# Alternatives to Merkur 15:1 Pneumatic pump for hand sprayers?



## SolarNinja (Nov 16, 2017)

Thanks for clicking on my thread. We have two Graco G-15/Merkur 15:1 pneumatic displacement pump combos and we have had nothing but problems with them. When they work, they work excellent. However, the Merkur 15:1 pump seems to need to be shipped to our distributor for repairs annually. This is partly due to misuse, but I cannot mark it all up to that. We have a Kremlin 25:1 pump that runs our three auto guns, and the air motor has NEVER failed...I have had to replace the throat and piston seals ONCE. Nothing to the air motor. The Merkurs, however, are a different story. Same paint (water based) used on the Merkurs as the Kremlin.

What I am trying to do is either find a more cost effective 15:1 pneumatic displacement pump suitable for water based finishes, or eliminate the displacement pump altogether. I have thought of three things sofar:

(1) Use a 50:1 pneumatic grease pump, and use water pressure regulators inline to drop the PSI to a stable 30 PSI

(2) Use an electric pump with a pressure switch and a relay that will cut power to the electric pump when the line pressure reaches 30PSI

(3) Find a Chinese pneumatic displacement pump

Gravity feed is not an option because it limits throughput. I am open to using a different model of gun...it's possible that I can get a higher pressure displacement pump and upgrade to a high pressure gun (such as the Graco G-40). None of our finishes are flammable so the electric pump should be okay.

Has anyone ever tried an electric pump like this? Has anyone ever heard of a chinese displacement 15:1 or 30:1 pump? Has anyone ever used a grease pump to pump paint? Does anyone have any thoughts on this subject?

Thanks for reading!


----------

