# Check ball on Graco sprayer



## mv8710 (Jul 28, 2010)

Whats the deal with that thing?
What causes it to stick?
If you run a final rinse of pump armor does it rinse the check ball?


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## Gracobucks (May 29, 2011)

Doesn't take much for them to stick. It's just a super thinned down paint that causes them to stick, maybe even just minerals in the water itself. The water will puddle around the ball and when it dries out, it sticks. Pump armor probably would work, but doesn't take much to loosen them up with a good smack on the pump with a wrench. 
If it is really getting stuck where a small tap on the pump will not loosen it the machine isn't getting washed out good enough..


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

Hey you're letting out a trade secret! You wouldn't believe how much money we made "fixing" pumps that just hadn't been cleaned properly. 5 minutes worth of work removing and cleaning the check ball and seat and a cool $45 service charge in the till! We pretty much supported our Sherworks program on pump cleaning and selling hoses to people who couldn't flush one correctly. We would sell 20-30 50' hoses every month during the spring and summer.

Titans were the real cash cow though. Any left over latex resin left in the pump and the flat check valve would glue itself to the seat like it was epoxied on there. We would take the siphon hose off, shove a wooden dowel up there to unseat the check valve, and ring up another $45. Good times.


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## woodcoyote (Dec 30, 2012)

PACman said:


> people who couldn't flush one correctly. We would sell 20-30 50' hoses every month during the spring and summer.



How did you all flush hoses? Just curious.

I know for the RTX they have a sponge ball they run through the hose line and it cleans it up.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

woodcoyote said:


> How did you all flush hoses? Just curious.
> 
> I know for the RTX they have a sponge ball they run through the hose line and it cleans it up.


water if it wasn't dry yet. Sometimes we would run denatured alcohol through them if we were sure it was latex. It normally was because it was in California and there was very little alkyd being used. The issue was that people were storing pumps without completely flushing the paint out. Once the paint was completely solid, and you couldn't get a stream of water or alcohol through there, they was ruined. The number of times this happened was surprising. 

We did a pretty good business taking apart pumps and cleaning them too! That was an easy $90. Occasionally we would have to repack them or replace something but that was actually pretty rare given the number of units that came through our shop. Quite often I would have to go back to the shop and help them just clean out pumps because they were so far behind.

Just clean the dang things! It's not like not cleaning a roller or a brush, where sometimes it is cheaper just to throw them out. A good airless should last many, many years if it is cleaned properly. The one I have personally is a Duron labelled 395 that was a store rental for 7 years. Hardly a day went by when that pump wasn't being rented out. Used by god knows how many painters and how many different products. I gave it a good cleaning every time it came back. And in 7 years the only time I had any problems with it was when it needed repacked. So when I hear stories about how bad someones pump is, or how it didn't last or whatever, I pretty much kind of chuckle to myself. Fyi this 395 was put into rental at my old Duron store in 1999, and it still works like it is brand new. Of course it isn't being used 8 hours a day, but it has been pretty well abused in it's career!

Oh, we would check the hose to see if anything would pour through it and hook it up to a Speeflo powertwin JR at full pressure. Run some denatured through it. If it didn't clean out the hose, the hose would pretty much explode.


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## mv8710 (Jul 28, 2010)

Yesterday I was spraying a roof and it worked fine for about 5 minutes then it stopped sucking.
Why would it work okay for a bit then the ball gets stuck?


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

mv8710 said:


> Yesterday I was spraying a roof and it worked fine for about 5 minutes then it stopped sucking.
> Why would it work okay for a bit then the ball gets stuck?


What are you spraying? A waterbourne product? And was it particularly hot on that roof that day? In the desert areas inland from San Diego I have seen them stick on a little ring of partially dried paint around the seat of the valve. I was told by our spray guy that is was caused by an extreme heat and low humidity environment causing the acrylic resin to partially cure. Unfortunately, I don't know what the solution was.


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## Gracobucks (May 29, 2011)

Probably sucked up a chunk of dried paint like PACman says. It can get stuck between the the ball and its seat. When painting outside we try to never let the pail get down less then 1/4. There is always dried out junk on top.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Are you using a strainer?


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## mv8710 (Jul 28, 2010)

lilpaintchic said:


> Are you using a strainer?


yeah the paint was fully liquid. Im guessing that the check ball is quite critical to the operation of the spray unit, so I'll keep it clean and lubed up al the time.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Yes, balls are critical to the unit. Need lots of cleaning and lube is good also. Keeps things pumping.


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## canopainting (Feb 12, 2013)

You know when I lived and worked in Tucson I had more problems with sticking ball valves. It is hotter there for more months of the year and the water is pretty hard. But here in northern CA it never happens but I also clean the heck out of my pumps and use pump saver every time I clean it.


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## SemiproJohn (Jul 29, 2013)

lilpaintchic said:


> Yes, balls are critical to the unit. Need lots of cleaning and lube is good also. Keeps things pumping.


Keep moving, keep moving along folks. No sexual connotation here, just keep moving along.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Oh John, your head is in the gutter. I made no such inference...I was fully in agreement that sticky balls are no good and it's important to keep them moving freely...


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## SemiproJohn (Jul 29, 2013)

lilpaintchic said:


> Oh John, your head is in the gutter. I made no such inference...I was fully in agreement that sticky balls are no good and it's important to keep them moving freely...


You make me laugh, and I need this as my world is in the ****ter at the moment. :thumbsup:


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Laugh at everything ya can, buddy. We only live once ya know....


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## mv8710 (Jul 28, 2010)

lilpaintchic said:


> Oh John, your head is in the gutter. I made no such inference...I was fully in agreement that sticky balls are no good and it's important to keep them moving freely...


yes, that is true. I hadnt used my sprayer for months and when I went to use it the check ball was blue.
weird.


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## Toombs (Apr 5, 2021)

Is there a tool to remove the ball?


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Toombs said:


> Is there a tool to remove the ball?


Just go online and look up a video detailing how to access the ball and free it. It isn’t hard to do.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

Toombs said:


> Is there a tool to remove the ball?


Remove the fluid lower section, its reverse threaded so turn left using a hammer or a pipe wrench . If its not completely caked in dried material the ball cage should easily remove with needle nose pliers giving access to the ball. If not then take it to a professional so you don't destroy any parts by accident


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