# More dumb sprayer help



## Pepspros (Oct 19, 2011)

can someone give me the lowdown on sprayer knowledge. I just got a titan 440xc, its almost brand new, I have two houses to spray, I have painted 25-30 houses but never sprayed the body. 

First is the 440xc going to be a valuable tool as I see myself painting about 10 houses per year or will I dieing to upgrade next summer.

Second I have manual but can someone briefly give me a run down of maintenance, after daily use, after job finished, I hope someone can just cut and paste. Thanks in advance.

(even if you just point me in the direction of the right knowledge instead of searching through 1000's of pages on net)


----------



## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

Just search paint sprayer on this forum and you'll be fine. The only middle range pump is the Graco 390-395 imho.


----------



## Pepspros (Oct 19, 2011)

thanks I'll keep reading, airless paint sprayers are new to me, spray technique is not, I'll keep reading, its kind of fun being a noob again


----------



## seanheil (Nov 7, 2011)

Flush oil based paints out with mineral spirits through gun and drain (or prime) valve. Flush water based paints out with water, again through both gun and drain valve, then flush water out with mineral spirits. I don't recommend using the "pump protector" for storage in your sprayer. It will not protect the wetted parts of the sprayer as well as mineral spirits will. The pump protector is just antifreeze by the way. Tip sizes are: first number, one half the fan width at 12" away from surface being sprayed and second two digits are orifice size in thousandths of inch, indicating flow rate. For example 517 tip is, 10" wide fan with .017 inch diameter orifice, or hole. A 521 tip puts on more paint with the same size fan. A 511 puts on less paint with the same size fan. Info on sprayers can go on and on so I'd recommend reading the manual, always store the sprayer with mineral spirits in it (trust me on that one, I'm a mechanic) and have the pump rebuilt as soon as paints begins to leak from behind the face cover, this will better the chance of salvaging a pretty pricey replacement part called the piston rod when your seals wear out (know as a repack).


----------



## CarrPainting (Jun 29, 2010)

Why do you flush the water with mineral spirits? And can you supplement kerosene?

Also, if you put mineral spirits into the sprayer and your spraying latex, how is the water going to remove all the miniral spirits?


----------



## seanheil (Nov 7, 2011)

Flush water out of spray equipment with mineral spirits because many wetted parts of the sprayer internals will form surface rust. This little bit of surface rust will give you many pain in the butt issues with a sprayer, mainly related to the two pump valves. Again, the pump protector fluid does not protect these parts very well and surface rust will form, long term storage a big no no with pump protector. It's amazing how sensitive these little valve seats really are. Water will push min spirits right out your sprayer. Not convinced, flush with two gallons, why not three, water's free. With the drain valve in "Spray", trigger the spray gun on and off as the sprayer's building pressure when flushing to really flush out all nooks and crannies. This is my super duper flushing technique especially when cleaning paint out of a machine. Even better than mineral spirits for storage is hydraulic fluid. This is what your sprayers are charged with at the factory when they're brand new. That's a little much for my regular habits, but I guess if you're going to put her away for quite a while. Hydraulic fluid will also preserve leather packing seals in sprayers which have them, the 440xc or 440 anything do not.


----------



## dsconstructs (Jul 20, 2010)

CarrPainting said:


> Why do you flush the water with mineral spirits? And can you supplement kerosene?
> 
> Also, if you put mineral spirits into the sprayer and your spraying latex, how is the water going to remove all the miniral spirits?


I knew an old timer that used kerosene, he swore by it for long(ish) term storage. 
I prefer to not mix oil and water with the same sprayer. Have a 395 for oils, and 695 for latex. Can just recycle the spirits that way when cleaning the oil pump. Can't imagine being able to flush water with spirits and vice versa without dumping spirits into the ground as a result.


----------



## seanheil (Nov 7, 2011)

I honestly don't know about kerosene. Dangerous under pressure? If an ol timer did it for years, can't be all that bad. I have charts that show reactivity of different chemicals with seal materials found in pumps, I'll get back to you on that. As far as mixing water and min spirits, you'll know exactly when water chases min spirits out of the sprayer and vice versa. You can see the change and you usually get a little air sputter as a warning. Let any water and min spirit sit in a pail for a day and you can "float" the mineral spirits off the top. Using different machines for oil and latex is fine, although I don't believe necessary, less sprayers dedicated to lacquers. Speaking of, never flush a multi use paint sprayer out with lacquer thinner. You will be plagued with rogue clogs, mainly from the spray hose and suction tube, usually until you replace the spray hose and have a mechanic disassemble and clean the machine.


