airless sprayer quick question

[billconner]

Well, bought a Graco Magnum X7 and just as I got it home saw a pro X17 on market place reported as used once. Drove to look at at and probably buy it and indeed looked used just once. Seller was a contractor a great guy, helped me test it with a bucket of water. We talked for 2 hours on projects. He's kind of an expert on straw bale houses.

Anyways, 40% of the x7 and near 25% of a new pro x17. My first marketplace buying experience. I'll post again after my first attempt at spraying garage.

 

[billconner]

First and second used went very well. Second was after I bought a 40" extension which really helped. That basically covered the "boards" of board and batten siding, as well as open eaves. I installed battens - looked like a bad circus - raw battens on dark blue boards. Third time - thought I would finish - wouldn't spray. Turned out 40" extension was clogged - last part I checked. Changed to 18" and then ran out of paint. Back to finish today and got everything tested and was doing fine until hose burst. ****. Cleaned up and off to Lowe's or HD for a new hose.

Any suggestions for cleaning extensions? Flushing not enough it seems. no 13 solid thhn worked but not easy. Looking for a small diameter steel wire I can attach something to pull through.

 

[pcmeiners]

Not sure what tip or gun you are using, but the tip which original comes on the machine turns within it housing. To clean a clog, turn tip in housing reversing the tip 180°, hit the gun trigger, basically it pushes the clog out by sheer pressure.

 

[billconner]

Garage with painting half finished.

 

[billconner]

Not sure what tip or gun you are using, but the tip which original comes on the machine turns within it housing. To clean a clog, turn tip in housing reversing the tip 180°, hit the gun trigger, basically it pushes the clog out by sheer pressure.

Thanks but even with tip and tip holder off and pressure at full no go. Just the extension. Graco Magnum Pro X17.

 

[jar944]

Thanks but even with tip and tip holder off and pressure at full no go. Just the extension. Graco Magnum Pro X17.

Filter the paint, do you have the screen on the intake?

Chunks are old dry paint

 

[pcmeiners]

Strange, there is no way the extension should clog with the filters below in place, the intake filter is NOT the filter responsible for such a clog, if there was no flow at all, blocking before the extension, the intake screen could be the cause... Sound like one or more of the filters as shown is missing, damaged or incorrectly installed.......

 

[billconner]

Yes to screen on intake. When it wouldn't spray, I started at intake. Undid everything and paint flowed until I just removed nozzle and holder. I removed extension from gun and it worked. Finally ran my no 12 thhn through 20" extension, reassembled, and it worked for next half hour, till hose fitting failed. Bought a new hose so ready to finish - I hope - next week.

Think hoses can be repaired? Hydraulic hose shop? Or too esoteric?

 

[The Cobbler]

hoses can be repaired, but if it blew in 1 place, what's the rest of the length like?

 

[yatg]

till hose fitting failed

what happened? hose tore off? cracked?

 

[billconner]

what happened? hose tore off? cracked?

As best I can tell the ferrel or whatever it's called that's crimped onto the tubing failed.

 

[pcmeiners]

"Yes to screen on intake."

With (2) mesh filters, many mesh finer than the intake filter ? Either or both fine mesh screen would have to be blocked first, with no flow through the gun, if the intake screen was responsible. For your scenario to happen both fine mesh screens would be missing or have holes, slight possibility of paint buildup after the 60 mesh filter in the gun handle .

"Think hoses can be repaired?"

With a possible >2000psi pressure and repair cost, and possible more hose defects, it not worth your safety. Just purchased a used Binks Super Bee, has an old hose... for $50 I not taking a chance.

 

[billconner]

The machine has only been used 4 or 5 times. The fellow I bought it from only used it once and decided not for him. Looked brand new and after chatting for two hours pretty sure it was truthful.

Intake filter looks new. Maybe a piece from my poor cleaning though I thought I followed every step.

 

[pcmeiners]

Maybe one or both small mesh filters were damaged or removed or were left out by the manufacturer, especially the one in the gun handle....... either could have been removed/damaged by anyone who used the machine with a couple wrenches . I would check as clogging while painting is super aggravating, makes for a long day, and get you thinking maybe it not for me. For me, as for clogging, once in a while the tip gets clogged, few second to reverse it and clean it, that is about it.

 

[billconner]

I have seen and cleaned the one on intake and the one in handle. They look fine. Is there one in machine?

 

[pcmeiners]

Look in the images I post before for the other. If the handle filter is OK, the filter in the pump body likely is going to be OK...... getting to sound like a foreign object in the extension not related to the paint.

 

[billconner]

which is why I asked how to clean extension. of anything better than solid no. 12 copper wire.

