1) Piston airless sprayer
daily maintenance:
a) Always clean your airless
sprayer thoroughly inside and out, make sure that after you have flushed
clean water throughout your airless sprayer and airless gun that you
remove any excess paint build up from the suction hose or suction pipe.
This also includes removing your suction hose/pipe filter, high pressure
filter and gun filter to ensure that they are all spotless. If you can't
clean these filters it's time to replace them.
b) It is recommended that
with a piston airless sprayer using a flexible suction hose set that
this be removed after flushing the machine and have clean water run
through the hose from each end using a garden hose. You will be
surprised how much paint is still inside the suction set even after the
machine appears to be clean. The build up of paint inside the suction
set will eventually dry, flake and begin fall off over time causing
blockages in your suction valve.
c) Once you have finished
thoroughly cleaning your airless sprayer, set everything back up and
test the airless sprayer with water. Ensure that the machine primes,
builds pressure and then stops, spray the gun several times and hold the
trigger open and make sure that the machine holds at a constant
pressure, most piston airless sprayers will build to about 3300psi and
when using a 517 reversible airless spray tip the pressure drop should
be somewhere around 200-500psi with water. Use the gauge on the machine
to monitor any pressure fluctuation, if the needle on the gauge or
digital display is bouncing up and down then your machine may be in need
of a service, contact your closest dealer for advice.
d) Once you have pressure
tested your piston airless sprayer and everything seems to be OK without
any leaks, it's time to add some pump saver to your water for the final
flush. Pump saver is a corrosion inhibitor that helps prevent rust and
scale from building up on the inside of your airless sprayer. We don't
recommend kero or petrol as both of these items are flammable and if you
are transporting your airless sprayer inside a van or station wagon the
fumes can be annoying or dangerous.
e) Use piston throat seal
in the wet cup of your piston airless sprayer, refer to your user manual
on how much to use but a small squirt should be sufficient. Just
remember that if you have a hi-boy airless sprayer and you need to lie
it down in a vehicle when taking it to a job, it will probably just
dribble out. It could be best to apply the piston throat seal lubricant
just before you commence spraying with your airless sprayer.
2) Piston airless
sprayer monthly maintenance:
a) If you are a heavy
airless sprayer user then a monthly strip down of the basic components
is recommended, if your airless sprayer is only used occasionally then
this could be stretched to a six monthly interval.
b) Remove your suction
set or pick up pipe if you have a hi-boy, remove your foot valve and
ensure that no debris or paint build up is around the ball or ball cage
and check that any seals on the cylinder or housing are not damaged or
broken. Check the outlet ball up inside the piston is moving and that
you can't see any debris or rubbish in the valve. Note - be sure to not
look into the valve when poking the ball with a screw driver or object,
pressure can be relieved when this ball is pushed and shoot back into
your eye. While the foot valve is removed check the lower seat for wear
or pitting, if in doubt contact a dealer for help. If you have access to
compressed air, try and blow clean air into the ports to blow away any
rubbish and debris.
c) Refit both your foot
valve and suction pipe or hose and be sure to clean all threads and
apply marine grease to ensure easy removal next time for the same
components.
d) Make sure that
everything your removed is replaced back and tight. Be sure not loose
any seals or copper rings and do not use thread tape, if you need to use
thread tape then you are making a mistake, you must use the correct
seals.
e) Your airless sprayer
is now ready to pressure test, slowly build the pressure making sure
that no leaks appear, if you have a leak turn the machine off and fix
it. After building pressure in your airless sprayer make sure that it
holds pressure as discussed in 1(B).
f) Flush pump saver
throughout the entire airless sprayer and put the machine away in
storage.
2) Piston airless
sprayer yearly maintenance:
a) Follow the procedures
as outlined above with addition to inspecting the airless paint hose for
external abrasions, kinks or damage. Replacing a paint hose while
performing routine maintenance is much cleaner than replacing a burst
hose on the job with paint that has sprayed out in every direction.
Airless paint hoses are cheap at about $99 each, consider changing these
over time.
b) Consider changing your
packing seals every year, packing seals wear a little like brake pads on
a car and they are designed to be changed at normal service intervals.
Failure to replace packing seals will result in the premature wear of
piston rods, cylinders and other components.
In summary, keep your
airless sprayer spotlessly clean, early detection of problems will be
easy to see if the machine is clean and cheaper to repair. Down time
cost's more than a service because you can not schedule down time on a
job.
