Storing my sprayer overnight.

[chanle51]

Hello:  After two months of scraping and priming, I'm about ready to begin spraying my house (claps.)  I just purchased a Graco XR-7 sprayer for the job (which I will be selling when complete,) and wondering how the pros store their airless systems overnight (without doing a full system cleaning.)  I expect to be painting the same color for a few consecutive days.

I'll be using Benjamin Moore Latex paint and a .015 tip.

Thanks in advance for the help
Chad

[admin]

Chad,
Paint should never be allowed to dry in the spray system. Although NOT recommended by ANY paint spray system manufacturer, I know some pros that do this:

Release the pressure on the gun. Remove the airless foot from the five gallon paint bucket ( @@** it back and let it drain ).
Set up a clean five with enough water to cover the entire airless foot. Place the foot in the water, do not pull it up into the pump, you just want to seal out air. Wrap some plastic around the top of the bucket and sprayer.
Place the gun in a gallon bucket pour in enough water to cover the entire tip, you may want to pull the tip and drop it in the bottom of the bucket. Wrap plastic around the top of the gallon bucket. Store all in a cool place if possible and out of the Sun.
This can work for two or three days, after that clean the entire system, including the gun filter ( located in the handle) and the pump filter.

Best Regards
Admin  pro painter

[Lynjowoman]

I understand your caution admin.

Hi Chad,
This is what we do:
Pull out the pour plug in the five gal bucket. Unzip the bucket lid and remove the top. Place the top back on the bucket but do not seal it down. Place the sprayer foot tube through the pour hole and into the paint, again do not seal it down. You can check the paint level by lifting the lid and add more paint by spinning it around on the tube.
At the end of the day make sure the foot of the tube is submerged in paint. Now seal the lid down and stuff a rag around the tube at the pour hole. Remove the tip and put it in a cup of water. Place the gun in a plastic bag and twist tie it at the hose. The next day you can start painting in a hurry  

Good Luck with your Project
Lynjowoman  Pro Painter

[chanle51]

Thank you both very much.  I decided to start off my first time by doing it by the book (full system flush) to see how big a deal it was.  Next weekend (if the weather cooperates) I will be painting on consecutive days, and will print out the above feedback and take in hand when in shutdown mode.

Man do I like that Graco - two months of prep and three hours for a single coat on half the house...talk about instant gratification.

Thanks again,
Chad

[admin]

Chad,
An airless applies a lot of paint in a hurry, try not to over apply, this is easy to do while spraying the bottom edge of the siding boards. Keep a brush handy to pull out "fat" spots and runs.
Good luck with the job and keep us posted.

Admin  pro painter

[chanle51]

You've got it - I had my 4" Corona handy and needed it a few times - but I think I did the right thing by dialing down the pressure a bit to lighten the flow rate a bit.  Second coat will be the proof as to how good I am at maintaining the wet edge, as it's a dark grey paint.  Thanks again.

[the PAINTSMITH]

I just purchased a Graco XR-7 sprayer for the job (which I will be selling when complete,)[/u] and wondering how the pros store their airless systems overnight

Just a bug in your ear--The pros may well store their rigs in "sauce" overnight, in fact I've known a few whose rigs were never out of the paint, but those guys don't intend to sell the unit when they finish a job...[/b] My advice would be to take the extra time and clean the pump every day. I personally never leave paint in my rig and it has lasted 5 years without a repack. Leaving paint in an airless pump for any length of time, especially when not under pressure, allows for the possibility of "pre-cure" in the check-ball and packings, even with the new acrylic formulas (air in the pump or the lines or the backflow can start solidifying paint, which can greatly shorten the life of the packings and check ball), and can affect the resale value of a pump...

...Just a thought, mind you...