A pressure washer stores water in its pump, its hose, and its wand — and winter is the one season that destroys it. Water expands by about 9% when it freezes, and the pump has nowhere for that expansion to go. The pump cracks, the seals split, and the spring start-up becomes a repair bill. Winterizing takes 15 minutes and costs less than a bottle of pump saver.
Water expands by about 9% when it freezes. The pump, the hose, and the wand all hold water, and none of them has room for expansion. The pump cracks first, then the seals split, then the fittings leak. A cracked pump is a new pump — not a repair. Safe use matters too — the pressure washer safety guide covers using it without damaging what you are cleaning.
Disconnect the water. Disconnect the garden hose and squeeze the trigger to release the pressure. The pump holds pressure even with the hose off — release it before you touch anything else.
Run it dry — 30 seconds. Run the pressure washer for 30 seconds with no water connected. That pushes the water out of the pump. No more than 30 seconds — running dry for longer overheats the pump and damages the seals.
Drain the pump. Tilt the pressure washer and let the water drain out of the inlet and the outlet. Turn it on its side if you have to — the water hides in the low spots, and a tilted pump drains what an upright one keeps.
Run pump saver through it. Run pump saver antifreeze through the pump — it is made for pumps, not car antifreeze, which damages the seals. Connect the bottle, pull the starter cord a few times, and the pink fluid coats the inside of the pump.
Drain the hose and the wand. Drain the high-pressure hose and the wand, coil the hose without kinks, and hang it up. A hose left on the floor with water in it freezes, kinks, and splits — and a split hose is a new hose.
Store it indoors. Store the pressure washer indoors — a garage or a shed, off the floor, covered. A shed that freezes is still a freeze: indoors means above freezing, not just under a roof. Choosing the right machine matters before winter — the pressure washer buying guide covers what PSI you actually need.
Do not start it. Bring it indoors and let it thaw completely — a day in a warm room. Then check for cracks in the pump housing, check the seals for leaks, and check the fittings. If the pump leaks when you run water through it, the pump is cracked and needs replacing. A driveway wash is the classic spring job — the driveway pressure washing guide covers doing it without damaging the concrete.
Reconnect the water, run water through the pump before starting the engine, and check for leaks at every fitting. Run it for a minute with the trigger open before you point it at anything — the first water out carries the pump saver and the winter's dust.
Draining alone leaves water in the low spots. Pump saver coats the inside of the pump and protects the seals through the winter. A bottle costs a few dollars; a cracked pump costs a hundred or more.
No — not if it freezes where you live. A shed that freezes is still a freeze. Store it indoors, above freezing, off the floor, and covered.
30 seconds. That is enough to push the water out of the pump. Longer than that overheats the pump and damages the seals — the water is what cools it.
The pump cracked over the winter. Do not run it — a cracked pump leaks under pressure and the leak only gets worse. Replace the pump or the unit.