----------



## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

seanheil said:


> I honestly don't know about kerosene. Dangerous under pressure? If an ol timer did it for years, can't be all that bad. I have charts that show reactivity of different chemicals with seal materials found in pumps, I'll get back to you on that. As far as mixing water and min spirits, you'll know exactly when water chases min spirits out of the sprayer and vice versa. You can see the change and you usually get a little air sputter as a warning. Let any water and min spirit sit in a pail for a day and you can "float" the mineral spirits off the top. Using different machines for oil and latex is fine, although I don't believe necessary, less sprayers dedicated to lacquers. Speaking of, never flush a multi use paint sprayer out with lacquer thinner. You will be plagued with rogue clogs, mainly from the spray hose and suction tube, usually until you replace the spray hose and have a mechanic disassemble and clean the machine.


Beg to differ on the lacquer thinner. I have flushed with lacquer thinner all summer and never had a problem. What will create an unholy mess is running shellac and then flushing with water. The water will create a gooey awful mess everywhere. Flush shellac with denatured alcohol, then water and you're golden.


----------



## JohnBen (Nov 2, 2011)

The kerosene vs thinner is because kerosene has more "oil" in it, there by lubricating parts where as thinner has a tendency to "dry out" parts. Use your sprayer alot? thinner is fine. If it is going to sit for a while I vote for kerosene. My 2 cents.


----------



## Pete'sfeets (Mar 20, 2011)

really ,kerosene laquer I just leave it with water, it's all I intend to spray out of it too . You can be all brave young but after a few years, living happy is a whole lot more important than brute speed. Where's all that fluid getting disposed anyhow.


----------



## bigangelman (Dec 14, 2008)

It is a good idea to get the moisture out of the pump for storage. there are parts in the pump that could rust. I personally keep one set of hoses for latex the other for oil based finishes, never mixing the two. When you switch for oil to latex & back each time the inside of the hoses get a coating, which can come loose and cause clogs. Many of the older pumps had leather packing's in them by storing the pumps with water in them they would degrade. The kerosene/diesel fuel displaces any water and renews the packing's. I normally after using a latex rinse with water, then rinse with thinner, if it's going to be a while I'll add a little alcohol to absorb the water. Then store with diesel or kero.... My pump is 23 years old and works great, I wish I would have kept track of the gallons through it. I know the first job when I bought it was over 2,000. speeflo all the way! 

Tom


----------



## seanheil (Nov 7, 2011)

Tom, I like your style. You prefer to properly maintain a high quality machine rather than trash junk sprayers and keep replacing them. This may be a different topic, but Speeflo is a fantastic brand. Why the trend of contractors using undersized machines? Before you go buy that brand new 440, look into a used Graco 1095 or just about any Speeflo. It may say it on the box, but 440s and 395s don't like 517 tips. Lot more to say on this; but again, maybe another discussion.


----------



## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

Water and thinner will trash your filters quick. My sprayer is 6 years old and I just bring it in the house in the winter and have never had or heard of anyone having a problem with a sprayer rusting. The piston and sleeve won't rust, other then that you have a bolt and a couple of check balls and I have never seen any of it rust. 
The stuff is plated unless the sleeve is scarred it won't rust and if it is scarred then it needs replaced anyways. 
I have seen pistons snap but never rust. 
You will get more clogs on your tip by mixing oil and water the you will from any rust


----------



## Animated Dirt (Apr 25, 2010)

*Spraytech 1720 oiler question*



bigangelman said:


> It is a good idea to get the moisture out of the pump for storage. there are parts in the pump that could rust. I personally keep one set of hoses for latex the other for oil based finishes, never mixing the two. When you switch for oil to latex & back each time the inside of the hoses get a coating, which can come loose and cause clogs. Many of the older pumps had leather packing's in them by storing the pumps with water in them they would degrade. The kerosene/diesel fuel displaces any water and renews the packing's. I normally after using a latex rinse with water, then rinse with thinner, if it's going to be a while I'll add a little alcohol to absorb the water. Then store with diesel or kero.... My pump is 23 years old and works great, I wish I would have kept track of the gallons through it. I know the first job when I bought it was over 2,000. speeflo all the way!
> 
> Tom



Tom,

I bought a Spraytech 1720 on Ebay, also new nozzles (a 2xx and a 4xx can't remember the other numbers) and filters orange and red. 

