3LM Roof Cleaning Report post Posted November 17, 2014 Just starting to test my brand new 3/8 All-Flo pump being run by a 5.5 hp wheelbarrow air compressor (Honda/Roll Air) With each cycle of the pump the whole line is pulsing, is this normal? At the same time the exhaust on the pump is puffing a little cloud, normal? Harmful to equipment? Cease once it's broken in (the cloud)? As far as the filter/regulator, should I turn it back down to zero after every use? Any other useful tips? Thanks in advance Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stay Clean Report post Posted November 18, 2014 Pulsing is normal, in pickup and the spray line. If using a drop hose as a pickup from the top of tank make sure it doesn't vibrate out of the mix tank. Puffing a cloud sounds like water vapor. Get an air/water separator before pump and drain tank daily. The cloud shouldn't be an issue. You could just disconnect the air hose from the pump or use a ball valve to shut off air when your done and never have to touch the regulator. Spray some kind of lubricant in the air inlet of the pump every now n then to help with it locking up and freezing in the middle of a job. Practice, practice, learn. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 Report post Posted November 19, 2014 What SIZE roof cleaning hose are u using, and how long ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3LM Roof Cleaning Report post Posted November 19, 2014 What SIZE roof cleaning hose are u using, and how long ? 200' of 1/2" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 Report post Posted November 19, 2014 200' of 1/2" All air pumps pulse a bit, but larger diameter hose serves as a pulsation dampener ! My advice is to shit can that 1/2 hose, and get you some 5/8 instead! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3LM Roof Cleaning Report post Posted November 19, 2014 All air pumps pulse a bit, but larger diameter hose serves as a pulsation dampener ! My advice is to shit can that 1/2 hose, and get you some 5/8 instead! Definitely will be a future upgrade. Used it on a roof today. Nothing big, about 2100sqft, shingle. The pulsating of the diaphragm working seem to speed up over the course of a couple minutes of spraying, then I shut it off and it would start all over again. The faster the diaphragm was working the less I would feel the pulsing which I liked. Does it need a lubricant for that? I also was spraying with a 2 gal 40 degree tip. I ended up using 60 gallons which I thought would have been a lot less. Although it was rather cool today by FL standards and the roof was quite dirty. With my 12v setup I would've used a 3 gal 40 deg tip and probably would have used maybe 45 gallons. I was hoping to use less chemical but I am still learning to work with this system. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 Report post Posted November 20, 2014 Definitely will be a future upgrade. Used it on a roof today. Nothing big, about 2100sqft, shingle. The pulsating of the diaphragm working seem to speed up over the course of a couple minutes of spraying, then I shut it off and it would start all over again. The faster the diaphragm was working the less I would feel the pulsing which I liked. Does it need a lubricant for that? I also was spraying with a 2 gal 40 degree tip. I ended up using 60 gallons which I thought would have been a lot less. Although it was rather cool today by FL standards and the roof was quite dirty. With my 12v setup I would've used a 3 gal 40 deg tip and probably would have used maybe 45 gallons. I was hoping to use less chemical but I am still learning to work with this system. When it is cold outside, we tend to use more chemical. The lubricant will not effect the pulsing, only the air valve. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3LM Roof Cleaning Report post Posted December 28, 2014 Another question this pump, or slight problem. Was working on a 6000sqft tile roof. After going through a 100 gallons of mix I then used the pump to transfer 50 gallons of fresh SH into the mix tank. As soon as I started to clean again when I opened up wand the pressure was extremely high momentarily, then went back to normal, I then went back on the roof and I started spraying and lost pressure. this kept happening until finally I squirted some silicone spray in the air inlet of the pump and then it happened a couple more times then ran ok. Any idea what was going on? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garyw Report post Posted December 28, 2014 Looking at your first post on this topic, it appers you have a moisture problem in your compressor/air hose set up. A shot of WD40 before EACH use should solve your problem. Moisture tends to gum up the inside of a pump. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apple Roof Cleaning (813) 655-8777 Report post Posted December 28, 2014 Another question this pump, or slight problem. Was working on a 6000sqft tile roof. After going through a 100 gallons of mix I then used the pump to transfer 50 gallons of fresh SH into the mix tank. As soon as I started to clean again when I opened up wand the pressure was extremely high momentarily, then went back to normal, I then went back on the roof and I started spraying and lost pressure. this kept happening until finally I squirted some silicone spray in the air inlet of the pump and then it happened a couple more times then ran ok. Any idea what was going on? You do have an air/water separator installed, right ? And, you are bleeding your air compressor at least weekly, right ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3LM Roof Cleaning Report post Posted December 28, 2014 Looking at your first post on this topic, it appers you have a moisture problem in your compressor/air hose set up. A shot of WD40 before EACH use should solve your problem. Moisture tends to gum up the inside of a pump. I'll try this as a regular maintenance You do have an air/water separator installed, right ? And, you are bleeding your air compressor at least weekly, right ? Yup, both of those. I'm rather new to using a compressor regularly but it seems like there is a lot of water in the separator after each job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
