Instructions: Click on a question in the table provided below. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, simply fill out the form on the right and click on the ‘Submit’ button.
At any time, click on the Maury Logo (Upper Right) to return to the PCC homepage.
Your answer involves a list of things to determine before you go and choose a type or model.
First, you need to decide how you want your sprayer powered. Will you always have easy access to electricity or will some of the jobs be in pre-construction (i.e., no electricity). Another consideration will be if your sprayer will be indoors or outdoors most of the time. This will allow you to decide if a gasoline or electric (AC or DC) machine will be the right one for you.
Your second consideration is what material and how much of it you will be spraying. Consider this question not only in terms of the immediate future but maybe two or three years down the road. An industrial paint sprayer is not just a tool, but an investment. The type(s) of material you spray makes a big difference. Each material needs its own tip size and sprayers have a range of tip sizes that they can accommodate. (Refer to our Tip Recommendation Chart.) The amount of material you will be spraying helps you to decide how durable of a unit you should get, as well as its size. The more material you spray per week, the heavier duty of a machine you should buy.
Next, you should consider how you will plan to use your sprayer. Some sprayers will allow you to use two or more guns per sprayer. You need to consider, as well, how many feet of hose do you plan on running from the sprayer to the gun(s). Each model of sprayer has its own bells and whistles that make it different in certain ways from another sprayer. When you choose, have a good idea as to the specific features you need and those you want.
Your last consideration is how much you want to spend on a sprayer. They can range from under $1000 to over $20,000. Always consider that a machine can be leased. Full cash outlay is not always a requirement. Consider how much money the unit will make you in revenue or save you in operating costs, or both. Plan for the future. As your business grows so will the demands placed on your spray equipment. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. Spending the extra money now will provide you with an excellent tool that will grow with your business as well as help your business grow.
The choice between Airless and HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) units is based on the job it is to be used for. An airless sprayer pushes a constant volume of material at a set pressure. This pressure is caused by a diaphragm or a piston mechanism. The paint is atomized and carries itself to the surface due to the velocities coming out of the tip. In contrast, some HVLP units spray with adjustable volume and pressure. The paint is pushed using pressurized air. Consequently, the paint comes out atomized on a stream of air.
An airless sprayer is good for applying a lot of paint in a short amount of time. The paint comes out in a fan shape that is moved back and forth to cause a band pattern. More surface area can be covered in a shorter amount of time than conventional painting methods. Airless paint sprayers are good for most painting jobs out there. If you want fine finish work though, you need an HVLP sprayer. The HVLP applies smaller amounts of paint over a wider area for a nicer finish. HVLP’s are excellent for furniture, cabinets, shutters, car body work, etc. If you are ever unsure as to which machine you should be using, ask someone who has done the job before. If its out there, someone has painted it before.
Air might be in the paint pump, preventing the pump from taking a prime. To solve this, simply open the prime valve to purge the air from the pump. Close the prime valve and wait for pressure.
Your inlet strainer may be clogged preventing flow of paint to the pump. Take the inlet strainer off the suction tube and clean it thoroughly. Replace the strainer and prime the pump. Do not just simply take the strainer off and leave it off. It is there to prevent debris from entering the pump and damaging seals or packings.
The siphon tube may be loose from its fittings allowing air to enter the flow of paint and slowing or preventing the prime. Tighten the fittings and prime.
Another common cause of not being able to prime the pump is a stuck lower ball. If the unit was not cleaned thoroughly the last time it was used or pump saver was not left in the pump, then the lower ball may be stuck to the lower seat. Take a wrench or blunt object and tap on the lower section of the piston. This should hopefully jar the ball loose so that you can continue your job. If this doesn’t work, then you will have to have the sprayer serviced to properly clean the ball and seat
The most common problem with pressure is something involving the filters. First thing to do is check to make sure the filters in your machine are matched to the material you are spraying. Some materials require that no filters other than the intake filter be on the machine (e.g., block fillers, elastomerics, etc.). Check a material/filter chart to be sure your machine is set up correctly with the right mesh filters.
If the correct filters are on the machine, they may be clogged. Clean the filters, replace, and spray.
Your tip may also be worn out. Check the spray pattern twelve inches from a piece of test material. If the spray is too wide or the height is shorter than the spec. Then you need to replace the tip. A worn tip can cause more material usage and longer time to spray the same surface area. A worn tip can cost you big money if not replaced regularly.
If all this doesn’t help, your hose may be too long or the wrong diameter. Check your manual for specifications.
Everyday, you should check several things before you paint. Clean or replace your manifold, gun, and inlet filters as necessary. Check the TSL (Throat Seal Liquid) level and add as needed. Inspect your gun(s) for proper trigger action and working safeties. Check your tip for wear and obstructions. A worn tip uses more paint and takes you longer to paint, costing you money. If you have an electric machine, make sure your plug has a ground lug.
Every week you should inspect your hoses for kinks, blisters, or any wear. Tighten siphon hose connections and check for kinks, wear, and material buildup.
Annually, you should bring your sprayer to an authorized service center for a complete tune up.
If all this doesn’t help, your hose may be too long or the wrong diameter. Check your manual for specifications.
