Does tapping it with a hammer help? Your probably right, and there is a pressure sensor getting stuck. Maybe try find it and tap it with a hammer to see if dislodges?
this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2025
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Percussive maintenance
Ba-dum tish?
Very much so
Probably worth a warm soap soak or maybe vinegar treatment to reduce any calcium build up in the head. Electrical-wise you could bypass the circuit to power the motor and see if it spins okay with either a variac or a variable dc power supply depending on what motor it is. If it still stalls then could check brushes/any gearing jammed up. If it doesn't stall then I suspect a overcurrent or thermal protection circuit is triggering. Could be corrosion on the board, a heatsink coming loose, or simply a jam you can't see. Lots of possibilities, but people who work specifically on these would know more about the most likely things.
Make/model would help a lot!
Added to the OP before I saw your comment!
Might be a faulty valve in there somewhere that triggers a sensor.(can't remember the details) I have a Stihl RE 129 plus (think it's just a rebranded Nilfisk tbh) that did the same thing, only I just had to let it rest for 5 minuted as water drained from whatever it was that caused the shutoff.
Have it serviced is my advice. Sorry I can't remember I detail what was wrong with mine.
Is it plugged into a socket rated for 120VAC/20W? Is there a ground fault on that socket (a fault, not a GFCI sensor, although that’s also a consideration)?
Is it connected to a rigid hose (not one of those collapsible ones)?
Have you tried using it with the motor turned off? Do you get a steady stream of water with no air bubbles?
Tried a different outdoor socket. Rigid hose, very short, custom cut, no kinks or flow issues. Yes, water comes out with no motor, just as it always has.
Likely the nozzle then.
That's tomorrow's test!
I have never seen that exact issue, but almost all electric washers I have used end up having a problem with the washers own GFCI breaker on the end of the cable (small box near the plug end that has a reset switch on it). I would use your multi meter and check to see if you are still getting a full 110 from the cable, before the motor, after it turns off on your first use. Those plugs can stop power without tripping the exterior switch on them, then randomly work again. The solution is to cut that off the power cord at the GFCI and wire in a new one or just a plug. If you use just a plug, you will have to make sure it is only plugged into an exterior, working GFCI for safety. They add those for extra safety, as not everyone has a protected outside circuit. Exterior gfcis can also fail and still pass power but not work correctly and trip off. Those small, cheap plug in testers have a button on them that allows you to test any GFCI by tripping it and then you reset manually to confirm function.
Cut the GFCI end off almost as soon as I got it. Those circuits on cheap power washers trip if you breath too loudly.