March 7, 2002

Take Care When Using Portable Pressure Washers

Portable pressure washers can be time savers for spring clean-up chores, but they may also present a life-threatening risk to the user when used improperly, notes a North Dakota State University agricultural safety specialist.

"On many pressure washers, a small gasoline engine is used as the power source, and this is the source of the problem," notes George Maher of the NDSU Extension Service. "Those small engines produce carbon monoxide in quantities sufficient to kill you."

In recent years, several cases have been documented where operators of portable power washers have fallen victim to the carbon monoxide from their machines, Maher notes. The washers were being used for various purposes, from cleaning farm machinery to livestock housing.

"Each situation included the indoor use of a power washer, and in some situations the doors or windows had been opened for ventilation," Maher says. "A small gasoline engine can produce enough carbon monoxide to kill a person in poorly ventilated surroundings."

To avoid that risk, always follow the manufacturer's directions in the use of such machinery. Those instructions will require adequate ventilation when a fuel burning engine is used. "Every internal combustion engine uses oxygen and produces deadly carbon monoxide. Any building that is tight and warm enough to allow the use of a pressure washer without it freezing up or causing the floor to ice over in cold weather is tight enough to allow asphyxiation to occur," Maher says.

"It is never safe enough to run a small gasoline engine in a closed building," he says. "Ventilation is an absolute must in every situation. Never depend on the early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning to warn you to evacuate the building. You can’t predict when a person is going to collapse and not be able to get to fresh air. And it is possible that getting to fresh air may not be soon enough to prevent death."

If you do need to operate a pressure cleaner in a closed building or room, use an electrically powered pressure cleaner, Maher advises. Be sure it is electrically grounded to prevent electrocution.

"There is risk in using any powered machine. Always select the machine with the lowest risk and even then, follow instructions and be careful," Maher says.

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Source: George Maher, (701) 231-8288, gmaher@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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