vnephologist said:
@Ware, you mind helping me a bit with my nozzle/assembly selection? I have the Chapin 63985 20v backpack and have been using the red 6-8096 Flat Fan Spray Nozzle that came with it. At my current speed (which feels fast) I'm covering my ~2150 sqft using almost exactly the 4 gallons. If I had to guess, my overlap should probably be a little more though. I'm fine to keep just a single nozzle with my small space, or maybe two if possible. The 63985 description lists 35-40 PSI. I assume since its a powered pump, I shouldn't install a CF valve? Thanks!
So if you are spraying 4 gal over 2,150 ft2, your application rate is ~1.86 gal/k. That rate doesn't alarm me since you don't have to refill to cover your whole lawn, but if you would like to reduce that to somewhere closer to 1 gal/k, that would be fine too (it would be less weight on your back).
domyown.com says the Chapin 6-8096 is a 0.4 gpm 80° nozzle - which matches the red TeeJet color code for 0.4 gpm nozzles. TeeJet makes both 80° and 110° (and a few 65°) nozzles, so you also have that decision to make. Their charts for 80° nozzles are based on 30" spray height and 20" spacing. The charts for 110° nozzles are based on 20" spray height and 20" spacing. With a single nozzle it really doesn't matter what the charts say if you calibrate your setup to you, but you would probably want to adjust your distance between passes accordingly. I use 110° nozzles for everything just to stay consistent.
I don't run a CF valve on my Chapin 20V backpack. I think the electric pump output is consistent enough (compared to the variable pressure of a manual pump sprayer). Also, I think it would be possible to get into a situation where a CF valve and the integral pressure switch on a positive displacement diaphragm pump could fight each other if there is no bypass back to the tank - which could cause short cycling of the switch/pump during normal operation.
For the nozzle assembly, I would look into the
QJ300 Series Diaphragm Check Valve Quick TeeJet Body (w/single 3/8" hose shank) with whichever
Vari-Spacing Clamp you can make work for your unique setup. That catalog has a number of misc adapters and accessories that may suit you better - the parts above are just what I used
on my Spreader-Mate.
For nozzles on a push sprayer, I like the
XRC and
AIC series because they are built into caps that attach directly to the QJ300 body mentioned above. The alternative is ordering whatever nozzle you want, along with the appropriate
cap/gasket. If you are ordering parts, I would also go ahead and get a
50-mesh screen for each nozzle assembly. They are cheap and can help prevent clogging a tip.
Let me know if you need clarification on anything above.
