Cleaning Tips To Avoid Nozzle Blockage

Save money by simply cleaning up!

The rate of nozzle wear and blockage will, to a degree, depend on the quality of your equipment and the type of spraying you are doing. Regular maintenance and the care you put into keeping your nozzles clean will show the greatest effect on your long-term cost savings. Blocked nozzles can reduce flow by more than 10% and, in some cases as much as 50%.

So, don’t cut corners on your end of day clean up! Simple and proper maintenance will pay you great dividends in the long run by reducing your overall spraying costs and increase your equipment life span.

If you still aren’t convinced you need to keep your nozzles clean, the following calculation will demonstrate how inefficient a partially blocked nozzle can be:

If one nozzle should be spraying at 0.689 GPM and your nozzle is blocked by only 10%, you are losing 0.0689 GPM. That seems like a small number however, if you multiply that number by seven nozzles, you are losing 0.4823 GPM. Over the span of only one hour, that is almost 30 GPA with a concentrated rate. At a diluted rate, you will be losing almost 60 GPA every hour.

We are sure you can determine the inefficiency a 50% blockage would cause!

We are not here to scare you, rather the opposite by wanting to help you maximize your returns. What can you do to avoid nozzle blockage? The solution is simple; regular cleaning and testing.

Nozzle blockage is often difficult to detect and often goes unnoticed without testing the spray flow. We recommend testing the flow every 100 hours of use or at regular intervals throughout the season.

Turbo-mist Tip: Filters are a great way to help reduce blockage! They too need simple, regular cleaning.

Avoid blocked nozzles with the following cleaning steps:

1. Gear up and protect yourself: wear gloves and safety glasses when available!
2. Remove all nozzles, strainers, rubber gaskets and tips from your sprayer and leave them to soak in a large bucket of warm water for 15 minutes. Note: when draining be mindful of the pesticide residue in the rinsate.
3. Fill a second bucket with commercial detergent and use a soft bristled brush to scrub off residue.

Turbo-mist Tip: A soft-bristle toothbrush can act as a cost-effective scrub brush! If you are looking for something higher tech, our Parts Department can help you find new brushes and cleaners.

1. Leave the scrubbed parts to soak in the cleaning solution for 5 – 10 minutes. Again, be mindful of the pesticide residue when draining.
2. Rinse the parts with water and then you are ready to reassemble! Note: Before installing clean nozzles, we recommend cleaning and flushing out valve bodies and booms.

Nozzles have the biggest impact on your overall sprayer efficiency; blocked nozzles can lead to costly inefficiencies over time. Take the necessary steps to ensure your nozzles will last for a long time and continue to work at maximum flow. When you are ready for new nozzles, our Parts Department is here to help!