# weed sprayer fix?



## CindyOR (Jul 23, 2004)

Is there any way to clean/fix a weed spraying wand when it begins to lose it's oomph? I have tried dismantling mine and seeing if there was any grass, dirt etc and then blowing the wand out, but no luck. I bought a new wand at the farm store this spring and it was working well until today, when it joined my 3 other tank units of sad sprayers. They just run out of power. I'm a pretty handy person, but have yet to figure this fix out.

Any ideas? Fixes? Or just by a whole new tank unit when this happens?
About 90% of the time, I put a new tank of water in the tank and spray out clear water when I finish up spraying with RoundUP to clean the wand out. The 10% is when I am in a hurry or get interrupted and don't get back to do it before needing to put in the roundup again.

What is the best wand set up to use that won't do this over and over. I feel like I'm throwing money down a well, but if you live in the country, you use a weed sprayer of some kind.


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## Allen W (Aug 2, 2008)

Stupid question, did you look in or clean the end cap when you took it off? The biggest problem I've had is the plastic ones the valve will stick, the part under the squeeze handle. You can take them apart and clean them but they are a pain.


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## popscott (Oct 6, 2004)

Roundup will sometimes clog at the intake end in the tank (filter bulb clogs). Just curious if you've looked at it?


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

Is it the wand? Is the tank pressuring up properly? If it is the wand, there is often a little screen in the handle near the trigger that clogs up with flakes of residue etc. We have hard water and mine clogs up at least once at each use if it has been sitting for a few days, etc. You should be able to unscrew the wand at the point where the little screen is, and clean it out.


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## CindyOR (Jul 23, 2004)

Thanks for the suggestions, and I appreciate them, but I have gone through the wand from end to end and there is nothing I can see that would cause it to end up "piddling" instead of spraying. It's very frustrating. Just want to get my spraying done! I'm returning this wand tomorrow to the farm store and see what else I can get that will last another 3 or less months
Wish I could find out the solution to fixing these wands. I have 3 sitting here that have the same problem attached to tanks and it just didn't make sense to buy another complete set up. But the stand alone wands don't seem to be any better and they are spendy ($29.00).
I may make this a winter project. There's only about 5 parts to the whole wand, so surely I can figure this out and make the repairs.


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## manfred (Dec 21, 2005)

I have several inoperable sprayers. They sure are not meant to last. I'd happily pay twice the money if I found a quality one.


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

Do any of the parts of your wand unscrew? Because that is where there are screens etc. Near the trigger, and at the tip, which screws off. Usually the nozzle can be adjusted as well for a finer mist or a coarse flow, depending on your target. I have two CHEAP sprayers here that are about ten years old and work fine still, and the only issue I have had is when one of the screens plug up.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Work your way back from the nozzle end to the tank to determine the problem.

Step 1. Remove the spray nozzle. Pump up the tank and squeeze the hand valve. If water flows freely, then the problem is likely a plugged nozzle. If water just dribbles out, go to Step 2.

Step 2. Remove the hand valve. With your thumb over the end of the hose, pump up the tank. When you move your thumb, is there pressurized water coming out of the hose? If so, the problem is in the hand valve. If there is no water or the water just dribbles out, the problem is in the tank pump.


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

Real common to have an Asian lady bug stuck in the tip, unscrew the nozzle and see if anything is in the hole blocking flow.

Paul


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## Glacialtill (Aug 16, 2010)

I assume you're talking about a small garden/tree sprayer. I've got a couple sad ones around too. Hiding in the basement.

First thought, it's a clog. Easy to check for. Unscrew the wand parts and look around. 

Second, there's a bunch of gaskets in these things. They wear out. You can get replacement kits from the hardware store. I've had some success with that. Granted, the kits cost about half the price of a new replacement, so these things are basically designed to have a short life span.

Here's a link to maintenance/repair:

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/problems-garden-sprayers-44087.html


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

I have a two gallon sprayer that was losing the ability to pump. It has lasted five or more years. I always squirt soap down the pump to lube before using but the large O-ring finally was too worn. To get by for the day, I wound dental floss around the groove a dozen times and put the worm 0-ring back on. It worked for the day. The next Saturday, I replaced the repair with the fiber packing material from the plumbing stuff box. It worked for the day. The next Saturday, I found a 3 pack of 0-rings of the same size in the plumbing section at Lowes for a few dollars. I also bought a new sprayer, just in case. I replaced the O-ring with a new one, squirted some soap and water down the pump and filled it full of stuff I wanted to spray. The sprayer worked like new. I have not used the new sprayer yet. Good luck.


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

I have found that my sprayer holds up better if I do not allow it to sit in freezing temps - I think the dry freezing winter air wrecks something. I keep my inside over the winter.


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## Ozarks Tom (May 27, 2011)

I've found the problem isn't the wand, but a clogged pick up screen. I've seen them so clogged you couldn't even get a dribble out of the wand. Round Up, and I assume other products like it, turns to pancake batter consistency over time.


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## Rectifier (Jun 12, 2011)

All are good suggestions. With regards to a setup that will last, look into a more serious unit. My yard/fenceline sprayer is a 20 gallon tow-behind with 12V diaphragm pump. Selectable wand and boom. $200. Once you go to a powered sprayer, you will have a hard time going back to the pump ups.

The diaphragm pump will last a lot longer than the crummy air pumps in the backpack sprayers, and has more force to pull through clogged screens etc. The whole thing is much better built. 

I've had the unit for years and abused it regularly, leaving spray in it for months and such. I even let spray freeze in it this winter (OK, I drained the pump and only the tank froze). No problems other than the usual maintenance. (tip clogged/filters etc).

Perhaps a big part is the fact that I treat my water with lime to remove the hardness before it goes in the sprayer. Hard water is very hard on sprayers and actually decreases the effectiveness of many chemicals, binding them up. This spring I successfully sprayed the remainder of an 8 month old tank of Roundup Transorb which froze over the winter. It was in no way goopy or scaled on the screens, sprayed perfectly and got a good kill.


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## CindyOR (Jul 23, 2004)

Cabin Fever - you are the winner with the right answer to the sprayer problem. Even though I had taken it all apart on the sprayer hose, and taken the hose completely out of the tank and checked it to make sure it was clear, I didn't realize that the screw in part that attached the hose to the tank had some inner workings. I took that all apart and there was a small plastic shard stuck in the hard plastic connector that fit between the two screw in parts. I actually thought it was part of the hard plastic part - same color and type of plastic and looked like just an angled separator. But when I tapped it, it came out and problem was solved. I had given up on this sprayer and tank completely and after reading the last group of replies, decided to just put the tailgate down on my truck and take the whole thing apart once again in really good light. That's when I saw the tank hose was more than just a one piece screw in hub. On my tank, that part has another part that fits inside the hub, hiding the interior workings.
BTW - on this tank, there are no screens to filter out debris. I, too, have had the random piece of grass or ? clog up the sprayer nozzle. I knew by now that was not the issue. But thanks to Cabin Fever for suggesting how to test to see if it was the nozzle or the tank. I had already purchased a Solo wand and attached it and when it worked for about 5 minutes (just long enough for me to get back in the back field!) and then quit, I knew the wand could not be the problem. That's when I tackled the tank end of things in more detail.
Thanks again. I am now operational and have already gone through 1/2 a gallon of crossbow!


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