Looking for guidance on purchasing used Airless sprayer

[hot-toy]

I'm looking to purchase a older Graco ProX7 sprayer for interior and exterior work. I have done lots of automotive spraying but new to home airless sprayers. The model I'm looking at is older and was supposed to have light usage. It looks like light usage. The gun is shown disassembled but externally the gun and sprayer shows some paint that wasn't cleaned up.

Questions:
1) Any cautions on what to inspect prior to purchase?
2) Any questions I should ask about how it was prep before being stored?
3) Any recommendations on how to start up a Graco Sprayer that hasn't been used in a while?

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

If it was me I would require them to allow you to test the unit prior to purchase.

As maintenance is almost 100% what a unit is worth.

 

[cgrutt]

At min I'd ask to spray some water with it. Check Graco site to see if they sell a pump overhall kit for it. Not familiar with that model sometimes the entire pump is sold as assembly ... that's expensive to replace if needed.

As far as starting generally turn pressure to low, set pump to prime and start priming paint into pump, let that cycle a bit through pump and hose/gun, turn to spray, increase pressure as needed to eliminate any tails in spray pattern. Keep pressure as low as possible with good spray pattern while painting.

 

[The Cobbler]

agree on trying it first. a sprayer that has been used once & not cleaned properly will take a lot to get it back from the dead. complete overhaul, new hose etc.
also I would look at the filter in the spray head as well as the pump itself. that should tell the major story if it has been cleaned properly . also if they've sprayed **** .
you will be able to tell a lot by running a gallon of water thru it . if they won't allow that, walk away in my opinion

 

[Stelzer]

Biggest issues with used pumps is you don't know how well they've been cleaned in the past, but the key things to look for are:

-Start with the things that'll give you the most info with the least amount of effort. After looking over the condition of the pump, pull the rock guard off the pickup tube and shine a flashlight up into the tube. See if it's got a bunch of dried paint. Some amount is fine, but not big chunks.
-Make sure it builds pressure and holds it, so as soon as it comes to pressure and stops cycling, listen for a minute without pulling the trigger to see if it cycles again, which would be indicative of the ball getting stuck from dried paint due to poor maintenance.
-While testing, turn the pressure knob all the way up and again, listen to the pump begin to cycle and make sure it stops and doesn't continue to cycle after full pressure is reached.
-Make sure the prime valve works and doesn't leak after the unit is primed.
-Spray some water on a piece of paper to check the pattern. If you see tails while spraying water and your pressure is all the way up, the pump is ****. You'll also want to pay attention to the fan pattern throughout a good 5-10 second trigger pull to verify the pump is kicking on when it should and adequately building pressure.
-Check to see if the gun stops spraying as soon as the trigger is released. Prolonged spits after trigger release usually means the gun needs to be repacked, which is hardly worth repacking that gun that comes with the X5's.
-Verify there isn't an abundance of paint at the wet cup, (which is usually from worn packings).

Incidentally, if you can hold out for a Graco 390/395 or Titan 440 or even Titan's 400, it would be a better investment, as the build quality is far superior. I've been a Painting Contractor for 35 years and own lots of sprayers, so if you have any questions, just ask. I don't get to offer advice on these forums often, lol.

 

[hot-toy]

Some great feedback. Thank you everyone for the advise.

 

[nadogail]

A used Airless Paint Sprayer is not something I would buy from a "unknown" stranger: a reconditioned piece o rental equipment, with a warranty from a trusted company, maybe.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Plan on a major rebuild in the near future.

 

[bb29510]

airless sprayer are pumps not sprayer, so the pump itself is 99.9% of the system. then the ortfx puts the spray into a mist, so its nothing like a car painter. But the pump need to be really clean to work. alot of people pump water into the system and leave the water in it, so if it was the freeze sitting in the shop for years, it could be an issue, oh and pawn shops, they have 100's of them

 

[Nthill93]

Unless it’s a screaming deal I’d go buy a new one. I’ve got a graco project painter that I’ve painted a house with tons of trim and doors. If they’re not cleaning really well they take some work to get running again.