cwarrior 14 Report post Posted January 14, 2010 Hoping someone can help me out. Today was the first time I ran my unit since a recent hard freeze. I keep my unit in the garage, but the water in the hoses froze when traveling from my house to the job. Now my pressure hose pulsates/cavetates. I thought it may be the water source, so I ran it off my tank- did not correct the problem. In-line filter is okay. Could it be the pump or unloader. I am trying to fix it myself as the closest repair center is 60 plus miles away. It is a 5gpm, 3500 psi, hot water unit. Thanks, Mark Mastio Shoreline- Windows Cleaning, Pressure Washing, & Dryer Vent Cleaning Freeport, Fl. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adrian 155 Report post Posted January 14, 2010 I'm with you Mark. I keep my rig in the garage as well when it gets close to freezing, BUT, I also prop a heater up next to the pump. Maybe overkill on my part, but I don't do the anti-freeze winterizing, because it rarely gets below freezing here. So here is my question to you ( I really am trying to help). Does your garage get below freezing when it is freezing outside? If so, water that remained in the pump could expand when freezing and put expansive pressure on the inner workings causing some damage. Ususally when pulsating occurs it is because of improper water supply. BUT, since it pulses even off of the tank ( which I am guessing you normally use) then you may have to take that 60 mile trip no thanks to the weather. AND... it could definately be the unloader as well ( much cheaper to replace). Sidebar.... my memory sux, but weren't you operating out of Ft. Hood Tx. at one point, or ( most likely) am I mistaken? If worse comes to worse, give Russ at Southside Equipment a call and see if he can walk you through it. He's a go to guy and knows worlds of troubleshooting. Hope ( and I really tried) this help at least a little. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Russ Johnson 141 Report post Posted January 15, 2010 Mark, call me tomorrow around 9:00. We'll get it figured out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cwarrior 14 Report post Posted January 15, 2010 Thanks for your responses. Adrian, I am originally from New Orleans. Been in Florida 3 years. Russ, I'll call you in the morning. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnB 14 Report post Posted January 15, 2010 I had this happen on my whitco and it ended up that a piece of ice had damaged a valve in the pump. I changed out the valve and all was fine .. it is really a cheap fix.. If you get trash ( even a small piece in the valves it will cause it to pulsate .. Be careful when you put the big nuts back on the pump that you do not crimp an o-ring.. I have also seen a hairline crack in the water filter cause this as well .. And in the worse case you may need to repack your pump.. How does the oil look in the pump ? has it got water in the oil ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cwarrior 14 Report post Posted January 17, 2010 John, with Russ's help, I removed the valves and found 1 of the valves to be damaged. Hopefully, new valves will correct the problem. Thanks for the advice. Also, thanks Russ for your help in guiding me as I removed the valves. You helped me out tremendously. My cold water unit pulsates when the pressure hose is open and not connected to the gun. I removed the valves on this unit also to check for damage. Valves looked okay. However, when I attach the gun and use a nozzle, there is no pulsating. I checked the pressure using a gauge and it is steady at 3200psi (The unit is 3500psi, 4gpm). Is it normal to puslate with an open hose? Thanks, God bless! Mark Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Russ Johnson 141 Report post Posted January 17, 2010 An open flow can show signs of pulsation because there's no back pressure to make the pump force the water out. With the open hose, the 3 pistons just belch water out one at a time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
