Paint Sprayer Cleanup and Storage

[Matt Schnurbusch]

I have an airless paint sprayer that I use occasionally for my handyman business. I'm curious what y'all use for "pump saver". Sometimes it sits for only a few days and other times it sits for weeks/months.

Matt

[Jason Roehl]

If it is only going to sit for a few days, water is okay (not the greatest for it). If it's going to sit for weeks or months, then your cheapest option is mineral spirits/paint thinner (the cheap stuff). No need for the high-dollar blue "Pump Saver" solution from Graco or others.

I'd make sure your Throat Seal Liquid is topped off, too, if it is a piston pump.

Addy protocol: pro painter for about 12 years with LOTS of time behind an airless gun.

[Rich Schneider]

I have two airless sprayers, one is an Amspray and the other is a Wagner Spraytech..both basically the same machine. Typically my projects range from 50 to 100 gallons, but I think the general issues are the same regardless of project size. The biggest issue I've found is that you really need to clean the pump piston/parts fully. For mine I can remove the cup and ball, the piston, etc. I flush everything out until completely clean, make sure the o-rings are clean and put some light machine oil on them after they dry out (all the paint I use is waterbased). Same with the guns. I take them completely apart, rinse until completely clean, rinse out the filters use a brass brush to clean the threads etc. Same with the hose and any wand attachments. Typically I'll do this at the end of each day of use. After everything is dry I reassemble, use teflon tape on all the connections and get setup for the next day (it takes about 30 minutes to get it all apart, washed up and back together again)Typically when I restart the next day I'll have a little bit of waste paint/water mix (about 1 quart at most) in order to make sure the system is clear of all water and ready to go. I generally spray it back into one of my washup pails. If I'm just shutting down for lunch or for a hour or so to make a paint run then I'll simply run clean water through the system, leave the gun/tip submerged in a clean pail of water as well as the pump intake tube (again I use water based stuff). If I'm storing for a long time, such as over winter or for many months, I have used the "special" lubricant/anti-corrosion fluid which you can buy nearly anywhere the sprayers are sold (e.g. Menards, a commercial paint supply store, etc.). If you use the "special" fluid then when you startup you'll need to make sure that material is flushed out of the system. Do this with the hose off, or with a short hose since it can take a lot of paint before it completely clears with the hose on.

[Matt Schnurbusch]

I've thought about using thinner/spirits but won't it evaporate over time?