I recently decided for the first time to pressure wash the concrete around my house, but I couldn’t get the pressure washer to start after pulling on the cord a few times, So I did what every smart American woman does when she can’t get machinery to work, I asked a big, strong, burly neighbor to help me.
Sheila moseyed over and yanked the cord a few times but with no success.
So I consulted Google and found a video on YouTube showing a guy repeatedly pulling the cord of an identical pressure washer for what appeared to be hours. I’ve put the video below so you can enjoy it for yourself. Skip the first 3 minutes in which he shows he has gas in it, all the knobs are in the right places, etc.
Another site said to check the air filter. It looked fine – I had no idea what it was supposed to look like. But checking helped, because when I put the cover back on I noticed a 1-800 number. I called it and told the woman who answered that I couldn’t get the contraption started.
She laughed. “There’s a couple of things you can do to make it start,” she said with the twang of a southern accent. “If it’s been over a year since you had it running, you’ll need to drain the gas out of the engine. Gas can get stale quickly with all these new additives like ethanol – sometimes after only a month sitting idle.”
“How do I do that?” I whimpered. I don’t like messing with gas. You can scrub your hands for days and the smell still won’t come off.
“It’s really easy, and I’m going to tell you exactly how to do it,” she said in a voice you’d use to calm a frightened child. “Get you a jug like an empty milk jug. Then take some pliers and squeeze the clamp together on the fuel line. Do you see what I’m talking about?”
“Ummm, yeah if it’s that black tube thingy.”
“ThAT’S IT! Now when you get it unclamped, put the end of the tube into the milk jug and drain the gas out. I’ll stay here on hold until you’re done.”
It was as easy as she described. “Okay, I got the gas drained, now what?”
“Reconnect your fuel line and fill the tank with fresh gas. Then make sure to hold the pressure washer handle in while you’re pulling the cord or it won’t start. I know it sounds hard but you can’t get it started unless you do. You’ll also need to hold the handle in while it’s running.”
After she promised she’d answer if I called back, I hung up and did as she instructed. It was too hard to hold the handle of the pressure washer at the same time I pulled the cord, so I got some ribbon and tied it around the handle to keep it squeezed tight. Then I used both hands to pull the cord, and after a couple of pulls the thing sputtered and then settled into a steady roar.
Contrast my experience with the guy in the video, pulling and tugging and doing the same thing over and over and over without any success. Notice he is also not holding the handle in while he pulls. It reminds me of a man who drive around lost for hours rather than stop and ask for directions. Or a man who won’t read instructions or product manuals, and certainly won’t call customer service except to cuss somebody out.
Women know it saves a lot of time to get help, and we need all the time we can get to accomplish everything we have to do in a day. A man, however, has plenty of time – he’s just cutting into his, “Duck Dynasty” and “Deadliest Catch” appointments with the sofa. So why not spend an extra little while appearing busy and frustrated and cussing at a machine so he looks like a hero when he finally gets the thing running? Or better still, announces in exasperation that he’ll have to put it in the shop because it’s broken, thus avoiding the chore altogether for a week or two.
Oh, and by the way, when I’m talking here – or elsewhere – about “a man,” I am most certainly NOT talking about my husband.
Aunty Depression 