 

[yatg]

Just checked mine. If you look through it you should be able to see daylight at the other end. And you should be able to blow through it to check to see if its blocked.

Never had to clean one, but maybe use steel wire instead of copper.

Don't know if you caught this, but there is a filter in the machine. Its behind the ****** where you attach the hose. See the top pic in post 47. They typically don't get cleaned after use.

Try running plain water through the hose and extension. Prime system and turn it to spray.

 

[billconner]

Well, finished painting barn but not without hitches. The tip clogged a lot and I'd rotate it and unclog for a while. Needed a tool to rotate it. I had a second tip so tried that and was able to finish. I'll try clearwater but mostly need to set it up for storage and move to basement. It's a wonderful machine when working smoothly.

 

[pcmeiners]

"Needed a tool to rotate it." Strange, did you get this machine from the twilight zone?
Most of the time I do not have many tip clogs. If you get a lot of clogs, good to have filters handy to pre filter the paint before it goes into the bucket feeding the machine. The real fun was with the old style gun/tips, you needed a wrench to unscrew the ferrule holding the tip, then clean the tip with a wire to unclog, then reverse to put the tip back on. Very frustrating if you had paint that caused clogs often.

To clean water based paint from the machine, just plenty of clean water through the machine, jam the gun trigger open in a bucket, let run until water is clear. Then I let water sit in the machine over night or for days and run more water through it. For long term storage I run paint thinner through it, and leave it. Not sure if plain water is OK for long term (corrosion worry), definitely OK with anti freeze, and especially for freeze protection.
Oil based paint cleaning, require a good bit of paint thinner, carefully saving any thinner used for cleaning to reuse for cleaning the next time. PIA but worth it.

 

[billconner]

Graco has their own fluid to use for storage, and it came with machine.

I don't know what made it hard to turn that one. It may be the tip was damaged.

I was planning to run a pail of water through it before packing it to for storage. If that runs smooth I'll assume it was paint. It is a solid stain which probably is more apt to clog than some products.

Thank you for all the help!

 

[pcmeiners]

"Graco has their own fluid to use for storage, and it came with machine"

When it is used up, replace It with anti freeze..Graco's stuff is great for their profit margin.

"It may be the tip was damaged." most probably unless you got the machine from the twilight zone.

 

[billconner]

Anyway to clean a tip? my sense was even a very fine wire would ruin it and of course it my be ruined already.

 

[pcmeiners]

The tip is made of steel with a carbide piece in the center precision milled to an exact size hole with a cut in it to fan out the paint, no wire could harm it unless coated in diamond dust.

 

[yatg]

I don't know what made it hard to turn that one. It may be the tip was damaged.

There's a gasket(washer) and steel "saddle" bushing inside the tip guard that should be removed and cleaned. If its misaligned or there's something wrong with it, the tip will be hard to turn.

 

[billconner]

There's a gasket(washer) and steel "saddle" bushing inside the tip guard that should be removed and cleaned. If its misaligned or there's something wrong with it, the tip will be hard to turn.

I'll look for that. Probably this weekend. Thanks!

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Coming very late to this discussion. Hope I'm not hijacking but I have a Graco Magnum XR5 I bought at Home Depot probably about 15 years ago that I haven't used in at least 5-6 years. It is stored with their fluid fully run through it and contained in it. I haven't really used it all that much.

But I did paint the entire inside of two separate 1000 sq. ft apartments. Then years later the entire inside of a 3000 sq ft house. The tip seems to be compromised. Last time it wanted to spray a tiny wild stream off to one side. How long should a tip be expected to last? Were those three jobs too much to expect?

Have I harmed it by letting it sit so long?

 

[Pen & Wrench]

I don't think you've harmed it by letting it sit as long as it was properly cleaned and has fluid in it. I store my Graco 395 with Mineral Spirits in it. They say with latex paint a tip should last 15-45 gallons. We bought ours several years ago and sprayed our house, probably 10-12 gallons. I've used it for spraying Habitat for Humanity painting projects, and I think its probably sprayed about 50 gallons, and I bought a new tip for it just now. When your spray pattern goes bad that's what they say is the indication that your tip is worn. Check out this Graco link: https://www.graco.com/gb/en/contrac...how-do-you-know-when-a-spray-tip-is-worn.html

 

[bb29510]

you can buy new tips, they are cheap, really low price

 

[yatg]

Last time it wanted to spray a tiny wild stream off to one side.

You sure you got the tip pointed the right way? spray vs clean

If you get a new tip, get a genuine Graco.
I got some generic tips once and they didn't spray right.