BlogIcon.png    TwitterIcon.png  YTicon.png  

Same-Day-Shipping-Sprayer-Depot
Call Us! 800-228-0905

  • offline-1295421357
  • offline-837801025

Sprayer Depot Blog

Tips to Calibrate Boom Sprayers

Posted by Sprayer Depot on Mon, Sep 12, 2016

ReCalibrating Your Sprayer Throughout the Growing Season 

Farmers should calibrate sprayers once before the spraying season starts and recalibrate them frequently throughout the spraying season to ensure their accuracy, according to Erdal Ozkan, PhD, an agricultural engineering professor who also has appointments with Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC).

As he writes in this post, the primary goal with calibration is to determine the actual rate of application in gallons per acre, then to make adjustments if the difference between the actual rate and the intended rate is greater or less than 5% of the intended rate. This guideline is recommended by USEPA and USDA. Read the full post below to learn more.

 

 

This post by Erdal Ozkan, PhD was published by C.O.R.N. (March 2016) and is reprinted with full permission

Calibrate Your Sprayer Now - Here Is an Easy Way to Do It

Check all the components of the sprayer to make sure they are in working order...the only way you can achieve maximum accuracy from a sprayer is by calibrating it once before the spraying season starts, and recalibrating it frequently throughout the spraying season. While applying too little pesticide may result in ineffective pest control, too much pesticide wastes money, may damage the crop and increases the potential risk of contaminating ground water and environment. The primary goal with calibration is to determine the actual rate of application in gallons per acre, then to make adjustments if the difference between the actual rate and the intended rate is greater or less than 5% of the intended rate. This is a recommended guideline by USEPA and USDA.

Before starting calibration, make sure you have a good set of nozzles on the sprayer. Nozzles wear out through extended use causing over application, or some nozzles may be plugged. Clean all the plugged nozzles. Check the output of all the nozzles for a given length of time at a given spray pressure. Compare output from each nozzle’s output with the expected output shown in the nozzle catalog for that nozzle at the same pressure. Replace the nozzles showing an output error of more than 10% of the output of the new nozzle. Once you do this, now you are ready to calibrate your sprayer. 

Calibrating a boom sprayer is not as difficult as it sounds. There are several ways to calibrate a sprayer. Regardless of which method you choose, it usually doesn’t take more than 30 minutes, and only three things are needed: a timer (or watch or smart phones) showing seconds, a measuring tape, and a jar graduated in ounces. Here, I will describe perhaps the easiest of all the methods to calibrate a sprayer.

To calibrate a boom sprayer for broadcast applications using this method, follow these steps:

  1. Fill the sprayer tank (at least half full) with water.
  2. Run the sprayer, inspect it for leaks, and make sure all vital parts function properly. 
  3. Measure the distance in inches between the nozzles.
  4. Measure an appropriate travel distance in the field based on this nozzle spacing. The appropriate distances for different nozzle spacing is as follows: 408 ft for a 10-inch spacing, 272 ft for a 15-inch spacing, 204 ft for 20-inch spacing, 136 feet for a 30-inch spacing, and 102 feet for a 40-inch spacing.
  5. Drive through the measured distance in the field at your normal spraying speed, and record the travel time in seconds. Repeat this procedure and average the two measurements.
  6. With the sprayer parked, run the sprayer at the same pressure level and catch the output from each nozzle in a measuring jar for the travel time required in step 5 above.
  7. Calculate the average nozzle output by adding the individual outputs and then dividing by the number of nozzles tested. The final average nozzle output in ounces you get is equal to the application rate in gallons per acre. For example, if you catch 15 ounces from a set of nozzles, the actual application rate of the sprayer is equal to 15 gallons per acre.
  8. Compare the actual application rate with the recommended or intended rate. If the actual rate is more than 5 percent higher or lower than the recommended or intended rate, you must make adjustments in either the spray pressure or the travel speed or in both. For example, to increase the flow rate you will need to either slow down, or increase the spray pressure. The opposite is true when you need to reduce application rate. As you make these changes stay within proper and safe operating condition of the sprayer. Remember increased pressure will result in increasing the number of small, drift-prone droplets.
  9. Repeat steps 5-8 above until the recommended application error of +5%  or less is achieved. 

Got a question or a comment to share? Leave it for us in the comment box below. 

Shop For Replacement Nozzles, Tips & Boom

Read More

Topics: Spray Nozzles, Boom Sprayer Calibration, pco tanks

Spray Equipment: Spray Nozzles 101

Posted by Sprayer Depot on Wed, Jun 29, 2016

Nozzles may be small, but they play a critical role in the application of chemicals. Selecting the proper size and type of nozzle is an essential step to determine the amount of spray applied to an area. Use the wrong nozzle, and you may over or under spray the solution which will result in an ineffective application.

A few questions that will help you make the best nozzle selection for your particular application include:

1. What's your application type? (i.e., agricultural, pest control, lawn & landscape, etc.)

2. What's the predetermined distribution pattern? (i.e., broadcast, banded, stream, etc.)

3. What's the recommended droplet size?

4. What type of nozzle material is needed to avoid corrosion?

Let's go over a couple of key elements you can apply to answer the questions above:

Read More

Topics: Hypro, Sprayer Parts, pest control, spray tips, Spray Nozzles, spray nozzle, spray tip guide, nozzle selection guide, spray nozzle selection, Teejet

Spray Tips Don't Last Forever

Posted by Sprayer Depot on Tue, Jan 26, 2016

 

Spray tips may be the most neglected component in your sprayer. We sell the best, most reliable and highest quality spray tips on the market, like Hypro and TeeJet. Let's face it though, even the best tips don't last forever. All spray tips wear out and eventually need to be replaced. A worn out spray tip can result in improper chemical application which can often have serious consequences including loss of crop, wasted money and even potential health risks.

The life of a spray tip depends on the abrasiveness and corrosiveness of the spray solution, so it's important to select the right spray tip for the application. Replace spray tips and nozzles immediately if you notice a change in flow rate or a change in pattern distribution.

Read More

Topics: Hypro, sprayer, spray tips, Spray Nozzles, Spray Area Measurement, Teejet

Search This Blog

Subscribe

Shop Now

Shop All Kings Sprayers

Latest Posts