Pressure washers are awesome. They’re an easy, chemical-free way to clean everything from a wooden deck to concrete, and thanks to the (approximately) million brands that now make them, you can pick one up for a relatively low price. Unfortunately, low prices don’t always equal the highest quality, and one brand of low-cost pressure washers is now being recalled due to a very serious issue with the spray gun that comes with them.
The Greenworks brand, which is sold through Lowe’s hardware stores and also online via Amazon, is at the center of a recall of over one million pressure washer spray guns that were included with 10 different pressure washer models as well as a separate spray gun kit. The recalls stem from an issue with the spray gun not holding up to the intense water pressure that builds up in the system. The connector on the spray handles can break, causing “the hose and/or parts of the connector” to go flying, potentially resulting in injury to the operator.
According to the recall notice posted on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website, the distributor — Hongkong Sun Rise Trading Ltd. — has already received at least 15 reports of the spray handles failing while the pressure washers were in use. 13 different injuries were also reported and 7 of those injuries required medical treatment. The injuries ranged from impacts to the eyes and mouth, broken bones, and even a concussion in one case. Those are some pretty serious reports, and the company is recalling 1.06 million of the spray guns as a result.
The spray guns were sold alongside Greenworks pressure washers, so if you own a Greenworks pressure washer there’s a decent chance you also have one of these spray guns. The recall offers some information to help you identify the recalled hardware:
This recall involves the Greenworks brand 2000 psi plastic pressure washer spray gun included in: the Greenworks brand 2000 psi Plastic Gun Accessory kit, Greenworks brand Pressure Washer models ranging from 1500 -1800 psi, and certain Powerworks brand Pressure Washer models ranging from 1700-1800 psi. The model number is printed on the back of the pressure washer unit, near the top. The brand, Greenworks or Powerworks, appears on the side of the pressure washer spray gun. In addition, when the spray gun is removed from the hose, the interior connector is made of black plastic, not metal, on recalled units.
The company is asking that anyone with a recalled spray gun stop using it immediately and get into contact with them so they can arrange for a replacement to be shipped. Here’s the contact info:
Hongkong Sun Rise Trading toll-free at 833-211-9185 Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET or online at http://www.greenworkstools.com and click on “Important Safety Notices” at the top of the page for more information.
