I had this problem and partially fixed it accidentally by taking the whole thing to pieces a d re-assembling it and it worked...fir a week. ITS THE GREY BUTTON ...after further failing to release detergent I read about the Grey button being depressed and mine was too ..solid I couldn't get it to pop ip and this is why. Take the bottom cover off to show the detergent tube in its holder...undo the two screws holding the black bracket and gently ease it out...then replace it ..but here's the key.. the bottom of the bracket needs to sit under the grey button ...when I pressed the grey button it on one occasion pushed down lower than the black bracket ( it slipped past the ledge of the black bracket) this prevented the Grey button from coming back up and squeezed the detergent tube closed. So make sure the ledge of the black bracket goes under the bottom of the Grey button.. This took me 5 mi a to fix rather than the 1 hour totally dismantling the whole machine. Remember when pressing the Grey button to clean the cover not tu push down too hard as it will slip below the bracjet ( got to be a design error ) Happy cleaning ???? Andy
Andy, you sir are a genius!!!
I used solution to fix both of my FC5's. Thank you!
I had a bit different model, the button in question is black. The issue is the same, although it was even more difficult in my case: I found no way to pop the gray/black button back up. Eventually I ended up attaching a small screw to it, which I could then lift from with pliers.
I would also check the seat for the water bottle is the correct way around. The foam part should be facing up. So the bit the end of the cleaning solution rests on. Foam side up.
×
Great help - it was the grey button causing the problem for me. Adding some visualization.
Thank you, I like pictures. I unscrewed it and screwed it back in and it looked the same, except it now works.
×
In my case it was much more simpler to unclog detergent supply tube. I used small medical syringe, not sure 2 or 5 ml size to suck out residue from detergent connection port, first removing spongy thingie which is placed between port and detergent bottle. Small syringe is way to go, as the hole in the port is located on the deep side, and syringe has conical connection which provides airtight connection for powerful suction.
THIS! I actually took it apart to manually clean, and it finally works! Word to the wise: make sure to rinse the machine with fresh water after use, as mine has some gunk in the end of the detergent supply where it meets the brass nozzle.
×
This happened to my FC5 too. I found that the detergent outlet within the suction head was clogged up. This is the receptacle for the brass nozzle you can see when detaching the suction head (by pressing the grey button and gently pulling on the yellow "cover" at the top of the cleaning head - Figures 16.1 and 16.2 in the manual). To check it is indeed clogged, put a few drops of water in it - they won't drain out. To purge it I used the jet from a handheld steam cleaner, and I also used the steam jet to clean the suction slots. Be very careful not to scald yourself, wear gloves, and when cleaning just pulse the jet so as not to risk damaging the plastic parts.
Peter
My problem was the water not reaching the nozzle and some leakage from the casing.
Where the detergent bottle locates in the Karcher there is a foam filter attached to a plastic holder.
If this is placed upside down the water does not get supplied and there is also some leakage.
Pic1 shows the foam and its plastic holder.
Pic 2 shows the foam and plastic holder correctly located
Similar problem with water / detergent not coming out. Different cause. Water flow in use depends upon the suction. For me the two black suction hoses had become horribly clogged with dog hair over time. The hoses pull out easily and clearing them was very satisfying and it then worked properly. From now on I will flush through more diligently after use
25,664 views
Usually answered in minutes!
×