# Sprayer Assistance



## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

So I finally had a sprayer mounted on my mower. Got the nozzles set at 20 inches high/20 inches apart. Still some work to be done to make the stand better, but no rush.

I tried it out today and seemed ok. Calibrated it and it seemed ok then seemed to sputter. I noticed it wasn't holding steady pressure. It was all over the place. I thought I had it dialed in and did a test run. Well, it just dropped out 90% of the time.

All the fittings that I see are as tight and snug as I can get them. There's no blockage, I took the TeeJets off and it flowed out but I still couldn't get the pressure to steady. I'm frustrated to say the least. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

Any idea what the amp draw is on the pump as well as your wire size? I installed wire that was too small from the start and am experiencing similar issues. Took some time to get up to pressure. Rewiring in progress.


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## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

I don't pay any attention. Just used what came with the sprayer. I'll try to figure that out tomorrow.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

Can you tell me where each hose is going?


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

Ok I found your last post showing a wider picture. From left to right; Boom, tank, spray wand? If that is correct you want the valve to your boom all the way open then regulate your pressure with the valve going back to the tank.

The way the picture shows you're regulating the pressure with the boom valve. This is not correct. You're building pressure in the manifold but that pressure is not reaching the boom.


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## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

J_nick said:


> Ok I found your last post showing a wider picture. From left to right; Boom, tank, spray wand? If that is correct you want the valve to your boom all the way open then regulate your pressure with the valve going back to the tank.
> 
> The way the picture shows you're regulating the pressure with the boom valve. This is not correct. You're building pressure in the manifold but that pressure is not reaching the boom.


Yep, you're exactly correct! It wasn't doing anything by using the bypass with the book wide open last night. 
So I found out the wand was broken, cleaned the filter leading to the pump, and ran it all wide open. Put everything back together, turned new wand on to purge air, and used the bypass to regulate pressure. Worked much better this AM. Didn't get as much pressure as I wanted to see in testing, but a little fine tuning and practice should help. I'm just happy it's not dripping now!

Thanks for the tips. I know I'm on the right track now.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)

I'd go ahead and put a valve right off the manifold to the wand, like the other 2, that way it's not always pressured up.


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## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

Good idea, thanks.


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## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

Is it normal for pressure to drop over time? I can get about 45ish steady at first. If I tru any higher, it jumps to 60 and then goes down and back up, shutting off and coming back on. Once I set it at 40, it sill will slowly drop and I have to watch it to readjust. It does it worse with the wand and not as much with the boom. I did place a shutofff valve on the wand so I don't have to worry about pressure there unless I'm using it.


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## jhov415 (Dec 21, 2018)

where is the pick up inside the tank? is it on the bottom? keep in mind the movement of the liquid in the tank can cause the pump to lose prime if the pick up hose catches any air pockets with the liquid sloshing around. I had this issue with my sprayer and had to tilt my tank back a bit to create less of an opportunity for air pockets. Hope this helps.

i would hit an air pocket and lose prime and them it may catch back up. what pressure regulator are you using?i upgraded to the teejet regulator and that helped a ton.


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## stotea (Jul 31, 2017)

What's the pump rated for? Isn't it only 45 PSI max?


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## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

stotea said:


> What's the pump rated for? Isn't it only 45 PSI max?


Correct. Which isn't the problem. I just don't understand the fluctuation and didn't know if that was normal. Is it normal to gradually loser pressure and have to readjust it?


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## TC2 (Sep 15, 2017)

I think the pressure issue is a problem of static versus dynamic pressure. The moving fluid has a pressure related to its velocity squared but I have no idea how that relates to the position of the sensor, if at all.

Edit: thinking about it a little more, the flow of liquid will simply reduce the static pressure at the end of the pipe, rather like a water driven vacuum pump. I believe the faster the flow, the greater the pressure drop.


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## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

I just wouldn't think that hat sloshing around would effect the pressure unless there were air gaps like stated above. The pickup is on the bottom so I wouldn't think it would be affected by air until it gets pretty low. Maybe it's just the way it is, but I don't know so I'm asking.


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## jhov415 (Dec 21, 2018)

what regulator are you using? i dont see a dial that is adjustable to dial in your pressure.

can you post a video showing the symptoms?


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