This article is about the five possible reasons why your Craftsman Electric Pressure Washer will keep shutting off. But before you read it you can first watch the short video I made about topic. The video is down below.
On the video, I showed the possible reasons why this will happen like the GFCI plug tripping, water supply problems, auto stop feature, pump issues, and a faulty unloader valve.
5 Reasons Why Your Craftsman Electric Pressure Washer Keep Shutting Off
1. Tripper GFCI Plug
You might not believe it but this little plug might be the root cause of all the problems that you might be facing with your Craftsman electric pressure washer.
GFCI plug is a safety plug that stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter and is responsible for cutting the power to the pressure water if it detects a short to prevent the washer from damage.
I tried to look for problems in the plug by using the two buttons it comes with, these buttons are “Test” and “Reset” which are used to simulate a ground fault.
Pressing the test button should cut the power of your pressure washer and you would hear a click, you can click the reset button on the GFCI plug to bring the power back to the washer.
If you don’t hear a click and the power still doesn’t return there must be a problem with your GFCI plug.
I still couldn’t get the power to return which meant there was a ground fault or electrical problem in the washer or circuit, so I decided to change the plug.
I removed the screws of the adapter cover plate and gently removed the wires by removing the screws that held them.
After that I got a new GFCI plug and reinstalled the wires back in place, and with the cover screwed back I tested the plug to see if the power returned or not. You can use the test and reset buttons to check if the plug works perfectly or not.
2. Water Supply Problems
For the very first step I started by checking the water supply to the pressure washer.
It is very important that the washer receives an adequate amount of water from the faucet so I checked if the faucet had enough water pressure itself.
Related: How to Fix Craftsman Pressure Washer Soap Dispenser Not Working: 5 Tips
Just make sure the water supply is correctly being received by the washer and there are no blockages in the water supply. The clogged inlet valve can also cause the water to not reach the pressure water if it’s clogged.
I inspected the valve and the filter made sure it was clean and free of any dirt or debris buildup by carefully checking for debris and blockages in the inlet filter.
If the inlet valve of your washer is blocked the washer might turn itself off and wont work, cleaning the area with clean water and making sure water is not being blocked from interesting the washer can fix the problem for you.
3. Auto Stop Feature
If your pressure water also stops its motor when you release the trigger it is completely for it to do as you don’t want the pressure to keep building while it is not being released, but my pump was working differently and it stopped the motor even while the trigger was pressed on the water gun.
This feature is called Total Stop System and it is completely normal for a washer to act this way but if yours doesn’t, it might be having a problem with the water pump and replacing it can fix the washer’s shutting off problem.
4. Pump Issues
If you also own your pressure washer from a very long time, then you and I are in the same boat and having pump issues is the most common a frequent user of the Craftsman electric pressure washer can face.
Without wasting a lot of time I opened the back cover of the pump and opened the washer to access its internal component. It can be a little difficult but give it time.
After that, I removed the white cover which slides out easily to inspect the motor.
Check for signs of burning or water damages that might have occurred during the use of the washer, if you see damage or burning marks it might be the motor that has gone bad and replacing it can fix the issues for you.
5. Check for Faulty Unloader Valve
The unloader valve job is to redirect the pressure safely so it doesn’t buildup and damage the pump but if its O-ring is damaged or it has dirt and rust buildup it can cause the pressure washer to not work correctly.
It is directly connected to the motor and it redirects the water when you are not spraying. I wanted to see if it was the unloader valve that might be causing the problem and boy was I right.
While the pressure washer was opened and I had access to the internals I inspected the valve and made sure it was clean and free of any rust or mineral buildup, I also made sure to check if the O-rings were out of shape or were worn out.
If the unloader valve of your washer is damaged, replacing it can fix the problems for you.
