Troubleshooting Clogged Nozzles & Surface Cleaners That Stopped Spinning

A spray nozzle (also known as a spray tip, jet, or nozzle) is a small part on the rotating spray bar that controls how water comes out of the surface cleaner. The nozzles are small but very important. If they get clogged or damaged, the surface cleaner won’t work properly.

Pressure washer nozzles can easily become clogged due to debris, dirt, or mineral buildup. Even tiny particles of dirt, sand, or sediment can get trapped in the small opening of the nozzle, which restricts the water flow and reduces the effectiveness of the pressure washer. Over time, if the machine is not properly cleaned or filtered, these particles can accumulate and block the nozzle.

What a Spray Tip/Nozzle Does:

Controls Water Flow: The nozzle controls how much water comes out at high pressure.
Shapes the Spray: Different nozzles create different spray patterns, like a wide or narrow spray, to spread the water evenly on the surface. At SurfaceMaxx, all of our surface cleaners come with 25° nozzles.
Adjusts Pressure: The nozzle helps determine how fast and hard the water shoots out, which is important for cleaning tough dirt.

How can I tell if my nozzles are clogged?

To determine if your spray nozzles are clogged, hold them up to the light and observe the shape you see. Remove them from the spray bar, hold the nozzle up to light, and look through the back of the nozzle. You should see an oval or football shaped opening. If you do not see an oval, the nozzles are clogged. See photo below.

Why is my surface cleaner not spinning anymore?

The spray nozzles have tiny openings designed to create a specific spray pattern and pressure. Even a small piece of dirt can block these openings. The spray bar relies on balanced water pressure from all the nozzles to spin properly. If one nozzle is blocked, the pressure becomes uneven, causing the spray bar to lose the balanced force needed for rotation.

Here's what you can do:

Turn off the pressure washer and turn off the water supply. Release the residual pressure by squeezing the gun's trigger.
Disconnect the pressure washer wand from the surface cleaner.
If you have a 14.5-in Stainless Steel Surface Cleaner, 20-in Walk-Behind Surface Cleaner, or a 21-in Surface Cleaner, use a 14Mm 6-point wrench or a 9/16” wrench to remove the nozzles. If you have the 12" Surface Cleaner, 14" Surface Cleaner, or the 18" Surface Cleaner, use a 1.5” wrench to remove the nozzles.
1. If you are having trouble getting the nozzles off the spray bar, try heating the nozzles up for 10 seconds with a heat gun or heat torch.
Using the nozzle cleaning tool, needle, or wire, free any foreign material clogging or restricting opening of the nozzles. You can to take a sewing needle or some other like tool/gadget and clean them from the outside in. It may be hard to insert the cleaning tool due to built up debris.
Hold the nozzle up to light, and look through the back of the nozzle. You should see an oval or football shaped opening. If you do not see an oval, the nozzles are clogged. See picture below.
Flush debris out of the nozzle. Direct the flow of water through the nozzle backwards from the outside to the inside. Once you push the debris out and the tool you're using moves in and out of the hole freely, hold the spray tip to the light and look at what type of hole you see. If you do not see an oblong shape and you just see a circle opening then they're still not clean. It's an oblong hole and until you see that, they're not fully clean.
Attach the wand back to the surface cleaner, set the surface cleaner on a flat surface. Turn on the water (DO NOT START THE PRESSURE WASHER) and squeeze the trigger on the gun. Allow water to run through the spray bar for approximately 30 seconds.
Reinstall the nozzles to the spray bar and tighten securely, align the nozzle opening parallel to the spray bar.

Remember, the nozzles get blocked really easily. They are cleaning dirt, sand and soil. They take a lot of abuse. It’s important to clean the nozzles often. We recommend cleaning the nozzles out every couple of uses, if not after every use.

Still having issues? Give us a call at 866-870-9930.