Power Spray Rigs - Guaranteed

Quality Equipment & Spray has announced a no- questions-asked, money-back satisfaction guarantee on its best-selling pest control spray rigs and weed control sprayers.

 “We want to make it easy for our customers and prospects to buy with confidence on the internet”, Quality Equipment & Spray President Andrew Greess stated.   “We have a large installed base of these sprayers and we know they will exceed expectations. This offer removes the risk so clients can buy a power sprayer on the internet and be completely confident in their purchase”.

Quality Equipment focuses on building reliable sprayers to boost technician productivity and reduce downtime.  Spray equipment problems cause downtime, which impacts customers and reduces profitability.   

The company’s experience in repairing sprayers allows it to design sprayers that reduce problems and make routine preventive maintenance much easier.   

Quality Equipment & Spray is a regular contributor to Pest Management Professional magazine, sharing ideas to help pest management professionals maximize their spray equipment investment.   

Cox Hose Reels Maintenance Tips

Avoid Cox Hose Reel Problems with these Real Hose Tips

1.  Swivel – The hose reel swivel (on the side of the reel) allows the drum to turn when rolling and unrolling the hose.  The swivel contains rubber o-rings that are exposed to heavy use, chemical exposure and temperature extremes.  The o-rings will wear out, allowing chemical to leak.  The leak starts as a drip but quickly becomes a steady flow.
1. Standardize swivels on all vehicles for ease of maintenance
2. Use viton o-rings for longer life
3. Keep an extra set of swivel o-rings in stock so that repairs can be completed promptly
4. Ensure technicians know that even small leaks must be reported and repaired immediately. 

2. Hose – A few simple tips can extend hose life and reduce chemical spills
1. When rewinding hose, run the hose through a rag to remove grit, and debris that will reduce hose life
2. Inspect hose, particularly the first 20 feet for wear and damage.  If it looks bad, don’t wait for it to leak, cut it off.  This will prevent chemical spills and downtime.
3. Reversing the hose periodically will even the wear and can extend hose life.\

3. Reel Safety- Manual Reels
1.  Inspect the Cox Hose reel lock.  Is it there? Is it intact?  Does it operate properly, i.e., does the lock fit completely and securely into the receiving hole on the reel disk? 
2. Instruct technicians to check and secure the reel after each stop.  Failure to do so can result in the hose unrolling on the road behind the vehicle, leading to equipment damage, downtime, repair expenses and lawsuits. 
3. Our experience is that these reel locks have more problems on trailer sprayers, possibly due to increased bouncing from a rougher ride.

4. Reel Safety – Electric Reels
1. Electric reels do not have a reel lock.  If they did, you would be buying a new reel every time your tech burned out the motor trying to rewind a locked reel.   Since there is no lock, it is critical that the spray gun (other other tool) be well secured in the vehicle.  If the gun were to bounce out of the truck, there is no brake to prevent the entire hose from winding out behind the truck.   This is particularly important for trailer sprayers.
2. Ensure the hose is evenly wound around the reel drum.  If the hose is wound on one side of the reel, it can push the reel off center.  This will eventually destroy the drive gear and result in significant repair expense.

Weed Control Sprayers - How Much Spray Hose?

How much hose do I need for my weed control spray rig?  This is a question I am often asked by prospects and customers.

The short answer to the question is that it is much better to have 50 feet too much hose than to be 1’ short. If the hose is too short, you can’t do a thorough job or you have to stop what you are doing and move the vehicle.  The cost of the extra hose is insignificant compared to the cost of not being able to do your job properly.

Most manufacturers bundle hose in rolls of 200’, 300’ and sometimes 400’.  That is how most distributors want to sell it to you.

To determine how much hose you need, review your route and figure out the distance from where you park your vehicle to the farthest point you need to reach with your spray hose.  That is a good starting place.  If you don’t have a route yet, look at the average property size in your trade area and determine the longest distance you will likely need to span.

Next, remember that the end of the hose wears out from use and will need to be cut away periodically to prevent leaks.  If you start off with exactly the amount of hose you need to reach the farthest point on the route, if you have to cut off 10’ of hose due to wear, your hose is now too short to do your job.

Some other thoughts:

-         -  If buying a long hose, make sure your weed control sprayer pump has the pressure needed to push water through the hose. 

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-    -If you only have 1 or 2 stops that require a long hose, consider making a jumper hose.  This is a length of hose on quick disconnects that is stored separately and only used for the few stops that require a longer hose. 

Benefits of Electric Pest Control Sprayers

Here are my top 5 Benefits of 12 volt electric power sprayers.   

1.       Lower Cost – Electric sprayers are generally simpler, have fewer parts and cost significantly less than gas-powered sprayers.  Usually the pump and motor is a single unit, which costs less (than gas powered) and that does not require any additional assembly, which saves assembly labor and cost.

2.       Less Space – Electric sprayers generally take up less space in the vehicle.  The electric pump & motor is usually quite a bit smaller than a gas motor & pump assembly.  The smaller footprint has a number of advantages:

-        Ability to use a smaller vehicle.  Smaller vehicles generally cost less to purchase and operate.

-        More space for other equipment & products.  For pest control professionals practicing IPM, this can be a particularly valuable benefit.

3.      Less Maintenance – Electric power sprayers have fewer moving parts and often have simpler plumbing.  This means less to go wrong, fewer parts to maintain in inventory and easier maintenance.

4.       Greener Image – Because they don’t use gasoline, the operator can claim to be a greener company that doesn’t use gas-burning engines.

5.       Quieter – Electric engines make almost no noise as opposed to gas-powered sprayers which can be quite noisy.  This can allow the operator to operate earlier and later in the day without disturbing clients and neighbors.

I will discuss downsides to electric sprayers, as well as pros and cons of gas-powered sprayers.

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Termite Pretreat Rods – Cheap Is Expensive

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Termite pretreat rods are important for termite pretreats. When it comes to termite pretreatment rods, some applicators try to save money by making their own termite tools out of metal or pvc pipe.  See photo:                           

Sometimes it's worth trying to save a little money on termite tools sometimes it is not.   In this case, it is not.
With the homemade tool, (crushed aluminum pipe), the termiticide application pattern is irregular. An irregular pattern means extra work to ensure good coverage, as well as wasted chemical when the tech goes over already-treated areas to fill in gaps. Extra work and wasted chemical reduced profit on the job.

A better way to do it can be seen in this photo:



This is the termite pretreat rods we build for our clients. The tool is designed to be ergonomically easy to use and to put down a perfect pattern, which saves chemical and money.

We use a aluminum wand, which is sturdy yet light weight.  We also use a 45° brass elbow to make the tool easy to use and handle.  The brass spraying systems tip creates a perfect pattern.

Additional fittings such as quick disconnects and shut off valves can be added for your specific need.  We can build the tool in ½”, ¾” and 1” sizes.   The pretreat wands run from $119 to $199 depending on size and features.  You will save the purchase price on your first pretreat.

In this case is clearly worth spending a little bit more money up front save money on every single termite job.  Check out all our termite tools at www.qspray.com/termite-central
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