It has an oiler. I can't find anything about how to use the oiler in the manual. It has a nylon threaded 1/2 inch pipe sticking out about 1 1/4 inch with a cap on it and a restriction at the back of this thimble size area. It feeds down a 1/4 inch tube inside to an aluminum box with a brass port that sticks out and oils right over the piston. If you lay it back and put oil in the part sticking out it doesn't go on in until you push the button down lower. Any tips on how to use this would be appreciated. 

I have gone through it, lubricated, ran water through it (it holds pressure) and plan to use it for the first time tomorrow with latex - a basement room, painting joists, etc - a good learning project. 

So after I rinse it out with water - pump and line - I flush it with paint thinner - lube inside front cover - anything else? Don


----------



## Pete'sfeets (Mar 20, 2011)

I don't se why you w ould have to flush it in thinner, but if you get some to the felt packings instead of all the hose and gun that should do it in my mind, as it is I just leave it in water and no trouble so far, paint thinner isn't going to disolve latex for sure.


----------



## Animated Dirt (Apr 25, 2010)

seanheil said:


> Flush water out of spray equipment with mineral spirits because many wetted parts of the sprayer internals will form surface rust. This little bit of surface rust will give you many pain in the butt issues with a sprayer, mainly related to the two pump valves. Again, the pump protector fluid does not protect these parts very well and surface rust will form, long term storage a big no no with pump protector. It's amazing how sensitive these little valve seats really are. Water will push min spirits right out your sprayer. Not convinced, flush with two gallons, why not three, water's free. With the drain valve in "Spray", trigger the spray gun on and off as the sprayer's building pressure when flushing to really flush out all nooks and crannies. This is my super duper flushing technique especially when cleaning paint out of a machine. Even better than mineral spirits for storage is hydraulic fluid. This is what your sprayers are charged with at the factory when they're brand new. That's a little much for my regular habits, but I guess if you're going to put her away for quite a while. Hydraulic fluid will also preserve leather packing seals in sprayers which have them, the 440xc or 440 anything do not.




I can't argue with your experience - it sounded good to me so I picked up some mineral spirits and followed this procedure. Thanks for the advice.


----------



## JHC (Jun 4, 2010)

Metro M & L said:


> Beg to differ on the lacquer thinner. I have flushed with lacquer thinner all summer and never had a problem. What will create an unholy mess is running shellac and then flushing with water. The water will create a gooey awful mess everywhere. *Flush shellac with denatured alcohol*, then water and you're golden.


Cheap dollar store ammonia will work as well to save some money. :thumbsup:


----------



## seanheil (Nov 7, 2011)

Animated Dirt said:


> Tom,
> 
> I bought a Spraytech 1720 on Ebay, also new nozzles (a 2xx and a 4xx can't remember the other numbers) and filters orange and red.
> 
> ...


Hey Tom,
That "oil" that you put into top of the pump actually should not enter the pump. The fluid (throat seal) prevents paint which may weep out of the top of the pump from drying on the piston rod. It does not lubricate or seal the pump in any way. The idea is that when paint weeps out of the pump due to natural wear of the pump seals, it will not dry on the rod when the sprayer is not in use and scratch the hell out of the upper pump seals when you begin running it on the next project. I don't know much about smaller sprayers, so I can't really help out with the button issue, but it sounds like a throat seal dispenser. Instead of filling a wet cup on the top of the pump directly as on most sprayers, some of the smaller guys have a reservoir which you fill and then dispense to the wet cup via a couple pushes of a dispenser button. I would believe that that contraption doesn't work unless the sprayer is tilted weird or whatever. If it's possible, just pop the whole cover off with a screw driver and fill that brass cup up directly before every project. Can't over fill it. You're procedure sounds good to me. Maybe run a gallon of water through it before you start spraying latex. Good luck.


----------

