By Andrew Greess

When it comes to spray equipment, mixing products well is critical. This is particularly true for landscape and golf applications that involve products that are not water-soluble, such as granular fertilizers.

A number of problems may occur if a product is not mixed well:

• Incorrect or uneven application rates. In either case, money will be wasted on buying the extra product, redoing the work, or fixing undesired results.

• Tank buildup. This occurs when materials settle at the bottom of the tank. If no action is taken, it can become severe and may require complete replacement. 

• Clogged lines. This can clog downstream components, such as the filter. If the filter is not cleaned out, the pump may become starved for water and damaged. Hoses, fittings and spray tips also can become clogged, resulting in downtime and increased repair costs.

So how do you ensure good tanking mixing? There are several options.

 

Mechanical Agitation
This is accomplished by turning a series of stainless-steel paddles attached to a stainless-steel shaft that runs through the tank. The shaft is turned by a pulley attached by a belt to the gas engine that also drives the pump.  When the engine is on, the tank is agitated. Properly designed, mechanical agitation provides excellent, continuous agitation. 

Considerations:

• It must be installed when the system is built; it is usually not feasible to add it retroactively.
• It is expensive because all the parts are precision-engineered stainless steel.
• Service eventually will be required as seals and bearings that allow the shaft to turn begin to leak.
• The sprayer will be out of service during the time the mechanical agitation is serviced.