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pantichd

How to clean sprayers

pantichd
10 years ago

Hello,

How do you all clean sprayers so you don't have to have a separate one for each liquid you want to spray. For example, just for my fruit trees, I have three separate liquids (dormant oil, copper and a 3rd I can't remember name of right now).

I don't want to keep buying separate sprayers but I'm also afraid of reusing them if there could be bad reactions.

Thanks in advance for any info.

Comments (13)

  • daemon2525
    10 years ago

    I use the same one for all fruit tree sprays. I just rinse it out.

    I do have a separate one for Roundup.

  • pantichd
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    So you just rinse them out with water?

  • rayrose
    10 years ago

    i have a battery operated sprayer that I use for everything, except to kill weeds. You don't need a separate sprayer for that. Weed killers come in their own sprayer.
    After I rinse out my sprayer, I put several drops of Dawn dish detergent in the sprayer and fill it about 1/3 full with water. I then spray out that solution, in order to purge any spray material that may harden and clog the sprayer. I do this every time that I spray.

  • daemon2525
    10 years ago

    Yes, I just rinse with water. I do spray the water through the sprayer to clean inside the wand to keep from clogging.

    Weed killers do not always come in their own sprayer.

  • campv 8b AZ
    10 years ago

    I have 2 sprayers. I use them for everything, even round up and ground clear. I just rinse them with water really good, also the wand. Never caused any problems yet.

  • ltilton
    10 years ago

    I always have a separate sprayer for herbicides. Just seems safer that way.

  • pantichd
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Great. I feel much better now about just rinsing out with water and reusing. I think I'll just go with one for herbicides and another for non-herbicides.

    Thanks everyone for your responses.

  • gator_rider2
    10 years ago

    Triple rinse with water info in sprayer guide.

  • insteng
    10 years ago

    Perfect timing. I need to clean our sprayer out to spray my pecan trees with zinc right now. Had to use it this weekend with Grazon for pasture. I will wash out good with water and maybe run a little soap through it. I can't use my sma sprayer for them because the trees are about 75 years old and the small ones won't reach the top.

  • pantichd
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    gator_rider2, I got the part about the triple rinsing with water but I wasn't sure what you meant by "info in sprayer guide". Are you saying to look at the paperwork that came with the sprayer or that there is a "sprayer guide" somewhere on this site?

    I did a search for "sprayer guide" on the site. It came back with a lot of hits but I couldn't find any that seemed to actually be some kind of sprayer guide.

  • gator_rider2
    10 years ago

    I learned to wash sprayer out for agriculture use same should apply home and Orchard sprayers.

    A county agent should have sprayer guide book.
    I got mind from crop meeting USDA and buying larger sprayers Boom and Fan sprayers.

    Even I don't see triple rinse in this guide with water, because herbicide sprayer cleaner use sometimes twice then rinse with water = triple rinse.

    Insecticides are more forgiven and triple rinse all need to clean sprayer there more to be cleaned than just tank. Loose material trash in tank be wash away by triple rinsing.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cleaning Field Sprayers to Avoid Crop Injury

  • treehugger2012
    10 years ago

    JUST RINSE WITH WATER THOROWLY AS FOR MIXING I MIX 4 DIRRERENTBSPRAYS IN THESAME SPRAYER

  • olpea
    10 years ago

    I've not had good luck removing herbicide residue from sprayers by triple rinsing.

    I've rinsed glyphosate out of a sprayer poured the rinsate for the first couple rinses on the gravel. I thought the third rinse was safe so I dumped it on the grass. Killed the grass dead.

    I don't spray that much herbicide anyway, so it's not a big expense to keep small sprayers for herbicides only.

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