Hello B-rad.

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. These parts can sometimes crack when the pump was not properly winterized, stored or left unused for any time longer than 30 days. This is called “winterizing”. The term is somewhat confusing because your storage period may or may not happen in cold temperatures or even during winter. Nevertheless, this procedure is strongly recommended to be done every time the unit may sit for longer than thirty days without being used. Whether stored inside or out, heated space or cold, winter or summer. This keeps the unit from freezing and, very importantly, it keeps water from drying out inside the pump and leaving behind very harmful deposits. These deposits will act like sandpaper in the seals the next time it is used and could damage a piece of the brass. This also keeps any parts from rusting or oxidizing which may destroy your pump. This is not a difficult part to replace. So, it should be a fairly smooth process.
We would recommend contacting Greenworks at 1-888-909-6757 or start a Live chat on greenworkstools.com for a proper evaluation.