While using a paint gun can make the painting process go smoother and quicker, one of the necessary evils of using these machines is the cleaning up part. With an airless paint sprayer, there are three steps involved in the process -- flushing the spray gun, cleaning the paint hopper and cleaning the spray gun. For latex-based paint, use warm, soapy water for clean-up. For enamel paints, use mineral spirits.
Instructions
Flush the Sprayer and Clean the Hopper
1. Remove the sprayer tip and sprayer guard and place these pieces in the cleaning solution appropriate to the type of paint you used.
2. Empty any remaining paint from the main hopper into the original paint can. Fill the main hopper with the appropriate cleaning mix.
3. Position a container to hold any paint waste that comes out of the sprayer during the cleaning process. Turn the unit on and point the spray gun at the inside of the waste container. Pull the trigger and allow the unit to spray until the liquid spray emerging from the sprayer comes out clear. Turn off power to the unit and release any pressure on the sprayer.
4. Rinse the paint hopper with the cleaning solution. If your unit has an inlet filter, remove it, clean it and replace it in the hopper.
5. Refill the hopper with new cleaning solution. Some models have a material return tube that must be cleaned. If so, hold the tube over the waste container and run the unit for two to three minutes to clear the tube.
Clean the Spray Gun
6. Separate the trigger guard and the paint filter on the spray gun by unscrewing the unit with a wrench. Remove the filter.
7. Clean the spray tip and filter with a soft-bristled brush and the appropriate cleaning solution.
8. Apply three to four drops of oil to the inside of the spray gun housing. Place the filter in the spray gun and reassemble the unit by tightening the nut with the wrench.
