Tips for application equipment maintenance and safety

Hand-Held or Backpack Sprayers

• Calibrating Hand-Held and Backpack Sprayers for Applying Pesticides (Virginia Cooperative Extension)
• Compressed Air Sprayer Calibration (Pesticide Environmental Stewardship(PES))
• Hose-end Sprayer Calibration (PES)
• Siphoning Bucket Sprayer Calibration (PES)
• Trombone Bucket Sprayer Calibration (PES)

Spreaders 

• Calibrating Your Lawn Spreader (Virginia Cooperative Extension)
• Lawn Care Pesticide Application Equipment:  A Guide to Selection and Calibration of Granular Spreaders (Purdue Pesticide Programs)
• Drop Spreader Calibration (PES)
• Rotary Spreader Calibration (PES)

Mounted, PTO-Driven Sprayers or Agricultural Sprayers 

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    • Calibrating Spray Gun Applications to Turf (University of Illinois Extension)
    • Calibrating the Hose Reel Lawn Care Sprayer (Purdue Pesticide Programs)
    • Fine-Tuning a Sprayer with “Ounce” Calibration Method (Virginia Cooperative Extension)
    • Fundamentals of Sprayer Calibration (VT Pesticide Programs)
    • Calibrating a Boom Sprayer (Croplife)
• Check cut-off valves if present on spray rigs to make sure they function.
• If equipment has PTO connectors, pump shafts, motors or other moving parts, make sure shields are kept in place to prevent entanglement of clothing or hoses.
• Lubricate lid seals and rubber vent seals with silicone grease or petroleum jelly to prevent hardening.
• For equipment powered by small gas engines, change the oil and adjust.
• Examine filters and screens to make sure they’re intact and free of debris.
• Make sure pressure gauges are functional if present.
• Test backflow devices to make sure they are still effective.
  
  
  • Backflow Prevention Guidelines for Filling and Rinsing Fertilizer or Pesticide Application Tanks (Minnesota Department of Agriculture)–The purpose of backflow preventers is to keep pesticides from being drawn into public waterlines or private water supplies when mixing pesticides.  Some applicators have been in the practice of placing the water hose or pipe into the mixing tank when mixing pesticides.  If there is a reduction or loss of water pressure, pesticides could be drawn into the pipes.

Stop Leaks Before They Occur

• DO NOT drag the spray gun.
• Examine and replace worn gaskets and seals.
• Replace hoses which are worn or have deep abrasions.
• Check connections to make sure pipes and hose clamps are tightened and there are no visible leaks.
• Store equipment in heated areas, or drain pipes and hoses prior to storage, to prevent expansion and cracking when temperatures go below freezing.
• Install cut-off valves between the mixing tank and the pump on spray rigs so the flow can be stopped if a break in the hose occurs.
• Keep hoses away from mufflers or exhaust pipes which can burn holes in them.
• Secure equipment when in storage or transport to minimize movement and impacts with other objects.

Personal Protective Equipment Cleaning and Maintenance
If available, consult the manufacturer’s use and care directions that accompany the personal protective equipment.  The pesticide label may also provide some basic information related to clean-up after use.

Respirator Cleaning Procedures (OSHA) These are required procedures for occupational uses of respirators; however they are just as valid for homeowners who use respirators when applying pesticides.

Properly Cleaning and Storing Respirators (Ohio State University Extension)

Protect the Environment When Working on Equipment

• Refer to pesticide label precautions and instructions if available.
• Do not work on equipment in areas where spills or leaks could easily get into drains, ditches, gutters or bodies of water.
• Collect pesticides which may be in hoses or drains by using a bucket, plastic tub or similar container prior to starting work.
• Clean up any pesticide spills as soon as they occur. This would include leaks which occur inside the beds of trucks. Have a spill kit available which includes an absorbent material, such as kitty litter or dried gel, a flat shovel or dust pan, a bucket or similar container and a broom. 
  • Handling Spills (Pesticide Environmental Stewardship)
  • Pesticide Spills Power Point (Penn State)
• Work over an impermeable surface where pesticide leaks can be contained and cleaned up.  If a piece of equipment cannot be moved, a piece of heavy plastic can be placed under the equipment along with absorbent snakes to collect spills or leaks that may occur.
• Replace nozzles with ones that produce larger droplets.  This will minimize the chances of drift since larger droplets are not carried as far by the wind.  
  • Control Your Drops – Includes information about droplet size along with video.
• Make sure edge guards are complete and functional on equipment used for applying granular formulations.  Some newer spreaders have built-in edge guards which prevent granular formulations from being spread to either the right or the left of the spreader.

Related Resources:
Pesticides and Commercial Vehicle Maintenance This publication from Purdue Pesticide Programs briefly provides commercial applicators with information about vehicle safety and maintenance. Included with this is a Vehicle Maintenance Checklist that can be used for routine inspections of the vehicle.

Best Management Practices for Golf Course Maintenance Departments Although this publication was developed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the principles and guidance contained in it can be valuable to golf course managers and others in Virginia.

Stormwater Management:  Pesticide Use in the Lawn and Garden This publication produced by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension discusses several topics and includes information about pesticide handling, spills, equipment maintenance and disposal.