Wednesday 7 April 2021

Knackered!

Two things broke last week; the pressure washer and the pick-axe.   

I was levering a big stone out of the ground with the pick-axe and the handle broke.   It was a modern handle, yellow, I took it to be made of fibre glass but it had a hard central core.  It was slightly flexible and, I thought, unbreakable.  Nope.   The core was fine, but the surround had split all the way around.  I bought a new one in our local garden supplies shop.

The pressure washer was was working, and then it wasn't.  It was quietly humming to itself instead of squirting water.  Most likely the capacitor had failed.   It was easy enough to get inside the case, but I couldn't get the old capacitor out because the water-filled cooling jacket for the motor was in the way.  I really didn't want to unscrew the jacket, but in the end I had to.  I don't think the manufacturer wanted me to undo it either; the screws were very tight.  But I got it out and am waiting for a new one to arrive.  Joys of internet shopping.   We'll see if removing the water jacket was a bad idea, when the time comes to restart it.


P.S.  I got the capacitor, fitted it, plugged everything in, and the Kärcher started.  We haven't yet run it for any great length of time, so we don't know if there are any internal leaks that might cause the electrics to trip out.


6 comments:

Doonhamer said...

What is knackered in French? And how do you explain to a French person the origin of the term.
Once had a French engineer ask me the reason a washer, used with nuts and bolts, was called that. Stumped. (glad I did not use that word). The French for a washer is more logical , a roundy thing.

The bike shed said...

I'm sure I'd have replaced not repaired - you're brave having ago at that.

Mark In Mayenne said...

Hi Doonhammer, I'd probably use the word "crevé" for knackered. It's not the same thing, but close.

Mark In Mayenne said...

Hi Mr Bike, they way I figure it, the failed sprayer isn't worth anything when it's broken, and it would probably cost more to fix it than to buy a new one. So I risk nothing in taking it to bits, and if in doing so I break it more, I still lose nothing. In the end, a new capacitor cost just under 19 euros, so I figured it was worth risking buying one, against the possibility that I had broken it and would have to buy a new one anyway.

James Higham said...

"I was levering a big stone out of the ground"

As one does of course. :)

Mark In Mayenne said...

Hi James, you simply wouldn't believe the amount of rocks to be found in the ground around here....

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