Airless Paint Sprayer Troubleshooting (Includes Video & Text)

Airless Paint Sprayers can be tremendously helpful when it comes to high production needs. However, they also can be a headache when problems occur.  In this article we will cover the most common airless sprayer problems and how to fix them. 

Problem 1 – I get inconsistent spray patterns

This is often called a wink among painters where the pattern moves from consistent and even to fluctuating between narrow and wide. When this occurs it is most often caused by an inconsistent traveling of your fluid section’s piston. The fix for this issue is most often to replace your fluid section packing’s. In addition it can be due to a ball check not properly seating which in this case will require changing out the ball check and seat. To determine if the ball check and seat are worn a visual inspection can often show you by looking for a gap between the seat and ball when they are placed together. You should also check the fluid pick up tube and internal filters for any clogs, if the filter at the end of your pickup tube or internal to your unit are clogged they will cause inconsistent spray patterns. The final but least common contributor to airless pattern inconsistencies is a worn rod that the packing’s travel along. In most cases, the first step is to replace the packing’s, second you replace the ball seats or checks, and finally the rod. If you want to be extra sure your pump will have no issues you can replace all three components.

Problem 2- I am having trouble with my pump pressure (its building up to high or I can’t get it to build high enough).

If you airless pump’s pressure is building up to high and you are using an electric airless it most likely an issue with a transducer. The transducer is a sensor that acts to control the pressure in your airless sprayer, if your pressure is too high you most likely need to replace the transducer in an electrical unit. If you are having trouble building and maintaining pressure the most common causes are due to pressure failing to be retained and built, this is most often caused by issues with your ball check and seat. It can also be caused by a blocked filter on the end of your pickup tube.

Problem 3 – My spray pattern has an uneven appearance all the time (its thin or not existent in the middle and heavy at the top and bottom of the pattern)

This is most often due to not having enough pressure applied to your coating. First, try to increase the pump pressure and if that is not the solution sometimes you need to try different tip sizes (if you find the coating is not flowing increase the tip size or if the pattern is too heavy reduce the tip size). The other issue that can cause this is that your tip on your airless spray gun has worn to excessively causing changes in its opening size resulting in a change to your pattern.

By knowing these three common problems that cause airless paint sprayers to not work correctly you can get your airless back to great working shape, if you prefer not to we also can help with repairs or part guidance.

Image Courtesy of Teresa