You need to ask yourself several questions about how the cleaner is to be used. How often will you be using your pressure cleaner (hours per week/days per month)? What surface(s) do you plan to clean? What kind of substance will you be cleaning off the surface? Is the unit for home use or to run a business? Keep these in mind when you try to choose a pressure cleaner
There are three basic drive types for a pressure cleaner pump. They are direct, gear, and belt drives. Each has its own benefits and downfalls.
The direct drive pump spins at the same speed as the engine powering it. The pump is also directly mounted onto the shaft of the motor. Benefits of this pump type are its lite weight, size, and cost. Some pitfalls are increased wear on internal parts due to faster shaft speeds, limit of power in available models, and heat and vibration transfer from the engine.
A gear drive pump uses a gearbox to reduce the RPM’s from the motor to the pump. The gearbox and the pump are mounted directly to the motor shaft. Benefits of this type of pump include power in available models, less wear on internal parts due to shaft speeds, less heat transfer from the engine, and dependability. Downfalls are vibration transfer from the motor, size, and weight. Cost is average in this case.
Belt drive pumps use pulleys and belts to transfer the power at reduced RPM’s to the pump. These pumps have less heat transfer and vibration transfer from the motor, greater power in available models, less internal wear, easy to fix drive mechanism (belts), and dependability. Only downfalls are size, weight, and slightly increased cost.
Power is considered in two ways with pressure cleaning. There is the pressure of the water coming out the pump and the flow, or gallons per minute, that comes out of the pump to consider. Both of these factors influence the cleaning power of the unit. Car washing, or cleaning wood decks requires lower PSI so as not to damage the surface, so higher gallons per minute are required for cleaning ability. This is true for any delicate or semi delicate surface that needs to be cleaned. Concrete and asphalt can handle higher pressures, so lower flow rates can be used to clean the surfaces. Total machine power can be approximated by multiplying the pressure by the flow rate to give an overall power rating (cleaning units). This is helpful, but always consider which surface is to be cleaned to choose the specifications of your unit.
Hot water is very helpful in removing very stubborn stains. Some substances, such as oil or animal waste, can only truly come clean with hot water. The decision to use hot water to pressure clean is an important one. If you already have a pressure cleaner, there are add on “hot boxes” that you can purchase to heat the water that your current unit sprays. They can be portable or permanently mounted to a frame. The cost is about the same as buying another cold water pressure sprayer. You can purchase a complete unit that has the pressure cleaner and burner on the same frame. This gives you the option of using hot or cold water for whatever you need. Unfortunately, that makes the unit much larger and heavier than a regular pressure cleaner. There is a slight cost savings over purchasing the units separately though. Regardless of which unit you may purchase, your cleaning power will almost double over that of a cold water unit. Your initial capital investment may be larger, but you will see it returned in the field or on the job.
The Jet Wash 1800 uses your current pressure cleaner to clean large flat or semi-flat surfaces. The Jet Wash cleans an 18 inch wide path using a lawnmower type pattern. The high pressure water from your pressure cleaner is sent through our exclusive swivel design and out through two tips, matched to your machines PSI and GPM. These tips spin at several hundred RPM to clean the surface quickly and easily. Experienced contractors have reported cleaning up to 2000 sqft per hour.
Maury’s Jet Wash 1800 has several features that make it the most effective and easiest to use high speed surface cleaner on the market. The first thing you will notice is that our unit does not have wheels. Due to better engineering, lighter materials, and customized tips to match your current pressure cleaner, the Jet Wash hovers a fraction of an inch above the surface you are cleaning. This means more maneuverability, less chance to damage the Jet Wash, and less strain on you.
Our second major difference is our heavy duty hubs. We designed our own exclusive hub to be able to withstand 4000 PSI working pressures. Flow rate is not a factor with reported uses of 12+ GPM using hot water. The inner swivel uses a grease fitting to insure proper lubrication after every job. Many of the sealed, pre-greased, swivels on the market are improperly or insufficiently greased to withstand the rigors of contract cleaning.
A detachable linear gun design allows for spot cleaning of edges and corners as you do your job. Simply detach the gun portion of the handle and hose from the Jet Wash to use your regular wand for hard to reach places and lips of roofing tiles. Competitors’ models have permanent guns that require turning your whole machine on and off to switch to a regular wand.
Other advances include a light weight one-piece aluminum handle, heavy duty fiberglass cover, adjustable tips, and durable brush. This is the machine to use if you pressure clean.
The Jet Wash 1800 can be used on all kinds of surfaces and jobs. The main focus of the Jet Wash is on flat surfaces. You can use it effectively on driveways, sidewalks, patios, tennis courts, any flat surface with outstanding results that eliminate zebra striping forever. The Jet Wash 1800 can also be used on roofs of all types. Flat cement tile, barrel tile, S tile, and even asphalt shingles are no match for this cleaner. The hovering action provides the safety barrier to allow it to go over the lips and barrels without damaging the tiles. Asphalt shingles are protected by the constant motion and decreased flow rate per tip.
The Jet Wash 1800 can also be used to help strip paint from surfaces. By changing the tips to 15 or 0 degree fans, paint is more effectively removed but does cause some striping.