Do not leave water sitting in a pressure washer where it can freeze. Drain the system, store it dry and protected, and follow the storage procedure in your exact model manual.
1. Flush detergent out
If you used soap, Westinghouse tells ePX3500 owners to remove excess detergent, add clean water and spray through the soap nozzle to flush the detergent path.
2. Shut down and relieve pressure
Turn off the machine and water supply, unplug the washer and squeeze the gun trigger to relieve trapped pressure according to the manual.
3. Drain hoses and accessories
Water trapped in hoses, the gun and fittings has no reason to be there all winter. Drain what the manufacturer instructs you to drain and store the pieces where they can dry.
4. Protect the pump
The ePX3500 manual says to use a commercially available pump protector to extend pump life and to follow the protector manufacturer’s directions.
5. Keep it out of extreme cold
Westinghouse says to store the washer in a dry, covered location away from extreme cold that could cause freeze damage. An unheated shed in a freezing climate may not meet that goal.
Make a five-minute end-of-season kit
Keep pump protector, a small rag, spare O-rings and the nozzle-cleaning tool together. That turns storage from a scavenger hunt into one short routine.
Coil hoses loosely
A tight kink stored for months can become a permanent weak point. Drain the hose, let it dry and coil it without sharp bends.
Spring startup is part of winter storage
When the season starts again, inspect O-rings, connectors and hoses before pressurizing the system. A seal that dried out over winter is much easier to replace before water is spraying sideways.