# Sprayer Size



## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

Hello Everyone,

I'm just getting into lawn care and have decided I need to go to the next level and get myself a nice sprayer and wand to put some of the things on my lawn that it needs. Unlike many of you, my yard is fairly small. I used the lotsizing website and my backyard grass area is between 1500 and 1650 square feet. For measuring chemicals, I'm just going to go with 1500sq ft and figure a little less is probably better than overdoing it.

I plan to get the DFW wand setup (I'm still working on getting that ordered) which is a little pricey on it's own. My question is, given my size of yard, do I need a 4 gallon backpack sprayer? Would a 2 gallon work? I have two ideas on this. The first is if I were to get a 4 gallon and only use a gallon or two of liquid, I'd have all that pressure inside from the extra space so less stopping and pumping. But, if I have good pressure and with a good wand and a fairly small yard, maybe that isn't as much of an issue. I don't want to buy something that I'm going to have to turn around and buy something else because it's not big/good enough. I also don't want to overbuy when I'm already spending a fair amount on the wand setup. Any advice?


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> I'm just getting into lawn care and have decided I need to go to the next level and get myself a nice sprayer and wand to put some of the things on my lawn that it needs. Unlike many of you, my yard is fairly small. I used the lotsizing website and my backyard grass area is between 1500 and 1650 square feet. For measuring chemicals, I'm just going to go with 1500sq ft and figure a little less is probably better than overdoing it.
> 
> I plan to get the DFW wand setup (I'm still working on getting that ordered) which is a little pricey on it's own. My question is, given my size of yard, do I need a 4 gallon backpack sprayer? Would a 2 gallon work? I have two ideas on this. The first is if I were to get a 4 gallon and only use a gallon or two of liquid, I'd have all that pressure inside from the extra space so less stopping and pumping. But, if I have good pressure and with a good wand and a fairly small yard, maybe that isn't as much of an issue. I don't want to buy something that I'm going to have to turn around and buy something else because it's not big/good enough. I also don't want to overbuy when I'm already spending a fair amount on the wand setup. Any advice?


most products are sprayed at 1gal/k so for 1500ish sq ft the 2gal would be enough. but personally id still buy the 4gal. I use a 4gal backpack sprayer on my front yard and i usually only mix 1.5-2gal of solution and it works fine.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

You'll tire of carrying around a two gallon pump sprayer I believe rather quickly. I would go with something like the Chapin 20v 4 gallon backpack. No hand pumping. I have a 4 gallon but only ever put 2 gallon in it so it's not too heavy.

https://www.amazon.com/Chapin-63985-4-Gallon-20-volt-Backpack/dp/B00Q03MMDO

Of course, you'll want to ditch the brass tip and get a constant flow valve and a few TeeJets which will make the spraying experience very nice. You'll want to browse the TeeJet thread.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=33

I ended up with the TeeJet TT11004 for uniform coverage in spraying my pre emergent and general herbicides. I also just received the TeeJet TT11002 for spot spraying.

https://www.amazon.com/TeeJet-TT11004-VP-Turbo-Tip-Red/dp/B00CMU70RM/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1531166875&sr=8-1&keywords=teejet+tt11004

https://www.amazon.com/TeeJet-TT11002-VP-Turbo-Tip-Yellow/dp/B00CMU6YPG/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1531166838&sr=8-1&keywords=tt11002

I'm sure I'll add more to my arsenal soon!

Here's the CF valve I got. It ensures you are always spraying at exactly the same PSI and when your not it just stops, no dripping herbicide by accident. Although, browse through the TeeJet thread to make sure you get what suits your needs.

https://www.amazon.com/Chapin-6-8503-Valve-8-Inch-Blue/dp/B006Y85GEW/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1531166960&sr=8-1&keywords=chapin+29psi


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

Thank you for the information. I will probably go with the 4 gallon. I would love to get the chapin 4 gallon 20v and I'm sure it's much nicer than the others. It's just almost 3 times the price. Normally, I'm a buy the cheap version, see if you use it, and then buy the nice one kind of girl but I might just have to break down and buy the nice one to start with. I'll see if I can convince my husband that it's worth it. I see all your comments the other way around on this site where you are trying to convince your wives. It's the opposite at my house. I just have to make sure it gets used to make it worth it. Thanks again!


