Challenges with the patio cleaners / terrace washers

As an alternative to this article, you can review our troubleshooting form . This must be reviewed for the possible creation of a warranty claim.

The phrases 'terrace cleaner' & 'patio cleaner' are often used interchangably when refering to these products. Moving forward with this article we will be referring to them as patio cleaners.

Challenges that can be experienced with patio cleaners can include the following:

a.) Clogged nozzles, or the machine pulsing when using a patio cleaner

b.) Patio cleaner leaves 'rings' of clean section in the washing surface

c.) The patio cleaner damages the washing surface

d.) Leaking

e.) Slow rotation, or fine water jet from both nozzles

f.) The patio cleaner cleaning improperly

See below for additional information on each point:

A) Clogged nozzle, or the machine pulsing when using the patio cleaner:

The patio cleaner works closely on dirty surfaces, and it is therefore easy for a small grain of sand or some dirt to get stuck in the nozzle so that it stops working.

Use the needle that came with the pressure washer (stuck to the back of the user manual) and clear out any potential blockages from the nozzle opening. If necessary, try to flush the nozzle clean with a high-pressure gun and the vario nozzle.

If you are looking to be extra thorough: Push out the small u-pin above the nozzles (grey part on the end of the rotor), pull out nozzle and clean with the needle. When reassembling, make sure the arrows meet up with each other (on the rotor aperture and the nozzle) before trying to reattach the u-pin. If there is a lot of dirt, it can help to rinse it through whilst detached, or leave it in water overnight to soak.

B) Patio cleaner leaves 'rings' of clean section in the washing surface:

A terrace washer will create rings on the surface if you stay still in one place while you are washing.

Therefore, try to always move smoothly when you have the gun trigger pressed.

If you go too fast, you will also be able to experience tracks of ringing or spiral shapes as the cleaner rotor is not able to make full rotations in the time it takes to move the cleaner over the surface.

Remember that the rings are an area that is cleaner than the rest, so you will always be able to remove such traces by cleaning the rest to the same standard.

In some cases, you may find that you have to work very slowly to avoid ringing. in such a case, it may be that the nozzles rotate more slowly than they should or have previously done.

This is usually because the underside has become so dirty that the dirt prevents rotation at the correct speed.

In most cases, this can be solved by cleaning the underside with a high-pressure washer.

C) The patio cleaner damages the washing surface

Like all other cleaning (especially high pressure cleaning), a patio cleaner will wear down the surface it cleans. AVA's terrace washer is supplied with nozzles that are gentle on wood, but if the wood is old or of low quality, you may experience the wood wearing. Test on an inconspicuous area first, before moving on to more visible areas.

Our Premium terrace washer can be adjusted so that it will be more gentle when adjusted to minimum, and harsher when adjusted to maximum. This is done by lowering or raising the rotors using a dial on the top of the cleaner.

Other terrace cleaners only have one setting and will in some cases be too harsh on the surface. 

Tips!

The gentlest way to wash is often also the most effective. Wash after a rainy period or cover the area in water a few hours beforehand. Soap up a larger area with a suitable detergent, preferably with a foam cannon. Leave the soap on for as long as possible, but not so that it dries in.

Then use the patio cleaner at a steady pace. This gives a good result with the least possible load on the surface.

It is sometimes nessesary to make multiple passes over an area, and you can also consider using a stronger detergent.

D) Leaking:

If you find that the patio cleaner is not as efficient as it usually is; spray it sideways in a safe direction to see if the water comes out of the two nozzles, or if it is leaking from the swivel.

A few drops of water from the swivel is completely OK, but if a lot of water flows out then there is a leak that needs to be repaired.

The leak may be caused by dirt, so start by cleaning the swivel with a high-pressure washer and vario nozzle. Also check that the water jet from both nozzles has a flat v-shaped jet. If one of the nozzles does not have it, the leak may be caused by a clogged nozzle. See further up in the article for how this can be solved.

If none of these measures removed the leak, the swivel probably needs to be replaced.

It leaks from the arm that you connect to the lance, this needs to be replaced.

A leak can be caused by frost, we have created an article about how frost damage can occur.

All accessories have a bayonet with an o-ring that can wear out over time. If you find that it is leaking from one type of accessory, but not another, it is usually this o-ring that needs to be replaced. It can be quickly replaced, and you will find new o-rings in our Ava First Aid Kit.

E) Slow rotation, or fine water jet from both nozzles:

If a lot of dirt has accumulated in the rotating part, this could prevent rotation or reduce the speed. This can often be solved by cleaning the underside of the terrace cleaner with a high-pressure gun directly towards the center of the green arm

If this does not help, the screw in the center can be loosened so that you can remove the arm and clean more thoroughly.

Reassemble and then try again.

F) The patio cleaner cleaning improperly.

If you find that the terrace cleaner has a reduced effect compared to when it was new, the cause often lies with one of the above points. If the terrace cleaner is brand new, a bad result can be due to a fault, but in many cases the lack of results is due to a lack of preparation, we then recommend taking a look at the tips under point C in this article.

If the terrace washer has not been exposed to frost or other damage, review our troubleshooting form and we will help you further.