using paint sprayer to spray insecticide


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Old 05-22-11, 02:14 AM
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Lightbulb using paint sprayer to spray insecticide

Is there any reason that a Wagner paint sprayer couldn't be used to spray insecticide or weed killer? As a paint sprayer it leaves a lot to be desired but I thought maybe I could get more uses out of it.
Has anybody tried this?
 
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Old 05-22-11, 03:58 AM
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Welcome to the forums!

I don't have a wagner airless but I do have a couple of professional grade airless pumps. I've used them to spray insecticide in the crawl space under my house - it works great. You'll want to turn the control down some and make sure you don't run out of material to pump - running an airless dry can damage it.
 
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Old 05-22-11, 06:46 AM
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Very interesting idea. I've never used a paint sprayer (dislike painting!) but we do a lot of power spraying. 100 gal tank, Honda engine and roller pump. Same theory I imagine. If the spray pattern looks normal, consistent, etc then it is and will work fine. The only issue that I can see would be if you use a wettable powder that you mix with water. There may not be agitation in a paint sprayer, but again, I've never used one. Otherwise, use a liquid concentrate to mix with the water instead of a wettable powder.
 
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Old 05-22-11, 08:04 AM
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I wouldn't paint immediately afterwards, either, since the insecticides contain oils. It could make for a "chandler" paint job . I would run the sprayer with a clear solvent or water through it first to rid it of the oils.
 
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Old 05-22-11, 08:21 AM
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Not the best plan. The chemicals in a pesticide will corrode the inside parts, You going to be getting a mist that's going to blow anywhere but where you want it, may leave resadue that will distroy any future paint jobs.
You can buy a pump sprayer made for the job for under $20.00.
 
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Old 05-22-11, 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by chandler
I would run the sprayer with a clear solvent or water through it first to rid it of the oils.
Paint thinner should always be run thru an airless before it's put up [unless you spray the same material daily] Leaving water residue in the system can cause issues later. While most airless spray is with latex, you still need to flush the system with paint thinner.

Airless pumps are used to spray more than just paint although I'd assume the different trades would have their pumps fine tuned to meet their needs. I never noticed any harm from spraying insecticide thru my pumps but then I only did it a few times versus the 100's of times it pumped paint.
 
 

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