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> Thank you for the information. I will probably go with the 4 gallon. I would love to get the chapin 4 gallon 20v and I'm sure it's much nicer than the others. It's just almost 3 times the price. Normally, I'm a buy the cheap version, see if you use it, and then buy the nice one kind of girl but I might just have to break down and buy the nice one to start with. I'll see if I can convince my husband that it's worth it. I see all your comments the other way around on this site where you are trying to convince your wives. It's the opposite at my house. I just have to make sure it gets used to make it worth it. Thanks again!


I use the Chapin 20V Backpack Sprayer with the factory wand. It accepts TeeJet nozzles and the battery powered pump does a pretty good job of maintaining constant pressure - so you could save a little money there by not upgrading the dfw_wand unless you just don't like the poly wand that comes with the Chapin.

I have owned both and it would be very difficult for me to go back to a manual pump sprayer for broadcast applications.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

Ware said:


> I use the Chapin 20V Backpack Sprayer with the factory wand. It accepts TeeJet nozzles and the battery powered pump does a pretty good job of maintaining constant pressure - so you could save a little money there by not upgrading the dfw_wand unless you just don't like the poly wand that comes with the Chapin.
> 
> I have owned both and it would be very difficult for me to go back to a manual pump sprayer for broadcast applications.


Can you still put the pressure regulator on the wand the Chapin sprayer comes with? Or is the only way to add all the attachments to buy the separate wand. I've never used a sprayer on my lawn before so I'm a complete novice when it comes to this.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> Can you still put the pressure regulator on the wand the Chapin sprayer comes with? Or is the only way to add all the attachments to buy the separate wand. I've never used a sprayer on my lawn before so I'm a complete novice when it comes to this.


Chapin offers their own CF valves in 14.5 psi, 21 psi and 29 psi that will work on their sprayer wands, but I don't run one on my 20V backpack sprayer because the electric pump does a good job of maintaining constant pressure/flow. Where a CF valve really shines is when dealing with the variable pressure associated with a manual pump sprayer - it regulates pressure down to the CF valve rating (psi) on the top end during operation and stops spraying if your system pressure drops below that rating.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

@Ware

Thanks so much for the information. So all I need is the TeeJet valve and it should work well enough to spray some herbicides?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> @Ware
> 
> Thanks so much for the information. So all I need is the TeeJet valve and it should work well enough to spray some herbicides?


You mean a TeeJet nozzle? If so, yes.

If I was buying one replacement nozzle it would probably be the Turbo TeeJet TT11004-VP.

There is a huge topic that discusses nozzle selection, why some are better than others for certain types of products, and how nozzle color affects application rates, but as you can see at the top of this chart the Turbo TeeJet is rated "very good" across the board...


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

@Ware

I can't thank you enough for taking the time to explain all this to me. You all are so helpful on here. I've been on other message boards and people can be dismissive if you are new and don't know all the things. Everyone is so patient and friendly on here.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Ware said:


> ...If I was buying one replacement nozzle it would probably be the Turbo TeeJet TT11004-VP.


Note that the TeeJet nozzle will drop right into the Chapin wand. This photo is of the yellow Turbo TeeJet TT11002-VP, which is rated for half the flow of the red nozzle I linked above. I sometimes use it for spot spraying when I'm spraying something hot and I'm worried about being a little heavy handed.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> Ware
> 
> I can't thank you enough for taking the time to explain all this to me. You all are so helpful on here. I've been on other message boards and people can be dismissive if you are new and don't know all the things. Everyone is so patient and friendly on here.


