Hose pop off pressure washer and tap

Hose pop off pressure washer and tap

Author
Discussion

FlatSixBoxer

Original Poster:

2,501 posts

190 months

Monday 5th May
quotequote all
Hi,

I have a very annoying issue not isolated to the pressure washer and where by all accessories pop off from the quick release, including popping off from the tap itself.

It is especially annoying when using the pressure washer to clean the car as I am constantly having to turn the tap off and reconnect pressure washer.

I have tried replacing male and female connectors with brass fittings and replaced the whole again with hozelock. With the brass fittings they were blowing off from where the hose clamps to the female and with hozelock they are blowing off from the female to male quick release.

I have the tap turned on by the smallest amount to try and limit pressure.

Any solutions for this, I assume the pressure on my tap is too high. Are there any beefy connectors out there?

miniman

28,165 posts

277 months

Monday 5th May
quotequote all
Not quite understanding the issue from your description - are you saying the connectors keep popping off the tap, or the connectors pop apart regardless of where on the hose they are - tap, spray gun, pressure washer etc?

I’ve found Gardena very good.

Or you could try something like this with an industrial scale connector:



But seems odd, I’ve only had standard plastic or brass connectors pop off when very worn.

98elise

29,842 posts

176 months

Monday 5th May
quotequote all
You probably need a pressure reducing valve (NOT a pressure relief valve).

Well have a similar problem as our water pressure is quite high. The pressure washer is a particular problem with the hose connector coming off the threaded inlet.

On Ebay you can pick one up for about £8.

Edited by 98elise on Monday 5th May 11:07

biggiles

1,927 posts

240 months

Monday 5th May
quotequote all
Do you know what pressure you have outdoors?

Typically a house may have a pressure-reducing valve (e.g. down to 3 bar) while outside you may have much higher pressure water e.g. 6 bar.

We have water at 6 bar, and our hoselock connectors do work; so perhaps something else is wrong, maybe you have /much/ higher pressure.

(NB the brass connectors from Screwfix etc. are often lower quality/tolerance than the plastic Hoselock branded connectors so I'd stick to those until you've worked out a solution).

If the plastic connectors are old then the O-rings can perish. These are easy to replace.

Sheepshanks

37,235 posts

134 months

Monday 5th May
quotequote all
Is it the "shock" of the pressure washer going off and on that blows the connectors apart?

Our house is pressure balanced but the garage tap is right where the water comes in and is straight off the mains and I'd have said the pressure is pretty tremendous, but (touch wood) never had any issues with Hoselock connectors, other than dripping a bit. I do use a presure washer, although not very often.

LooneyTunes

8,271 posts

173 months

Monday 5th May
quotequote all
miniman said:
Not quite understanding the issue from your description - are you saying the connectors keep popping off the tap, or the connectors pop apart regardless of where on the hose they are - tap, spray gun, pressure washer etc?

I’ve found Gardena very good.

Or you could try something like this with an industrial scale connector:



But seems odd, I’ve only had standard plastic or brass connectors pop off when very worn.
Geka fittings are great. The only drawback is that some people find them harder to separate than the hozelock ones. Often that’s because they don’t depressurise the line before trying to disconnect them.

119

12,076 posts

51 months

Monday 5th May
quotequote all
Surely not opening the tap fully would stop that?

Open it half way, or until it holds without releasing.

Chris_i8

2,191 posts

208 months

Monday 5th May
quotequote all
Possibly pressure related but are you using a quickstop/aquastop connector at the end of the hose? A neighbour had a similar problem + pulsing pressure washer and replacing the connector to a standard hose end connector rectified the problem.

FlatSixBoxer

Original Poster:

2,501 posts

190 months

Tuesday 6th May
quotequote all
Thanks folks, it could be the shock of the pressure going on and off and equally when you use the handheld sprayer it pops off when you go on and off.

Re not turning the tap on full - I only turn it a 1/4 turn, if that. An more than that and it blows the quick release connectors.

I'll look at Gardena, they look stronger. Water pressure reading I do not know, it's an old house - 1901 - and I am not on a water meter.

PorkInsider

6,202 posts

156 months

Tuesday 6th May
quotequote all
I had exactly the same issue as you - we have very high mains water pressure.

I bought a Hozelock type fitting pressure regulator from Amazon years ago and just have that on the tap.

This sort of thing:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AZ5ZY4W?ref_=ppx_hz...

Never had an issue since.

dhutch

16,467 posts

212 months

Tuesday 6th May
quotequote all
biggiles said:
Do you know what pressure you have outdoors?

Typically a house may have a pressure-reducing valve (e.g. down to 3 bar) while outside you may have much higher pressure water e.g. 6 bar.

We have water at 6 bar, and our hoselock connectors do work; so perhaps something else is wrong, maybe you have /much/ higher pressure.
Yeah, seems odd to me.

I have never in my knowledge ever had a Hozelock or Gardena quick release hose connector pop off. This includes three difference houses, and a farm, all on mains pressure water, including an awful lot of pressure washing with various washers.

Its rare they even weep, but if they are leaking, its almost alway the o-ring that has perished after a decade of abuse and you can get spares cheaply and easily either from a garden centre for domestic qtys or an industrial seals supplier if you want 100 or more.

OutInTheShed

11,450 posts

41 months

Tuesday 6th May
quotequote all
It's perhaps the sudden shut off causes a pulse of high pressure due to the inertia of the water.
The double check valve can hold that pressure in the hose.
A longer hose with more 'give' in it might help.

Sheepshanks

37,235 posts

134 months

Tuesday 6th May
quotequote all
OutInTheShed said:
A longer hose with more 'give' in it might help.
I was thinking that too - mine’s attached via a hose reel, so probably acts as a buffer.

Richard-D

1,485 posts

79 months

Tuesday 6th May
quotequote all
119 said:
Surely not opening the tap fully would stop that?

Open it half way, or until it holds without releasing.
Although this restricts flow the hose will still reach the same pressure with the tap partly open.

57Ford

5,166 posts

149 months

Tuesday 6th May
quotequote all
Richard-D said:
119 said:
Surely not opening the tap fully would stop that?

Open it half way, or until it holds without releasing.
Although this restricts flow the hose will still reach the same pressure with the tap partly open.
Took a while for someone to post this but it’s true. If the tap is switched on enough for any meaningful flow to a pressure washer, the pressure will be just the same, it will just be at a reduced flow.

Rough101

2,712 posts

90 months

Tuesday 6th May
quotequote all
Screwfix do reasonably priced brass hozelock style fittings, eliminated this issue for me, fitted to tap, hose and pressure washer.