Showing posts with label hose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hose. Show all posts

Saturday, August 8, 2015

How to identify and replace a Karcher pressure washer Trigger Gun

Karcher make all kinds of cleaning equipment but today we are talking about the trigger gun for pressure washers also referred to as lances, wash guns and handles

Domestic Karcher Pressure Washer guns

These are mostly constructed of plastic to save money on home use power washers. Karcher have a range of domestic machine is a series from 1 to 7 with a 'K' prefix - example K411a would be a 4 series.

The early home use pressure washers used brass valve bodies but modern trigger guns are all plastic (apart from the cover screws)


This karcher gun was popular around 1998 and the end of the hose was a belle shapes peice of machined brass that later changed to a pressed fitting. You can see the parts illustration with the image and repair of this karcher gun is possible. Used on low range K series from K1 to K4



This karcher gun was popular around 1998 and the end of the hose was a belle shapes peice of machined brass that later changed to a pressed fitting. You can see the parts illustration with the image and repair of this karcher gun is possible. Notice this design used a 2 part lance with the first section locking into the gun handle.Used on low range K series from K1 to K3



This karcher gun was popular around 1998 and the end of the hose was a belle shapes peice of machined brass that later changed to a pressed fitting. You can see the parts illustration with the image and repair of this karcher gun is possible. Used on mid range K series from K5 to K6



This karcher gun was popular around 1998 and the end of the hose was a belle shapes peice of machined brass that later changed to a pressed fitting. You can see the parts illustration with the image and repair of this karcher gun is possible. Used on upper range K series K7


This karcher gun was popular around 2003 and the end of the hose was a belle shapes piece of machined brass that later changed to a pressed fitting. You can see the parts illustration with the image and repair of this karcher gun is possible. Used on low range K series from K1 to K4

This is the most popular Karcher Gun todate. Around year 2000 karcher dropped many trigger gun designs in favour of this style that had the distinctive u-clip or c-clip for hose retention. They produced 4 version of this trigger between 2000-2010. The K7 series power washers had a version with a metal u-clip. A lux version was made for the 'chemical stick' idea. Chemical stick are hard compressed stick of chemical that are inserted into the special gun. As the water passes the stick it erodes some of the chemical into the water and the cleaning ability of the pressure washer is increased. K5 and K6 series power washers had a version of  this gun that included a pressure gauge. The gauge was a bit of gimmick in our opinion
 trigger gun with chemical stick featureK7 series version
The above trigger gun changed design around 2010 and they moved the clip location from the bottom back of the gun to the middle. The 2 designs will both fit the same hose. The new design is suitable for karcher pressure washer from K1 to K6 series.

Current Karcher presure washer gun and hose design. Karcher have always used a 22mm diameter thread on the outlet of all pressure washers Industrial and Domestic. This has now change as they introduce the click on system in 2011 to some models. For backwards compatibility they have created an adaptor that screws to the outlet of older pressure washers M22  thread and allows the connection of the click on hoses
This is the click on fitting used to manufacture modern 2014 karcher power washer hoses

This is the adaptor that converts the domestic k-series karcher pressure washer water outlet from M22 thread to click-on connection system.




Industrial Karcher Pressure Washer Trigger Guns



 Karcher industrial pressure washers are in the HD range for cold water and the HDS range for heated water power washer. They use top quality accessory designs combining brass and stainless steel to create a durable trigger gun (wash gun).

This gun remained unchanged from the early 1980's to the early 1990 and was used on most karcher industrial pressure washers




Karcher design the SERVO-Press system in the early 1990's. The idea was to control the pressure of the power washer from the trigger gun. As you rotate the outlet of this gun a portion of the water inside the pump is circulated thus lowering the total pump output and intern the pressure. This was great on a hot water HDS pressure washer because the lower water flow meant the heater could generate hotter water and steam.


In the late 1990s the servopress gun change shape to this style. This gun is availalbe with and without the servopress, now opperated from the thumb-wheel on the top.





 This style of trigger gun was more common on super high pressure machine like 415v 3-phase electric power washer and the karcher engine driven diesel and petrol power washer like the HD1050d and HDS2000


 This style of karcher trigger gun was only supplied with entry level HD cold water power washer like the HD525 and HD5/11c. You can see half the lance is built into the trigger gun.

From Early 2000 Karcher introduced this style of wash gun shown here with the Grey cylinder on the outlet. The light grey tube is the adjustment for the servo-press pressure adjustment system. This style of trigger gun is still in use today (2014)


Replacement Karcher guns are available to buy here.
Read more »

How to Identify The Correct Karcher Hose.

How to Identify The Correct Karcher Hose.

Contents:

1.0       Karcher Pressure Washer/ Power Hose Connections
2.0       Karcher Hose Reel
3.0       Karcher Extension Hose
4.0       Karcher Drain Cleaning Hose


Karcher Pressure Washer Hose 1.0

There are many different types of Karcher pressure washer hose, they break down into two main categories first of all, domestic and commercial. Domestic hoses are found on all pressure washers with a model that start with a K or a B for example K4.600 or B602.

Karcher Domestic Hoses:

Domestic hoses themselves break down into two further categories, domestic machines with and without a hose reel. We will talk more about hose reels later, but machines without a hose reel always have a either a thread or a push fit connection into the body. 
The images here show the two types of connection that go into the machine, you will either have a screw connector or a push fit connector



For the connection into the trigger handle unit, that leads to the lance and nozzle you will have one of two types of push fit connector either held in the trigger with a u-shaped clip or the hose will go into the gun released with a yellow button. The image here shows how the hose pushes in to the base of the gun or in front of the trigger, you will need to remove the retention clip with a screw driver as shown in the picture.








