# Back Pack Sprayer Clean Out



## khayden10 (Apr 24, 2017)

Picked up a Chapin battery backpack sprayer and applied my first app of Prodiamine with it. My question is how are you supposed to clean it out? I rinsed it out a few time with plain water then added a little bit of soap and rinsed again. I still have yellow residue left at the bottom of the tank.


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## high leverage (Jun 11, 2017)

Triple rinse is the industry standard. There are spray tank cleaners. It really not necessary to get the tank spotless.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Prodiamine does tend to stain the tank a bit. I don't go too crazy about washing out my sprayer tank because I can't think of anything I spray that would cause issues the next time I spray. Any residue remaining after my rinse is minimal, and would be further diluted with the next tank fill.

I do keep a separate cheap pump sprayer around for anything non-selective though (like glyphosate).


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

Ware said:


> I do keep a separate cheap pump sprayer around for anything non-selective though (like glyphosate)


Yeah...I used my 4 gallon backpack sprayer for 2-3 glyphosate apps last fall. I'm thinking that this was not the best decision of my life :|

I rinsed it 4 times or so, but its history will be on my mind the next time I use it--for sure.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Make sure to clean more than just the tank. Run the pump, wands with water too.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

social port said:


> Yeah...I used my 4 gallon backpack sprayer for 2-3 glyphosate apps last fall. I'm thinking that this was not the best decision of my life :|
> 
> I rinsed it 4 times or so, but its history will be on my mind the next time I use it--for sure.


You'll be fine. :thumbup:

Low doses of glyphosate can technically serve as a PGR.



g-man said:


> Make sure to clean more than just the tank. Run the pump, wands with water too.


+1


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

g-man said:


> Make sure to clean more than just the tank. Run the pump, wands with water too.


I did. Ran 4 gallons of water through the wand after using. I'm going to rinse and repeat before I use it again.



Ware said:


> Low doses of glyphosate can technically serve as a PGR.


That is just funny. And it kind of makes sense.


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## khayden10 (Apr 24, 2017)

Thanks for all the info. What about spraying for pesticides? Can I use my 4 gallon tank for that as well?(misquotes during the summer)


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

For any and all my sprayers after I am done with them, I just fill them up with water until they are overflowing and then dump them out and refill again till overflowing and then I pour a little bit out and pressurize them really good and then lock the spray wand to flush out the line with clean water.

I'm like Ware, any residual of anything that was in there is going to be so small that it won't affect anything the next time you spray.


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## gmorf33 (Jul 30, 2019)

When you guys clean out your sprayers, where are you dumping the "dirty" water? Do you have a designated junk/dumping area in your lawn for this kind of thing? I thought about maybe digging a hole a few feet deep with a PVC pipe or perforated drain tubing down in there that i can dump my wastes/excess. I have young kids and dogs, so i'm just trying to keep any long term chemical exposure to them as minimal as possible, while still complying w/ legal & safe practices.


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## Jconnelly6b (Mar 4, 2018)

I wouldn't go too crazy with adding a PVC pipe. In near all areas you aren't technically supposed to dump out any lawn chemicals anywhere they can end up in a waterway.... so everywhere.

I dump the first rinse of mine behind my woodpile, and anything after that gets thrown wildly into the yard.

Same as above, after the very first rinse the ppm of whatever was in the sprayer is so low, it's going to do nothing to your lawn.


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## smurg (May 30, 2018)

I either don't even rinse or only once with water (I spot spray glypho in a separate hand can).

Anything remaining being diluted back into 4 gallons is not going to make a difference. Granted I only do my yard and not customers, else I'd be more careful.


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