What Causes Pressure Washer To Backfire? 2023’s Best Answer

Many people have been saddled with the question of what causes pressure washer to backfire. It must be understood that backfiring takes place when ignition occurs in the exhaust or intake and not in the combustion chamber. This backfiring can be caused by many reasons, which we will find out soon. 

What causes pressure washer to backfire?

Do you want to know what causes pressure washer to backfire? This is the perfect opportunity to get educated on the diverse things that will make the engine of your pressure washer backfire. Some of the causes are:

A bad engine

One thing about backfiring is that timing is a huge issue. The engine will propel the machine into action on pressure washers through combustion within each cylinder. Note that this combustion will only occur when the correct air, heat, and fuel ratio is allowed to enter the chamber simultaneously to create an explosion. 

While most machines will try to manage this timing, if it is not managed, the timing will be a bit off, resulting in excess fuel getting into the exhaust pipe. When it gets to the exhaust pipe, it gets exposed to heat and air as it moves towards the end of the pipe.

On getting there, it will combust like it was supposed to in the chamber. This will cause a loud noise and, ultimately, a fire. 

Too much fuel

This is a common cause of backfire. It happens when plenty of fuel gets to the engine but not enough air. This will lead to additional fuel going down the exhaust pipe and combusting. 

An old engine

When seeking to understand what causes pressure washer to backfire, understand that older models of pressure washers or older engines will not have the same capacity for timing the ignition as modern day engines. The fact is that the newer engines make use of a computer to get an accurate time.

But older engines must be adjusted repeatedly to ensure the timing is accurate. 

The muffler construction

The opposite of rich fuel is a lean fuel mixture. And this occurs when too much air gets into the engine but not enough fuel. So, whenever the cylinders spark, they will not ignite the entire fuel at once. Thus, it leaves extra fuel that leaks out of the exhaust and combusts. 

A mixture of air and fuel

There are times when the combustion system gets some extra air alongside the fuel. Their mixture will then lead to the engine backfiring. You must check your combustion to get rid of air. When you often pressure wash a deck or pressure wash a balcony, you will do soft wash pressure washing. Soft wash pressure washing uses less pressure which might cause a bad mixture of air and fuel, so be careful.

Unburnt oil

Another cause of backfiring in pressure washers has to be unburnt oil. If the oil stays in the exhaust and gets ignited for no reason, the engine of your pressure washer will ignite and backfire. This will damage your engine power and even result in a misfire. 

Too much oil in the cylinder

As you seek to understand what causes pressure washer to backfire, you must be aware that one of the causes is having plenty of oil in the cylinder. There are times when you might overload your cylinder and get to keep that extra oil in your fuel tank. 

Even if you have the maximum capacity fuel tank, you should never make it full. This is because when the cylinder overflows, it will result in the engine backfiring. So, avoiding using plenty of oil in your fuel tank is best. 

Faulty spark plugs

Sometimes, the spark plug practically gets faulty, and this faulty spark plug will result in the engine backfiring. In some cases, the spark plugs may get fuel or extra coolant leaking from them. However, it will result in a backlash.

In addition to all these causes, it must be understood that most pressure washer problems start and end at the unloader. Some of the most common issues are:

• Having a cracked o-ring
• Dirt in the spring 
• A stuck shaft

Note that these issues can be fixed when you remove the unloader and clean or look for the problems. More so, your pressure washer will backfire if the engine’s speed is reduced very swiftly when the engine runs too hot or when there is some leftover fuel in the line that gets burned. 

However, this issue can be solved by slowly reducing the throttle speed. 

Backfire and Afterfire

While we have given you some of the causes of pressure washers backfiring, It is best to know that a backfire is when an engine undergoes an explosion that is mistimed. The explosion occurs in the cylinder or sometimes in the exhaust. All of these occur while the engine is running.

So, the intake valve is practically open, and the fuel gets burned and shot back through the intake. Irrespective of whether your engine is small, it results in issues. While you may be experiencing backfiring, there is also something called the Afterfire.

The afterfire happens when the engine makes some loud bangs when you turn it off. However, this is not a serious issue as it only happens after you use the pressure washer on a high-performance engine. 

How to fix backfiring in pressure washers 

Now that you know what causes pressure washer to backfire, it is ideal that you know how to fix it when it happens. Note that fixing it will involve following different steps. There are lots of issues that can result in a backfire. However, you can fix it by:

Reducing engine rotation

When cleaning something at high pressure, we tend to forcibly turn on the pressure washer’s engine. If you are among those that do this, you will need to regulate the engine’s power downwards. You need to do this so the water speed does not lose continuity. I believe that this will not interrupt your work. 

Examine the carburetor’s efficiency

When your pressure washer backfires when you start your work, you must immediately turn off the washer. After doing that, you will need to determine your carburetor’s efficiency. If you discover a problem with your carburetor, replace it. Then hope that when you change it, the engine will restart without any backfires. 

Strictly follow the policy of your engine’s fuel 

There are times when we use diverse approaches and fail to use the fuel that the manufacturer recommended in case of any emergency that can result in the engine having mechanical faults.

Tips to stop what causes pressure washer to backfire

By now, you will have learned all the ways your pressure washer might backfire. But you should also know all the ways you can properly use it so that it doesn’t backfire in the future. To help with properly using a pressure washer, here are some common tips that should greatly help you:

• All accessories need to match: Any accessory that you will be using with your pressure washer must match its PSI range. If you use accessories meant for higher PSI washers, you will damage your own.
• Never use ladders with a pressure washer. Pressure washers are dangerous by themselves, so using one with a ladder is just asking for accidents. If you need to clean second stories, then get a second story nozzle accessory.
• Always wear protection: Whenever you are using a pressure washer, you must ensure that you are wearing the right protection for your eyes, ears, and hands. Since you are cleaning with high-pressure water, you need to keep yourself safe.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

Conclusion 

Have you been searching for what causes pressure washer to backfire? Search no further, as we have found the root cause of the issue in this article. Make sure you read through to know why your washer has been backfiring.