When a machine "dies" but starts working again after a while, there is probably nothing wrong with the machine. A machine that is overloaded can overheat and after a while either the motor or capacitor will be damaged. To avoid this problem on AVA high-pressure washers, we have installed an "automatic fuse", which is actually an overload protection switch that switches off when the machine is working too hard, and switches back on again, usually within 15 minutes after the machine has cooled down. When this happens, it is usually the power supply that is the cause. The most typical thing is the use of an extension cord that is not suitable for a high-pressure washer.
If the machine is used with an extension cord, try testing without it. If the problem thus disappears, the cause has been found. If no extension cord of any kind has been used, the same problem can occur in a socket in the garage, or elsewhere far away from the fuse box. We therefore recommend trying a socket in the hallway, in the laundry room or other places where you can find a suitable socket that is as close as possible to the fuse box. If this does not help, it is of course possible that the fault is in the machine, but this is something we have so far had very few cases of.
To elaborate on this a little more, we include some information about current that explains the problem in more depth:
Variation in voltage
Some people find that the new pressure washer takes fuses while the previous one, which was the same size, did not. Still others find that things go well one day, but not the next.
Normally this is due to variations in the electric network. High-pressure washers are designed to run on 230 volts and they must withstand variations greater than what is normally found in a residential area. If you live right next to a power transformer, you probably have 240 volts. Those who live furthest away in the same street may have 220 volts. The lower the voltage, the more current the machine uses and the easier it is to overload the fuse. We therefore recommend plugging the high-pressure washer directly into a socket in the laundry room or as close to the fuse box as possible, and see if the same thing happens at different times, for example, both in the morning and in the afternoon.
If you have checked as mentioned above and find that the machine buzzes or hums at regular intervals, this may be due to too low a voltage at the time of start-up. Ava's machines are designed to be able to start all the way down to 206 volts. If the voltage is below this level, the machine will attempt to start, which will be perceived as a buzzing/humming sound until the motor protection switch disconnects. If the voltage conditions cannot be improved, it may be possible to get a modified pump top from Ava so that the machine starts all the way down to 196 volts.
Contact us if you need this, at support@avaofnorway.com.
We are currently working on translating and rewriting all of our articles into English from the original Norwegian. Whilst we are proud of the quality of our language skills here at AVA, we are aware that there may be some slightly odd syntax and wording present in the articles that have been translated. The approach we have taken to this translation process is in order to get as much information as possible out to our customers in a timely fashion. Thusly the ongoing revision and updating of these articles by our British-Norwegian team will include slight changes to how the text is put together in order to bring it more into line with correct British English.