# Any good between-hose sprayers?



## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Ok, we all know what a hose-end sprayer is, but I'm keeping my eye out for a good sprayer that can accept hoses at both ends, and take high pressure without the plastic bottle trying to balloon up. Maybe there's no such thing, but if anyone finds one, can you post it here?


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

No such thing. What you want is known as a Dosatron or Dosmatic. Those are pumps that are put inline and deliver a set amount of a concentrate per gallon of water. They will tolerate up to 80 PSI. I used to use one of those with a 5 gallon drum mounted on a hand truck to apply liquid fertilizers and iron to lawns too big for my engine drive backpack sprayer. The Miracle Gro feeder will not take high pressure. Jar will explode.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> The Miracle Gro feeder will not take high pressure. Jar will explode.


Yup. Don't ask me how I know that!

The correct equipment you mentioned sounds expensive!


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Less expensive than the high pressure, high volume power sprayer I used in its place once I had the funds to buy up. A Dosatron or else even a TEFEN Mixrite will set you back about $400. The rest is the hand truck and little plumbing fittings to mount the injector in line with your hose. A pre made cart and tank is going to be $1000.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> Less expensive than the high pressure, high volume power sprayer I used in its place once I had the funds to buy up. A Dosatron or else even a TEFEN Mixrite will set you back about $400. The rest is the hand truck and little plumbing fittings to mount the injector in line with your hose. A pre made cart and tank is going to be $1000.


Maybe someday, if there's a need for it. But maybe there's a much less expensive hose-end alternative that will shoot a diffuse stream at least 20-30 feet, to reach into the lower branches of a tree canopy.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

I have seen the Chapin hose end sprayer with the brass mixing head shoot pretty far. What I miss is the old Ortho tree spraying bottle. That one had a small orifice in the front of a long cast Zinc arm. Hooked up to a hose, that would go 20 ft under normal water pressure. You have to treat trees?


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> The Miracle Gro feeder will not take high pressure. Jar will explode.


So, I tried the Miracle Gro thing a few weeks ago, and thankfully it didn't break open at the seam...my pressure wasn't quite that high. But it was high enough that the jar ballooned up, and it shot the excess pressure out from between the top and the jar, which wasn't cool! I was able to get the task done (spraying lower tree branches up to about 20 feet high with Bt for gypsy moth caterpillars), but it was really the wrong equipment, and wasn't usable due to the pressure issue.

In regard to your other reply, I have one of those that I believe might be Chapin, but under another brand name. Maybe if I remove the plastic deflector, and give it a test...never thought of that.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Hudson and Gilmour also make the same design brass mixing head. Put the plastic deflector on the side and it should work. You do in fact have some good pressure. I am thinking 70-80 PSI. That is what I have at home and many years ago, I remember putting on a restrictive attachment in front of the bottle. It got scary swollen.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> Hudson and Gilmour also make the same design brass mixing head. Put the plastic deflector on the side and it should work. You do in fact have some good pressure. I am thinking 70-80 PSI. That is what I have at home and many years ago, I remember putting on a restrictive attachment in front of the bottle. It got scary swollen.


Pressure sounds about right. That's what I was thinking...maybe 80. Haven't actually tested it yet. But it's probably under 100. My hoses bulge in the heat sometimes, and eventually break.

And the hose-end sprayer is either a Gilmour or a Chapin that looks like this: https://www.amazon.com/Gilmour-362-Professional-Pre-Mix-Sprayer/dp/B00002N67I
Pretty sure that's the same one you just described.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Those have been around forever. They are the old reliable. When you said hose end sprayer, I thought you were talking about the Ortho one. I found something out about the Ortho sprayer. They cannot take high pressure. One of my customers has high incoming pressure and a separate line that goes all around their 3/4 acre property. I tap in to that line with hoses. I blew up the Ortho sprayer. All I wanted to do was give one of the flower beds some extra fertilizer. Estimated pressure is 130 PSI. Now, I fit a 75 PSI regulator between my hose and the tap.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

@Greendoc, good to know.

It says under the Amazon listing that it will reach 28 feet at 40 psi. Not bad I guess. Will have to test. If it has a regulation device in it, that might be the limit.

When I was a kid, I remember seeing old hose nozzles that were probably older than me, that looked just like the metal part on this sprayer. I guess that's what they used on their product, but I didn't think it was removable for cleaning. I could be wrong...

I believe it was the Ortho that Allyn had some calibration issues with in his latest video.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Only regulation device is the Venturi orifice. That is really small. Not much gallonage coming out of the brass head. I caught the LCN's video on the Ortho sprayer, that one flows 2+ GPM at water pressure that will not blow it apart.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

Greendoc said:


> Only regulation device is the Venturi orifice. That is really small. Not much gallonage coming out of the brass head. I caught the LCN's video on the Ortho sprayer, that one flows 2+ GPM at water pressure that will not blow it apart.


So are you thinking what I'm thinking...that his water pressure could have been what made the difference in his gpm? I think once he measured 2.5gpm, he called it a day...that was the closest he could get, and it appeared close to the rated spec.


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Yes. To double GPM at 40 PSI, one needs 80. To obtain 125% of rated GPM only requires 50 PSI.


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