Proper care and maintenance of spraying and spreading equipment is critical for prolonging the lifespan of your machines, ensuring on-going accuracy in application rates, and preventing accidental crop damage or cross-contamination. 

Standard rinsing with water alone is often not enough to strip away oil-based pesticide residues and stubborn chemical deposits. 

Implementing a thorough cleaning and maintenance routine ensures your equipment remains compliant, fully functional, and ready for use next season!

Don’t forget to use proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) before handling, cleaning, or servicing chemical application equipment. 

Hand-Held and Knapsack Sprayers

For knapsack and pump sprayers, routine cleaning after each use removes lingering residues from the tank, hoses, and nozzles to maintain spray accuracy and protect internal seals. 

Before you start your end of season clean, make sure you have access to clean water, a dedicated mixing container, and a designated safe washdown area - clear of surface water, drains, livestock, and desirable vegetation. 

  1. Initial Solution Prep: Add 1 litre of clean water to the sprayer tank. Mix in 1 gram of a specialised cleaner (such as Tank & Sprayer Cleaner) to target oily deposits and chemical residues. 

  2. Internal Agitation: Secure the tank lid, then carefully shake and invert the sprayer to coat all interior surfaces. 

  3. Component Soaking: Make up another container of cleaning solution. Disassemble the nozzle and end-of-lance filter. Submerge both components in solution. 

  4. Line Recirculation: Remove the lid and basket filter. Direct the lance tip back into the main tank and pump the lever to circulate the solution through the internal pump, hose, and lance assembly. 

  5. Final Flushing: Reattach the nozzle assembly, pump the system, and flush out remaining liquid in a safe disposal area. 

  6. Pro Tip: Recirculating cleaning solution allows you to inspect pressure delivery and check for worn seals on the trigger assembly, lid, and valves. Replacing worn seals prevents costly leaks and pressure drops in the field. 

Mounted and Boom Sprayers

Boom sprayers require a structured decontamination process to prevent cross-herbicide contamination between fields, and to extend line longevity. 

You will need a clean water supply, high-pressure washer or hose, soaking vessel, and an isolated, environmentally compliant washdown site. Here’s what to do:

  1. Tank Rinse: Drain any remaining product, then thoroughly wash the interior tank walls using a pressure washer or hose nozzle. Avoid direct skin contact with rinse runoff. 

  2. Boom Washout: Refill the tank with clean water and run the system through the spray booms for approximately 5 minutes. 

  3. Decontamination Cycle: Shut off the pump and refill the tank with fresh water, adding decontamination solution at a ratio of 1 gram per 1 litre of water. 

  4. Agitate and Soak: Engage the internal agitator for 10 minutes (or manually mix thoroughly). Allow the cleaning solution to sit inside the tank and plumbing lines for 8 hours or overnight to break down stubborn residues. 

  5. Sub-Component Soak: Remove nozzles, filter screens, and strainers, soaking them separately in a bucket of decontamination solution. 

  6. System Flush: Flush the full solution volume through the booms and plumbing. Reinstall clean nozzles and screens, then complete a final system flush using clear water. 

Fertiliser Spreaders

Proper care of broadcast, push, and towable spreaders prevents costly component failure and corrosion. Conducting a thorough end of season clean will also help prevent uneven flow rates. Follow these key steps to keep your spreader in top shape for next season:

  1. Empty the Hopper: Completely discharge all granular fertiliser or seed from the hopper immediately after use. Never leave product stored in the hopper. 

  2. Debris Removal & Washdown: Brush out fine dust and residual fertiliser particles. Wash the entire unit thoroughly with clean water, making sure to remove buildup from agitators and shut-off plates. Dry completely to stop rust formation. 

  3. Drive System Lubrication: Apply oil or grease to all moving parts, including grease fittings, chains, and sprockets - on applicable models. 

  4. Chain Inspection: On larger pull-behind models, check drive chain tension and condition. Oil, tighten, or replace worn chains to prevent slippage and snapping during operation. 

  5. Corrosion Touch-Ups: Inspect metal frames and hoppers for worn or flaking paint. Apply touch-up paint directly to exposed metal areas to prevent rust from damaging structural integrity. 

  6. Component Check: Regularly check for worn gears, damaged agitators, or sticking flow levers, and replace damaged parts promptly. 

Stem Injection Systems

Targeted stem injectors used for invasive weed management (such as Japanese knotweed or giant hogweed) require specialised care to keep the precision dosing mechanisms working correctly. Here’s what to do:

  1. Disconnect the injection applicator wand from the main backpack reservoir. 

  2. Open the in-line fluid tap to release line pressure. 

  3. Drain unmixed chemical residue directly back into the original chemical container. 

  4. Store the emptied backpack in an upright position with the filling cap facing upward. 

  5. Flush the applicator wand thoroughly with clean water, then allow all internal components to dry completely prior to storage. 

Winter Storage Tips

Winter temperatures can cause severe structural damage to pumps, manifolds, and chemical lines if liquid is left inside. Here are a few final tips on storing equipment over winter:

  1. Plumbing Pressure: Fully depressurise all fluid lines prior to storage. 

  2. Anti-Freeze Management: If using anti-freeze in the lines, shut off the line valve ends tightly to prevent slow seepage. 

  3. Boom Elevation: For mounted sprayers where lower boom sections extend past the frame, rest the unit on wooden pallets to prevent pressure on the nozzles and structural bending. 

  4. Dry Indoor Storage: Store walk-behind and towed spreaders indoors to prevent rust accumulation on drive components and structural frames.

Questions about equipment storage and cleaning? Get in touch with our technical team today.

This guide was written in collaboration with Dave Rowsell.

Dave Rowsell

Dave Rowsell is Agrigem’s Account Manager in charge of leisure and holiday park sites. With a strong background in the landscape supplies sector, Dave brings deep experience of grounds maintenance, facilities management and landscape contracting to bear when meeting the needs of leisure and holiday park customers.

Joining Agrigem in 2022, Dave has built a reputation for great service and is a trusted source of advice when it comes to product and process knowledge – ensuring holiday parks have the right products at the right time, together with the right knowledge and skills to manage an effective grounds maintenance programme.