Fimco sprayer nozzles

[Powder]

I bought a 25 gallon fimco sprayer about 3 years ago, used it once and not since. Yesterday I went to use it and it everything worked except the boom. Has any one else had problems with the nozzles?

 

[Natureboy]

My 25 gallon Fimco boom sprayer nozzels plugged up just like yours, If you unscrew the nozzels and take them out, you should find a small barrel screen located at each nozzel. Mine were plugged up with grit from the pond water that I use for my sprays. I flushed the screens out and the sprays worked great again. I flush them out a couple times a year now and have no problems.

 

[FarmerDan]

The only problem I could see with nozzles would they are plugged up. The pump runs? Do you at least get a drip or a drizzle? Take off all the nozzles. If the pump runs and still don't have spray, it's not the nozzles. There's a valve just above the pump. It's operated with a little flip switch. Is it open?

 

[Powder]

I took the nozzles off and apart. When I took them apart the tips were able to be blown through but the other part of the nozzle you could not get any air through.

 

[bbcoach]

2 places to check. You have a screen at the shutoff where the short hose attaches to the tank that leads to the inlet of the pump. Check that screen first, it prevents debris from getting from the tank to the pump itself. Then as everyone has said check the bullet screens at the nozzles. After you check and clean the screen at the shutoff, run the pump and see that you are getting good flow without the bullet screens in place at the nozzles. Then blow out the bullet screens with some compressed air and replace them and check your flow. By the way, the bullet screens are designed to prevent drips at the nozzles, so their has to be pressure from the pump to get flow through the screen.

 

[FarmerDan]

Is there a check ball or a diaphragm in there?

 

[j-bird]

The screens for the tips can plug with all sorts of stuff. From minerals in your water to crystallized gunk from the chemicals we use, to just odd debris that ends up in the tank. I let mine soak in water for a while and then hit mine with compressed air.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

That happens pretty frequently. I've started running half a tank of plain water through after I'm done spraying and that seems to reduce stuff clogging up things. Some week killers turn to a jello type substance once they sit in the tank and sprayer for a while and that has got me a few times. As described above, there are multiple screens in that sprayer, so you'll likely need to start taking apart different areas to see where it's clogged.

 

[Powder]

The water gets to the nozzles so I don't think it's a plugged screen. It's like the open/closed valve won't open. If it weren't plastic, I'd have thought it rusted shut.

 

[bbcoach]

Do you have a manifold with 3 outlets on it? One that leads to the hand sprayer, one that leads back into the tank (agitation) and one that leads to the nozzles. Make sure the agitation ballcock valve is off (no agitation in the tank). Shutoff the ballcock valve to the nozzles and see if the pressure on your pressure gauge reads around 60psi. If it does than leave the agitation valve completely closed and open the ballcock valve to the nozzles until the pressure gauge reads between 20-30 psi, you should have good flow at the nozzles.

 

[Powder]

After playing around with the nozzles a bit more I found out they still worked. They are very finicky about how far from the end they need to be. So now all the nozzles work but the only problem I'm having now is the motor seems to be 'surging' so I don't get a consistent spray. The middle nozzle and one of the end nozzles work fine but the other end is sporadic. It's not the nozzles that are the problem anymore.

 

[jlonll]

How big a pump? Is diaphragm plugged?

 

[Powder]

I'm not sure. It's the one that came with the sprayer. I need to figure out where the diaphragm is and see if I can take it apart.

 

[swat1018]

Fimco's usually have a pressure switch cut off on the pump. If you're running over that pressure, the pump will surge. Reduce the pressure by opening the valve to allow some of the fluid to recirculate back to the tank. I think Fimco's are usually set at 40psi. Not sure if that's the type of surging you are talking about....