The type of ppliction equipment used must suit the type of ppliction. In this module, you ll lern the prts of the most common types of ppliction equipment used by ssistnt pplictors, s well s how to properly use nd mintin equipment. Key Lerning Points Identify the prts of common types of ppliction equipment. List considertions for properly mintining pesticide ppliction equipment. Equipment Prts Applictors need to be fmilir with their equipment s components, their purpose, nd how to mintin nd use equipment. While you won t be clibrting equipment s n ssistnt pplictor, you need to know when your equipment requires mintennce. You should lso be fmilir with your equipment s prts nd opertion. Ech piece of ppliction equipment is mde up of different components tht work together to pply the pesticide. Ech component hs specific function: Tnks nd hoppers hold the pesticide. Vlves both check the flow nd llow the pesticide to move; they my lso regulte pressure. Guges mesure pressure nd pesticide output. Hoses trnsport the pesticide through the system. Pumps pressurize nd move the pesticide mixture. Nozzles deliver the pesticide to the trget. No mtter wht equipment you use, it will hve the bove components in some form. Pge 1 of 11
Common Pesticide Appliction Equipment Here re three of the most common types of pesticide ppliction equipment. Note the sfety fetures nd potentil hzrd res in ech piece of equipment. Hnd-held spryer Hnd-held spryers re often used to pply smll quntities of pesticides for smll tretments. If the unit leks, there is less risk to the pplictor thn bckpck spryer, since this unit is not worn on the body, nd simply crried in the pplictor s hnd. Hnd-held spryer Wht to look for. Hose flex points Crcks in hoses tend to develop t these points. b c f e b. Trigger ssembly Leks my develop round indequtely mintined sels. If the trigger cnnot be locked in the OFF position, it could ccidentlly be pressed nd pesticide spryed where it doesn t belong. c. Nozzle ssembly Some units with multiple nozzle ssemblies hve n identifiction code on the side of the ssembly. Such code lets the opertor select the nozzle opening without looking directly t nozzle orifices. d. Gun mount (not shown) Some hnd spryers include sfety feture tht permits the pplictor to ffix the gun to the side of the tnk when the gun is not in use. e. Support strp If strps re worn, they cn brek nd result in pesticide spill. It is unsfe for the support strp to be mde of mteril tht will bsorb chemicls. f. Tnk filler sel Worn or improperly seted sels cn mke it difficult to pressurize the spryer nd cn result in pesticide leks. g. Pump check vlve (not shown) Hnd spryers will include pump check vlve. A worn check vlve my mke it difficult to pressurize the spryer nd could result in pesticide leks. Pge 2 of 11
Bckpck spryers These units re crried on the bck. They typiclly crry lrger quntities of liquid thn hnd-held spryers. A hnd-operted pump is employed to generte pressure inside pressure cylinder which is often locted within the tnk. The whole tnk is not under pressure. Bckpck units re more hzrdous thn hnd-held vrieties becuse of the possibility of body drench if the spryer leks or the tnk contents re spilled. Bckpck spryer Wht to look for f c b e. Delivery line connections These my come loose due to frequent flexing nd use in rugged terrin. b. Cp These re often mde of plstic. Sunlight nd some chemicls cn cuse deteriortion of plstic mterils. Worn cp sels cn llow pesticides to lek. d c. Air bleed hole Designs without bffles or check vlves re more hzrdous thn those tht hve such sfety fetures. Even with such fetures, pesticide cn lek out of these holes if the opertor bends over nd tips the tnk. d. Trigger ssembly Connections t the trigger ssembly my lek due to indequte tightening or fulty gskets. e. Support strps These must be cpble of supporting the weight of the unit. Absorbent strps re hzrdous, s they cn bsorb pesticide. f. Wnd nd Nozzle Depending on the design, these my drip pesticide still contined in the wnd fter the trigger hs been relesed. The opertor must be wre of this tendency nd tke the necessry precutions to prevent contmintion. Pge 3 of 11
