Chemical pump and meter maintenance is a very important part of your chemical application process.
Your pump and meter will work the best if you do not let chemicals sit in them for longer than two days, and you keep them dry and clean.
In this photo are two meters. The black one is an example of a meter that has been taken care of. It is clean, dry and the O-ring is the correct shape and in the correct place in the meter. The grey meter is an example of what happens when you let chemicals sit too long in the meter.
The O-ring has lost its properties, and does not fit in the meter correctly, causing the meter to not measure your chemicals accurately. The same thing will happen to the pump O-ring, causing the pump to leak.
With these quick and easy maintenance tips, you can keep your pump from leaking, and working accurately all season:
- The faceplate of the meter should not get wet. Treat it like your cell phone. Either seal it all in a plastic bag or, even better, take it inside. This will prevent moisture from getting into the meter and ruining the components inside. With the wet spring this year and last year, and last year’s wet harvest season, this is more important than ever.
- Make sure to flush water through the pump and meter to get all of the chemicals out. The chemicals sitting inside are what cause the O-ring to lose its properties. These meters cost $152. Taking care of the pump and meter will save you from being charged for the ruined parts and help keep costs down for everyone.
- Make sure to flush the pump and meter before you switch to a different chemical. The two chemicals can react to each other and break down the inside of both the pump and meter.
- Please flush them before you send them back to us. This will prevent chemical from spilling in your truck or ours, and will prevent the O-ring from breaking down if we cannot get to it on the same day.
