Power Spray Rigs - Some Problems to Avoid

When it comes to power sprayers, pest & weed professionals have enough things to worry about.  They don't need problems right from the start.

A couple of years ago I saw this power spray rig in a pest control vehicle in a parking lot.

I was shocked that anyone would knowingly purchase this power spray rig.

Here are some of the problems that jumped out at me.

1.  Pumps mounted in wrong orientation.  We never mount a Shurflo pump with the motor below the pump head.  If the pump starts to leak, it will drip continuously onto the pump.  Problems could occur.  Bad idea.  Mount the pump flat or with the pump below the motor.

2.  Plastic, plastic everywhere.  All the fittings on this power spray rig are plastic.  Plastic fittings on a weed spray rig or pest spray rig are often a bad idea.  In these sprayer, the plastic fittings are attached to or near the filter.  When the tech goes to check the filter, there is a 100% chance he or she is eventually going to break one of these crappy fittings.  Often a bad idea, on this power sprayer, the plastic fittings are a terrible idea.

3.  Lots of metal hanging off the hose reel swivel.  The swivel is the place a hose reel always starts leaking.  There are a couple of rubber o-rings that take a lot of abuse from chemical exposure and turning hose reels.  Hanging lots of weight on the swivel puts more stress on the o-rings and will cause them to fail much sooner.

I don't expect everyone to be a power sprayer expert, but I think you should know what you are buying and ask questions in advance so you are not buying yourself more problems.

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