Spray Equipment - Don't Wait for that Problem

When it comes to your spray equipment, if you know you are about to have a problem, fix it now, don't wait.
A good friend of mine once told me, "if  I have to eat sh-t, I want to eat it all now. I don't want to come back for seconds. I don't want to nibble a little bit for a few days.  I want to be done with it".

The same applies to your pest control equipment and your weed sprayers.
Look at this photo of a mosquito fogger. 
The plastic hoses and PVC fittings are severely sun damaged.  The pest control technician came in one day and said, one fitting on my fogger broke, can you fix it?

We said yes we can, BUT!  Here is the but:  All the fittings and hoses are made from the same material, they all had the same amount of hours of operation on them and they all had the same chemical through them and the same exposure to  the Arizona sun. 

We told the technician that since one fitting failed, it was a certainty that all the fittings would eventually fail.  We suggested he let us replace them all.

He said he could not spare the time and would take his chances.  3 days later he was back with another broken fitting.  We repeated our concern.  Again he was too busy.   The next day, when the 3rd fitting failed, he called us to schedule an appointment to replace them all.

Think of all the downtime his company incurred.  Not to mention gas and payroll to and from our shop three times and having to explain to the client three times why the job wasn't finished.  Also, by definition, every hose or fitting break on this machine is a chemical spill.

I run a business; I understand schedules.  But this was crazy.  We (and the tech) knew there was going to be a problem.  Technician was so worried about spending an hour that he wasted many times that.

If you see something on your spray equipment is going to be a problem, get it fixed.  It will be faster and cheaper than putting it off.  Comments?

#pestcontrol Help! I need a favor.  I have applied to be a speaker at the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) annual conference in Phoenix this fall.  If you have found any of my material helpful, please  send an email to NPMA, recommending me as an expert speaker.  Please send the email to anyone you know at NPMA.  If you don’t know anyone personally, please email Jim Fredericks, Ph.D. at jfredericks@pestworld.org.

B&G Sprayers - Clean That Filter for Productivity & Profit

The B&G Sprayer is the lifeblood of most pest control professionals.  We use our B&Gs every day to service our clients.  We rely on it as much as we rely on our truck.  It is critical to treat the B&G 1 Gallon Sprayer like the important piece of equipment that it is.

One of the most important things a pest professional can do to ensure great performance from their B&G is to check and clean the filter.
A clogged B&G filter will cause downtime, missed appointments and unnecessary repair expense.
Check out the B&G filters in these two photos.  Both were brought into our pest control equipment repair shop for service.

Of course we appreciate the business, but I think it is crazy for a pest control professional to pay someone else to clean their filter.  This is something every pest control technician should be responsible for him or herself.
Unfortunately, it does take two wrenches to open the spray wand to get to the filter.  This is probably the reason these filters don't get checked more frequently.

Photo: Top - old B&G Filter screen that had not been cleaned in quite some time.
Bottom: what a new B&G filter screen looks like.

 Key Points:
1. Your B&G Sprayer is critical to your business; take care of it.
2. Inspect and clean your B&G filter screen periodically (at least monthly)
3. If you are a pest technician and don't know how to do it, ASK.
4. If you are the Company owner or manager inspect your tech's B&Gs to ensure they are being properly cared for.
5.  Don't assume techncians are doing it right.  Provide reinforcement training to technicians on B&G's proper care and maintenance.
6.  Keep spare parts, such as filter screens available to avoid downtime.
7.  Consider keeping a backup B&G to prevent downtime.

Your Power Sprayer Tank is NOT a Trash Can

The tank on your power sprayer is not a trash can.  This may sound obvious, but our spray equipment repair experience proves it is not uncommon for spray techs to use their spray tank as a trash can.

Here is a great example.  Client brought their weed sprayer in for service, reporting pump not functioning properly.  We found the power sprayer filter clogged with disposable rubber gloves.  The white stuff is dried herbicide.  The tech assumed that since there is a hole in the top of the tank, it must be for trash.

This spray equipment problem is common.  Some of the stuff we have found in tanks (power sprayer and manual sprayers): beer cans, soda cans, food wrappers, rocks, men's underwear, Honda pull cord.  The most common foreign object found in spray tanks: labels from pesticide & herbicide labels.  Often the debris gets caught in the filter.   Sometimes debris can clog the output line starving the pump.  This is particularly a problem with top pickup, which uses a pickup tube to suck material to the top of the tank.   Heavy stuff like rocks usually sits in the bottom of the tank.

Here are some key points:
1.  instruct techs that nothing goes in the tank except water and chemical
2.  techs don't listen, so
3.  re-instruct techs that nothing goes in the tank except water and chemical.
4.  spot check filters regularly to find/remove any debris
5.  periodically completely clean out spray tank. For manual sprayers, clean out monthly; power sprayers  clean out quarterly.
6.  run clean water through the entire system to help prevent chemical buildup. Consider using a tank cleaner product to increase effectiveness of cleanout.

Read more: http://www.qspray.com/blog/#ixzz2LN7RIgO1

#pestcontrol #weedcontrol You need a backup plan for when your critical spray equipment goes down.  Prevent downtime  http://bit.ly/12LXIYh

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I will be presenting webinar "Using Hubspot for Ecommerce-Case study & discussion of key success factors" Free 2/13 6pm http://bit.ly/WPrwfx

#pestcontrol You won't believe these photos of clogged B&G filter screens. Take care of your B&G so it can take care of you.  http://www.qspray.com/blog/bid/86447/B-G-Sprayers-Clean-That-Filter-for-Productivity-Profit

I will be presenting webinar "Using Hubspot for Ecommerce-Case study & discussion of key success factors" Free 2/13 6pm http://bit.ly/WPrwfx

Power Sprayer Debris - What's That Turd Doing in There?

What is this junk and how did it get into the power sprayer? 

Technician brought his power sprayer in last week and said it wouldn't spray.  Our power sprayer experts checked all the usually suspects when someone brings in a weed sprayer or pest sprayer with a problem:
- Clogged filter
- Clogged tip
- Air leak, etc.
Couldn't find a problem.  Then they started blowing out hoses to attempt to find a clog.  None of the hoses were overly clogged.
Eventually they determined that the hose reel hub was almost completely clogged with a soft sludge.  They pulled the input hose off the reel and blew out the brown green crap you see above (George Washington wasn't clogging the reel, he is provided for size comparison).
Think of how hard the pump had to work to push water through or against this stuff.  The pump life was definately shortened because of it.
 It is critcal to clean out your power sprayer periodically.  Run clean water throught the system.  Once a month would be great, though most people don't even do it once per year.
If it has been a while since you cleaned our your sprayer, you probably need to check the hoses and fittings as well.  Use a compressor to blow air through each hose.  Be sure to blow the debris out of the system, not deeper into it.

If fittings are getting clogged, replace them.  It is faster to replace them then to try to clean them out.
Here is a earlier post detailed power sprayer tank clean out.