Glad to help! I think what makes TLF different is the culture of recognizing that we all start somewhere, we all make mistakes from time to time, and it works best when we all share our knowledge/experience so that everyone gets smarter together. :thumbup:


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

The upgraded TeeJet nozzles are almost a must! I can't believe I sprayed stuff without them for years.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

pennstater2005 said:


> The upgraded TeeJet nozzles are almost a must! I can't believe I sprayed stuff without them for years.


Which one(s) are you using/liking?


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## oldglory2105 (Apr 25, 2018)

I've got a manual Chapin 4 gal sprayer. It's the pro version(green). It has a Control pressure valve included. The Turbo teejet you referenced above would be a good upgrade for spot spraying and doing blanket apps?


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Ware said:


> pennstater2005 said:
> 
> 
> > The upgraded TeeJet nozzles are almost a must! I can't believe I sprayed stuff without them for years.
> ...


The two that we mentioned above. The TeeJet TT11004 and TT11002. I used the latter practicing spot spraying water last night and it's perfect for that. The 11004 has a wide swath and you have to barely press the handle to get a spot spray affect. Anything is an upgrade over the brass nozzle!


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

oldglory2105 said:


> ...The Turbo teejet you referenced above would be a good upgrade for spot spraying and doing blanket apps?


Yes, the Turbo TeeJet is a great nozzle. It is sort of middle of the road with regard to droplet size. To get larger droplets and less drift (better for systemic/soil applied products) I would look toward an air induction nozzle like the AIXR11004-VP. For smaller droplets (better foliar coverage) I would look toward the XR11004-VS. Those three will pretty much cover the bases, but again if I was choosing only one I would probably go with the Turbo TeeJet.

For lower volume you can replace the 4 in any of the part numbers above with a 3 (blue) or 2 (yellow). The yellow nozzles are rated for 0.2 gpm at 40 psi, which is half the flow of a red (0.4 gpm at 40 psi). Blue is in the middle at 0.3 gpm at 40 psi.


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## oldglory2105 (Apr 25, 2018)

Cool! That's good information. Thanks. I have been using the red nozzle that comes with the sprayer, but it tends to to spray a straight line out of each side and broadcasts in the middle. What ends up happening is I get heavy lines from the ends...Especially if I'm applying a liquid fertilizer app like AMS. Ware-If you were using the two above you mentioned, what would you specifically use the Turbo Teejet for?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

oldglory2105 said:


> ...Ware-If you were using the two above you mentioned, what would you specifically use the Turbo Teejet for?


Good question - I am starting to favor the Turbo TeeJet over the XR for foliar apps. I think I get adequate coverage with reduced drift. I still like the air induction nozzles for things like pre-e, soil surfactants, etc.


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## oldglory2105 (Apr 25, 2018)

Awesome. Here's one for you. Would you consider using humate products such as RGS with the air induction nozzle to get to soil, and a product like Micro Greene or FAMS/AMS with the Turbo TeeJet? Any particular nozzle for spot spraying herbicide? Apologies if that was already answered.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

oldglory2105 said:


> Awesome. Here's one for you. Would you consider using humate products such as RGS with the air induction nozzle to get to soil, and a product like Micro Greene or FAMS/AMS with the Turbo TeeJet? Any particular nozzle for spot spraying herbicide? Apologies if that was already answered.


Yes, sounds like you've got it figured out. :thumbsup:

Regarding spot spraying, I touched on that above...



Ware said:


> Note that the TeeJet nozzle will drop right into the Chapin wand. This photo is of the yellow Turbo TeeJet TT11002-VP, which is rated for half the flow of the red nozzle I linked above. I sometimes use it for spot spraying when I'm spraying something hot and I'm worried about being a little heavy handed.


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## oldglory2105 (Apr 25, 2018)

Cool. Thanks man!


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