Your Spray Tips Can Cost You Big Money

The spray tip on your pest sprayer (B&G sprayer, Birchmeier backpack sprayer, pest control power sprayer) isn’t one of the more expensive components, but it can have a significant impact on your pest management outcome, productivity and profitability.

The spray tip helps determine flow rate (GPM - gallons per minute), pressure (PSI - pounds per square inch), droplet size (usually in microns) and spray pattern. These factors all affect your results.

To ensure good results, it is important to select the right tip, periodically check and clean it, then replace the tip when it is worn.

Want an example of what a spray tip problem can cost your company?

The brass nozzle in your compressed air sprayer wears out at a rate of 10% per year (source: B&G Equipment Company - Application of Pesticides in Professional Pest Control, Patterson & Robinson). This means that your tip will apply 10% more chemical this year than last year. Every year you don’t change your tip, your chemical cost will go up 10%. I think it is fair to assume that brass tips on power sprayer wear out even faster since they usually operate at higher pressure and more extreme conditions. Replacing your spray tip each year is one of the easiest things you can do to positively impact your financial results.

What other problems can occur if you select the wrong tip or continue using a worn tip?

• Too much product resulting in label violations or chemical cost overruns
• Not enough product resulting in poor results or call backs
• Wrong droplet size resulting in spray drift, run off or overly wet areas
• Wrong or bad spray pattern resulting in chemical not going where it needs to go

To clean spray tips, use an old toothbrush and some mild soap. Do not use a pin, knife or other sharp metal object. These may damage the tip and negatively impact performance

Periodically inspect spray tools and tips to ensure proper use and maintenance. We see lots of spray wands being used to knock down cobwebs or open cabinets and gates. This misuse reduces tip performance and life and can negatively impact the spray pattern.

Replace tips before they wear excessively or alternatively, periodically calibrate tips to ensure proper output.

Following these few tips can have a positive impact on your business well out of proportion with the time you invest.