Truck Mounted (Power Hose) Spryer A power hose spryer is typiclly mounted on truck or triler. They generlly crry lrge mounts of pesticide mix. These spryers re equipped with power-driven pump to provide pressure to the pesticide in the hose rther thn in the tnk. Becuse power spryer crries lrge quntity of pesticide, there is n incresed risk should there be spill. Wht to look for A. Look for clmp filure. Clmps re used throughout the spryer to connect hoses to other equipment prts. The stndrd screw clmps need to be tightened every few weeks. Look for one-ered clmps, nd stinless steel construction. These lst longer. B. Check for crcks in the tnk nd frme. Specil ttention should be pid to plstic tnks nd cps, s sunlight nd chemicls cn cuse deteriortion. C. Tnk securing mechnisms need to be pproprite for the weight of the full tnk nd terrin. Truck Mounted (Power Hose) Spryer D. Check tht nozzle tips pproprite for type of sprying nd trgets. Idelly, these should be djustble t the gun. Mke sure the guns re not dripping freely onto the ground. You cn keep the guns in plstic holster mde from non pesticide continer to ctch ny drips or leks. E. Check the hose reel fittings on both ends (from dischrge re nd to hndgun). These fittings re often swivel fittings, nd they wer out over time. It my help to reverse the hoses every yer so the reel end becomes the gun end. This will llow the hose to wer more evenly over time. Note tht hose fittings cn loosen over time from vibrtion. Tighten ny loose fittings. They will eventully lek nd drip due to wer, so they my need replcement. Also look for: Agittor: Is the gittor working correctly? Run spryer with wter nd check for leks nd proper opertion. Bll vlves my lek if not tightened on properly, or the sel becomes worn. Filters my lek if the sels becomes worn. On the dischrge there cn be by-pss vlve nd pressure guge; these fittings my lek due to sels wekening or chemicl cusing deteriortion. Also ensure the pressure regultor is operting in the proper rnge. A D E C B B Pge 4 of 11
NOTE: there re mny types of spry systems other thn wht is shown in this digrm. Also, since these spryers re mounted on vehicle, vehicle checks should lso be performed s per vehicle opertor s mnul recommendtions. Clibrtion of Spryers nd their Spry Ptterns Once your supervisor hs determined the recommended spryer output for the pesticide, they should clibrte the spryer so tht it will deliver the correct mount of spry mixture per unit re or volume. As n ssistnt pplictor, you should know tht the equipment you use needs to be clibrted before you begin sprying. The clibrtion is your supervisor s responsibility. You re responsibile to check nd ensure tht nothing seems wrong with your equipment every time you use it. Do you notice: n uneven spry pttern? you cn t get enough pressure in your spryer? the nozzle seems plugged? the equipment needs mintennce you notice crcks, leks, or disconnected hose? If you notice something is not right with your equipment, you should stop working, nd tlk to your crew supervisor. If your spry pttern looks more like the This is wht n even spry looks like. imge below, your nozzle my be blocked. Wtch the video Blocked Nozzle nd Even Spry Pttern for wht spryer with blocked nozzle looks like, nd then wht n even spry pttern looks like. If you re working offline, remember you cn go bck to the Module 8 web pge nd downlod or strem the video from there. Pge 5 of 11
There re number of djustments tht you cn mke to ppliction equipment to ensure tht it pplies the proper mount of pesticide. Check with your supervisor for guidnce on the following: Selecting the nozzle with the best flow rte, spry pttern or spry ngle for the job. Adjusting the distnce of your nozzle from the trget. Adjusting the pressure t which you pply the pesticide. Altering the speed t which you move while sprying. Sfety Check Your of Equipment Set up routine inspections for your ppliction equipment. Mke sure you know whose job it is to inspect ech piece, nd when it should be done. Record when spry equipment ws inspected. To see complete bckpck spryer sfety inspection, wtch Equipment Sfety Check. If you re working offline, remember you cn go bck to the Module 8 web pge nd downlod or strem the video from there. Equipment tht is not mintined properly my led to problems such s the blocked nozzle on the bckpck spryer tht you sw in the video. Use soft brush nd clen wter to clen your nozzle. If the spryer needs to be drined, do so into collection continer, so the spry mixture cn be reused or disposed of sfely. Never blow out nozzle with your mouth. Don t use shrp objects to remove the blockge, or you might dmge the nozzle. When working on equipment, there is the possibility of pesticide leking onto the ground nd dripping or splshing onto bre skin. Check the lbel, nd wer the protective equipment specified on the lbel, including t lest gloves, goggles, boots nd long-sleeved shirts nd long pnts while doing repirs. Pge 6 of 11
