Pest Control Spray Hoses – Basic Yet Indispensable Equipment
Posted by Andrew Greess on May 2, 2022
When it comes to your power spray rig, every piece is important but one of the most basic and indispensable tools is your pest control sprayer hoses. Durable spray hose can help prevent leaks and tangles, and offers better protection from chemicals.
Qspray offers premium pest control products and offer 3/8” and ½” spray hoses that are available in 200 and 300-foot rolls. These sprayer hoses are rated for 300 and 800 PSI and feature 3-layer PVC construction. Additionally, we carry 3/8” and ½” Flextral hoses rated for 800 PSI. These are quality chemical spray hoses that feature heavy-duty ribbed exteriors that provide an extra layer of protection against rough surfaces.
Learn more about pest control spray hoses below:
10 Pest Control Hose Hints — Discover More Today
Here are some tips to keep your pest control sprayer hose in great shape:
Operations:
1. When rolling your power spray hose back onto the hose reel, run the pest control hose through a rag to remove debris that could damage the hose.
2. Inspect your hose (or train your technicians to) regularly for damage, excessive wear, leaks, etc.
3. When the first few feet of hose start showing wear, cut it off BEFORE it leaks and creates a chemical spill. It is much cheaper to get rid of a few feet of hose than it is to miss appointments for a hose repair.
4. Periodically completely unroll your pest spray hose. Power up your system and spray back into the tank. This can help prevent the hose from flattening out and causing pressure-related problems.
5. Periodically reverse your hose. Remove the spray gun and attach the outside end of the hose to the reel. Put your spray gun back on the other end. This will even out the wear and extend hose life.
Don't Let Avoidable Spray Hose Issues Cost You Time and Money
n this next edition of Stupid Shit Tech Do, we are going to talk about spray hoses, which is a very common repair in our shop. We see so many examples of hoses that are cracked or bulging. If these split or burst, your business will be faced with money lost due to downtime to repair or replace a spray hose .
Hoses don’t tend to split or burst when they are empty, so a burst or split hose will cause a chemical spill to clean up, causing more downtime as well as the costs of replacement chemical and the spray hose.
Here are just a couple examples of spray hoses that have wear marks from rubbing against various things. The protective outer layer is broken or worn away and the only thing holding the chemical in is the inner layer, which will split eventually. Some of these hoses have worn away areas or created grooves in the vehicles from years of rubbing against those areas. How does the tech or supervisor not notice this?
We have a list of some things you can do to maintain the life of your spray hose and prevent these types of problems for your pest control and landscaping company:
Buy a longer hose than you need. Trim off about 10-15 feet each year. It is usually the first 10-15 feet that normally have problems. If you cut it off each year, you hopefully won’t have any problems.
Train your techs to rewind the hose through a rag which helps to remove debris that can cause damage to the hose and allows the hose to be wound more evenly.
Periodically reverse the hose. To extend the life of the hose, every 6 months or so, put the outside of the hose on the inside. Since the first 10 feet of the hose is the first to wear out, this will extend the life of the hose.
Make sure your techs know to report problems right away.
Owners and supervisors need to be checking and inspecting vehicles and equipment on a regular basis to make everything is in good working order.
With preventative maintenance, regular equipment inspections, and attention, your spray hoses can last a long time. If you have questions about spray equipment or you need a spray hose or any other parts for your pest or landscape sprayer, visit us at Qspray.com.
Pest Control Sprayers - How much spray hose do I need?
How much hose do I need for my pest control sprayer or weed control spray rig? This is a question I am often asked by prospects and customers.
I am reminded of the words of Mick Jagger who said, “Too much is never enough”. Certainly, he was talking about boring things like sex, drugs, and rock and roll, rather than the fascinating topic of spray equipment.
The short answer to the question is that it is much better to have 50 feet too much hose than to be 1’ short. If the hose is too short, you can’t do a thorough job or you have to stop what you are doing and move the vehicle. The cost of the extra hose is insignificant compared to the cost of not being able to do your job properly.
Most manufacturers bundle hose in rolls of 200’, 300’ and sometimes 400’. That is how most distributors want to sell it to you.
To determine how much hose you need, review your route and figure out the distance from where you park your vehicle to the farthest point you need to reach with your spray hose. That is a good starting place. If you don’t have a route yet, look at the average property size in your trade area and determine the longest distance you will likely need to span.
Check out the rest of the post here
Video Spray Equipment Tip - Power Spray Hose Problems?
We solve lots of power spray hose problems in our spray equipment repair shop. Many of these problems could have been anticipated and avoided. A quick inspection of your pest control spray hose can reveal potential problems. The bad hose can be eliminated before it fails. Spray hose repair is fast and easy.
It is much faster, cheaper, safer and cleaner, and a lot less stress, to prevent spray hose problems than it is to fix them after they occur.
Check out this short power spray hose video for a couple of great tips:
What size spray hose do I need on my Pest / Weed Control Sprayer?
Short answer – use the smallest hose (as measured by inside diameter, ID) which will let you get the job done.
Most pest control spray rigs & weed control sprayers use either 3/8” or ½” spray hose.
The main benefit of ½” hose is that it can put down a lot more chemical. The main benefit of 3/8” hose is that it is lighter and cheaper. Lighter weight matters a lot, especially after 10 or 12 stops in the hot sun.
We have a client that has us put ¼” hose on their 12-volt electric power sprayers. They report that it works fine but we don’t have enough long term data to accurately report on the long term impact of smaller hose has on the pump. The smaller the ID of the hose, the more resistance or friction. The more friction, the harder the pump has to work. Also, longer hoses have more friction than the same size shorter hose.
Check out the rest of the post here
Chemical Spills Due to Hose Issues
Literal wear is what is going to take out your hoses! Rubbing against the gate of a truck as its being wound. Does it bump against your reel just enough to cause enough friction to wear down the covering over time? Can your hose be snagged while driving? If you think you can answer yes to any of these scenarios then you'll likely lose a hose this way. The question is just when and how much chemical is going to spill, WHEN it happens!
Assess your trucks, what can you do to improve and lessen the wear on your hoses? Can they be secured closer to the vehicle to ensure it can't be snagged at a low-reaching branch? As the technician it is important to stay vigilant about the condition of your equipment. Speak up to the boss when things aren't in proper condition any longer. You should feel like you can give a solution if you have any thoughts on how to help avoid the same situation in the future.
Also take the time to replace multiple fittings if one breaks and the rest are relatively or exactly the same age. The rest will break too. Wouldn't you rather take a little extra time once, than take multiple trips to the repair shop and more breaks in work productivity?
These are not problems you need to be paying a guy to fix, find or waiting until it has a problem and then fixing it as normally what would happen! Be vigilant and check your equipment for excess wear.
At QSpray.com, we have high-quality pest and weed control spray hoses to help you get the job done efficiently and safely. With over 25 years of experience with pest control equipment, we’ve learned what equipment works and what doesn’t. Our sprayer hoses are sure to provide dependable service. Check out our selection of weed, pest, and termite control sprayer hoses and order what you need from QSpray.com today.