Airless Sprayer Maintenance Guide

Also see

Like cars, airless paint sprayers get the job done quicker but also require regular maintenance to keep them running well, reliable and long lasting. Keeping sprayers clean is an important and first step, so if you haven't read up on that lately, do so prior to reading this information on maintenance - Cleaning an airless paint sprayer.

There are a few kinds of maintenance such as:

  • Regular
  • Winterizing
  • Spring

All are important to keep your airless equipment in good working order. Since we are a Graco Authorized Repair Center as well as an authorized repair facility for other brands such as SprayTech, Titan, Wagner, Speeflo, Campbell Hausfeld and others, so we see a lot of sprayers. A large portion of those repairs are because of lack of maintenance.

Remember what Benjamin Franklin said "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". You can spend a little now or more later it's up to you, we're happy to help either way.

Regular Maintenance

Did we mention cleaning your airless paint sprayer immediately after every use?

If you have a Graco Contractor Series sprayer such as an ST, STX, Ultra, Ultra Max or Ultra Max II or similar piston pump sprayer, one of the easiest things you can do is use Graco Throat Seal Liquid (TSL) EVERYTIME you use your sprayer. This keeps your packings wet, reduces friction and dissolves material on the displacement rod. Keeping the rod clean and lubricated reduces abrasion and wear which will make it last longer and require less maintenance.

One thing you can do to reduce the maintenance on your airless sprayer is to use a good tip. We know that seems funny at first, but here's why...
With a worn or worn-out tip you are spraying more paint when you don't have to, when you are spraying more paint you are putting extra wear and tear on your equipment. Besides, you will work less and your paint job will look better using a fresh tip.

Each day you spray:
Inspect, clean and replace as needed

  • Manifold filter, gun filter and inlet strainer.
  • Wet cup for leakage, tighten if needed.
  • TSL level.
  • Gun trigger safety.
  • Tip wear, replace if necessary.
  • Electric cord and plug.
Each week of spraying:
  • Check tightness of wet cup.
  • Inspect all high pressure paint hoses.
Annually:
  • Schedule a maintenance check at an authorized Graco Repair Center such as:
    Portland Compressor
    7440 SW Bonita Rd
    Portland, Oregon 97224

Winterizing / Storage

Learn about how to winterize and store your airless paint sprayer.

Spring Cleaning / De-winterizing

This will vary depending on how well your paint sprayer was put away at the end of last season. If you thoroughly cleaned it, used a pump preserver, such as Graco Pump Armor, and stored it nicely, spring cleaning should be a breeze. If you just rinsed it out and put it in the garage you will have some work to do. If you didn't clean it at all and just threw it in the shed you may be better off taking it to a local Authorized Graco Repair Center such as Portland Compressor for thorough cleaning and likely repair. Most of our repair business is due to, lack of cleaning, improper cleaning, neglect and misuse.

It was put away nicely

All you should have to do is clean-out the pump preserver! Do this just prior to first use of the season as you don't want to leave your pump vulnerable.

I used Mineral Spirits and spray latex (water-base).

Run clean water through the pump to clean-out the mineral spirits.

I used Mineral Spirits with engine oil and spray latex (water-base).

Run clean mineral spirits through the pump to clean-out the oil.
Run clean water through the pump to clean-out the mineral spirits.

I used Mineral Spirits and spray oil-base.

You basically don't have to do a thing! Wasn't that easy? You should be happy with yourself. ;-)

I used Mineral Spirits with engine oil and spray oil-base.

Run clean mineral spirits through the pump to clean-out the oil.

I used Pump Armor and spray latex (water-base)

Run clean water through the pump to clean-out the Pump Armor.

I used Pump Armor and spray oil base.

Run clean water through the pump to clean-out the Pump Armor.
Run clean mineral spirits through the pump to clean-out the water.

I used Liquid Shield and spray latex (water-base).

Run clean water through the pump to clean-out the Liquid Shield

I used Liquid Shield and spray oil base.

Run clean water through the pump to clean-out the Liquid Shield.
Run clean mineral spirits through the pump to clean-out the water.

I used anti-freeze and spray latex (water-base).

We don't recommend using automotive anti-freeze to preserve your pump.

I used anti-freeze and spray oil base.

We don't recommend using automotive anti-freeze to preserve your pump.

It was put away Badly

Check the pump rod and packings. If there is dried paint on them, take them to your local Graco Service Center. Running the machine with old paint dried to the pump of the machine, can cause serious internal damage to the unit, creating costly repairs and unwanted downtime.