Mintennce A proper equipment mintennce progrm should include n internl nd externl clening, check of hoses, hose connectors, hopper or spry tnks, pumps nd ll moving prts every dy the equipment is used. Dmged or worn prts should be replced or serviced immeditely. At the end of the seson, there should be complete overhul nd clening of the equipment before it is plced in storge. The equipment opertor s mnul usully outlines mintennce procedures. TIP: A good mintennce routine will result in less downtime for repirs during ppliction periods, nd increse the service life of the equipment. Clening Equipment Spryers re typiclly emptied nd thoroughly clened, inside nd out, fter ech dy of use. Ask your supervisor for direction on how to properly clen equipment. Never leve pesticides in your ppliction equipment the chemicls could penetrte nd dmge hoses, gskets or other prts. Dmged equipment could led to pesticide emergency or poor pest mngement. Wtch the following video to see the proper order in which to clen up nd store equipment fter n ppliction. (Note the record keeping will be done by your supervisor, though they my require your input to complete their records.) Concluding n Appliction: Clening nd Record Keeping If you re working offline, remember you cn go bck to the Module 8 web pge nd downlod or strem the video from there. Note the pplictor in the video follows these steps to clen the equipment: If possible, clen equipment t the site to help prevent contmintion of other res. Clen tnk nd wnd/nozzle with fresh wter nd sop. Rinse the equipment. Sve the rinse wter in lbelled continer for use t her next ppliction. Return continers, spryer nd mesuring equipment to the locked storge re. Summry Lesson 8 explined the importnce of correctly checking, using nd cring for ppliction equipment. You lso lerned terms common to ppliction equipment. Pge 7 of 11
Lesson 8 Prctice Activity 1. Wht is the purpose of equipment clibrtion?. To check nd djust the mount of pesticide to be pplied b. To check nd djust the guges on ppliction equipment c. To check nd djust the delivery rte of ppliction equipment d. To check nd djust the size of the tretment re 2. How often should ppliction equipment be clened s minimum?. Every hour it is used b. Twice dy when in use c. Every dy it is used d. Every week it hs been used 3. Where should ppliction equipment be clened fter n ppliction?. In the mixing re b. Ner the pesticide storge re c. In the tretment re d. In covered re where it cn be wshed 4. Which of the following re good resons for mintining ppliction equipment? Select ll tht pply.. Poor mintennce cn led to incresed down time of equipment b. Poor mintennce cn led to incresed repir costs c. Poor mintennce cn led to pesticide spills, leks nd drift d. Poor mintennce violtes the Trnsporttion of Dngerous Goods Act 5. Which of the following re bsic objectives of ny ppliction procedure? (Select ll tht pply.). Keep the pesticide wy from non-trget sites b. Dispose of wste pesticide s quickly s possible c. Apply the pesticide t the correct rte d. Apply the pesticide uniformly to the trget 6. Who will clibrte the equipment before use?. The ssistnt pplictor b. The supervisor c. The equipment owner Pge 8 of 11
7. Wht should you do if you encounter n uneven spry pttern? (Select ll tht pply.). Stop using the equipment b. Check with your supervisor c. Clen your nozzle with soft brush d. Try to blow out the nozzle. 8. Wht should you check for t in the digrm to the right? (Select ll tht pply.). loose connection b. bsorbent mteril c. leking f c b e d. worn cp 9. Wht should you look for t c in the digrm to the right? (Select ll tht pply.). is there bffle or check vlve? b. bsorbent mteril d c. will pesticide lek out of the hole? d. loose connection 10. Wht should you look for t c in the digrm to the right? (Select ll tht pply.). worn sel cusing leks b. identifiction code on the side of the ssembly c. gun mount sfety feture d. worn check vlve b f e c Pge 9 of 11
11. Wht should you look for t E below?. loose hose fittings b. dripping gun nozzle c. pressure guge not working d. leking bll vlve E B A C D B 12. Wht five steps do you tke to clen your equipment fter ppliction? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Pge 10 of 11
Prctice Activity Answer Key 1. c. To check nd djust the delivery rte of pplicton equipment 2. c. Every dy it is used 3. c. In the tretment re 4.. Poor mintennce cn led to incresed down time of equipment b. Poor mintennce cn led to incresed repir costs c. Poor mintennce cn led to pesticide spills, leks nd drift 5.. Keep the pesticide wy from non-trget sites c. Apply the pesticide t the correct rte d. Apply the pesticide uniformly to the trget 6. b. The supervisor 7.. Stop using the equipment b. Check with your supervisor c. Clen your nozzle with soft brush 8.. loose connection c. leking 9.. Is there bffle or check vlve? c. Will pesticide lek out of the hole? 10. b. identifiction code on the side of the ssembly 11.. loose hose fittings 12. The five steps for ppliction equipment clenup: 1. If possible, set up your clening sttion t the site. 2. Clen tnk nd wnd/nozzle with fresh wter nd sop. 3. Rinse the equipment. 4. Sve the rinse wter in lbelled continer. 5. Return continers, spryer nd mesuring equipment to the locked storge re. Pge 11 of 11