End of Year Sprayer Maintenance
As the season winds down and before equipment is put away, we recommend going through your spraying equipment and getting everything back to working order. Doing this at the end of the season will ensure a prompt start to next years’ service and may save some time as everything that needs to be done is fresh on your mind.
Below are recommendations on end of year sprayer maintenance.
- Flush the system, clean the tank.
Rinse the system with fresh water. This will flush all the remaining product from the system. Run the rinse water through the pump and hose reel. Once the system has been flushed remove any excess water from the tank. You can choose to clean the tank using a mild abrasive brush.
- Flip Spray hose.
Flipping the spray hose end for end can help limit overall wear on the hose. Start by pulling out all the hose from the reel. Once you can see where the hose connects at the reel, disconnect the hose from the gooseneck. Take the end of the hose that was attached to the spray gun and attach it to the goose neck of the reel. Wind the hose back onto the reel, reattach the spray gun.
- Rebuild spray gun if needed.
Most spray guns can be rebuilt. The Lesco spray gun is easy to rebuild with a replacement plunger assembly. The JD9 spray guns have a Teflon seat that can also be easily replaced. You can choose to rebuild the spray gun as part of your preventative maintenance program or wait until it fails.
- Service the engine.
Service the engine by cleaning or replacing the air filter, changing the oil and spark plug. If the engine will be sitting for an extended period adding dry gas to the tank will also help.
- Service the pump and regulator
Pump manufacturers recommend changing pump diaphragms every 500 hours or yearly. Diaphragm kits are readily available for all pumps. When changing diaphragms, you should also inspect the pump valves for wear or damage.
Pressure regulators are also rebuildable., however these are less likely to fail. If you are being proactive, you can rebuild the regulator while rebuilding the pump. If you have a Kapp-55 pump these regulators have a urethane poppet inside the pressure regulator that should be changed yearly.
Pump oil and gear box oil should also be changed yearly.
- Clean Strainer
Clean the strainer of any debris. Check all O-rings, making sure they are not swollen and fit properly. Replace the strainer screen if needed.
- Replace any broken or leaking parts as needed.
Go through the system and inspect everything. Change any broken or leaking items that may be visible. A common replacement item is the swivel on the inlet side of the hose reel.
- Winterize the sprayer