
If your machine smokes like the one in this photo, its time for a burner tune up and adjustment! Smoking pressure washers indicate the machine is not properly burning the fuel. When fuel is not burning correctly the unit will build up soot in the coil. Soot build up on the heat exchange coil is a symptom of an ill-maintained burner.
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Soot causes a whole list of problems, including difficulties with draft, efficiency, and carbon monoxide. Soot plugs the coil and reduces the airflow which in turn, reduces the pressure washer’s efficiency and overall equipment life. As soot builds up on the burner coil, fuel consumption and cost increase. Soot buildup can be avoided by considering these factors:nImproper Voltage: Low voltage will affect burner performance. Adjust the RPM for proper voltage (gas engines).
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- Burning Dirty Fuel: Old, contaminated, or dirty fuel can block the fuel nozzle which will in turn produce soot. Adding soot remover to your diesel fuel can reduce the occurrence of this problem.
- Improper Electrode Adjustment: Improperly adjusted electrodes or damage electrodes which are cracked or chipped will cause soot buildup and poor operation of the burner.
- Incorrect Air/Fuel mixture: Soot can build up due to incomplete combustion of fuel caused by improper air to fuel ratios. If the air/fuel mixture is not correct, the exhaust will be expelled as smoke or soot.
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nPreventive Maintenance is the key to dealing with soot, by not allowing soot to build up at all. Professional preventative maintenance is strongly recommended bi-annually for all pressure washer burner systems. Maintaining and adjusting your diesel burner can save on heating costs and add years of life to your pressure washer equipment.
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Maintaining pressure washer burners requires a great deal of experience and training. Combustion test instruments are required for the adjustment of diesel burners. Technicians must be well versed in all applicable codes, standards, and ordinances. Hotsy service technicians are factory trained to repair and maintain diesel burners.