This image shows the connection between the hose and trigger gun on the push fit style handle. The hose always pushes into the trigger in front of the grip.

You can identify this gun as it has a large yellow button to release the hose, unlike the older version above which requires the screw driver.











So now you have seen the different fittings on hoses for domestic Karcher pressure washers both between the hose and machine and between the hose and trigger gun. We can have a look at the different combinations of these connectors so you can make sure you order the correct replacement or spare hose. These are the main two variants of hose for domestic machines, they come in various lengths and quality, but the connections are the same.



There is also a gun and hose kit, if you have this will suite any pressure washer that does not have a hose reel, even some of the historical pressure washers from the early 1990’s we have not mentioned. 

The gun and hose kit offers excellent value for money as the whole kit including the trigger, a 7.5m hose and an adaptor to change the connection from push fit to M22 is all included for roughly the same price as just a hose.






Commercial Pressure Washer Hose.

There are three main types of fittings of Karcher commercial hose. The first far left image is the Karcher 11mm spigot hose, the very end of the hose, where it attaches to the trigger gun is 11mm diameter, the end into the machine is is M22. The middle hose of the three is the 10mm spigot hose like the 11mm version it measures 10mm diameter where it connects into the gun on a push fit secured with a retention clip. The last of the three is the most straight forward and is M22 both ends. The 10 and 11mm hoses are easily confused and even easier to get wrong when ordering a spare or replacement. So when ordering a spare part make sure you have measured with callipers if possible.

There is much more variety in the commercial hose market as you might expect, standard lengths are 10, 15 and 20 meters. However specialist hose suppliers like SparesGiant.com can supply hose in bespoke lengths. Also commercial pressure washer hose comes in either one wire or two wire qualities. The 'wire refers to the inner lining of the hose and how many wraps of steel braid the hose has. As a rule of thumb one wire is fine for cold Water commercial pressure washers up to 60 degrees and 2 wire is for hot was machines up to 150 degrees.

the last variable is the inside diameter of the hose referred to by is 'dn' dn6 hose is roughly 1/4 inch and dn8 is 3/4 inch. The diameter of the hose is determined by the flow rate of your machine. 

You may be thinking that's a lot to take on board when trying to replace you old hose, but really all you need to do is get the bar code number off you Karchers silver ID label (it should look like this 1.234-456.0) and measure the spigot. Spares Giant will take care of the rest.


Karcher Hoses for Reel. 2.0


For many Karcher pressure washers with a hose reel, which is a device to wind the hose up inside the unit, you can refer to the above section on pressure washer hoses. There are a couple of exceptions, the easiest way to spot if you have one of these machines is the way it looks, they always have a ‘barrel’ on the front. You can see an example of what these machines look like here.

Examples of some Karcher hose reel barrel machine models: K 5.100, K 5.140, K 5.20, K 5.50, K 5.50, K 5.50, K 5.50, K 5.51, K 5.52, K 5.55, K 5.60,  K 502, K 520, K 550, K 550, KB 502.



Karcher Extension Hose 3.0


Karcher extension hoses are influences by the type of fitting you have on the outlet of your pressure washer. For the two main types you can refer to section 1.0 where we talk generally about Karcher domestic pressure washer hose and connections. Up until 2010 Karcher mainly used an M22 thread connection on the outlet of their domestic home use pressure washer so finding the Karcher extension hose accessory was pretty straight forward, it is still available and comes in two lengths 7.5 meter and 15 meter. So if your current hose has an end that look like the image directly below you will need the corresponding Karcher extension hose.

You will notice how the extension hoses work, the new extension screws onto the machine, and then you screw on your existing hose that leads to your trigger gun, giving you the desired increase in length.


The second style of extension hose relates mainly to machines made after 2010 when Karcher introduced its click system, if your current hose looks like the one below you will need the corresponding style of extension. As mentioned various lengths are available in these useful hoses, depending how far away you need to clean from your water supply. 6m 7.5m and 15m are the standard sizes. For commercial extension hoses, they are much the same as the M22 extension hose, the difference being the increased quality of the hose.


4.0 Karcher Drain Cleaning Hose


Karcher drain cleaning hose is used for cleaning down drain, plug holes and toilets. They work by fitting a special nozzle to the end of a hose that has four backward facing jets and one forward facing jet. When water is run through the drain cleaner the backward facing jet propel the hose down the drain, the remaining forward facing jet cleans as it goes. Drain cleaning hoses are popular as they offer an relatively inexpensive way of cleaning the blockages you would normally have to call a professional out to do.

Drain cleaning hoses just come in two main types, domestic and commercial. Because they fit into your existing pressure washer gun, this is the only connection we need to be concerned with.


Here you can see the drain cleaning hose for Karcher domestic pressure washers, notice the trigger, these handles have a bayonet (push and twist) fitting for the accessory, so you would need the compatible drain hose also shown in the image.



In this image you can see the commercial style trigger gun used on the cold water HD pressure washers and the hot water HDS machines. This hose has a Karcher M22 style outlet on the gun, these hoses are also heavy duty often with steel lining.

SparesGiant.com are able to make up hose to bespoke length and using the material of your choice for both domestic and commercial machine, so if you require a non standard length or would like a steel assembly for a domestic machine it can be done.

You can view and buy all these replacement or spare hoses online from SparesGiant.com



Read more »