Cleaning Your Airless Paint Sprayer -- The Easy Way
If you have an airless paint sprayer that is in bad need of cleaning -- you've come to the right place. Here are some easy to follow directions on how to get it clean. For purposes of this article we will assume that your airless paint sprayer has been previously used with a latex paint, as this is the most common type of paint used by homeowners today.
The first thing you will need to do before cleaning your airless paint sprayer is to assemble your materials and supplies. You are going to need some sort of container or tray which is large enough to hold your components, some paint stripper solution, wire brush, latex gloves, and a warm water source.
Once you have your materials together, begin by taking apart the spray gun assembly. Once you have everything taken apart, place them in your container and cover them with enough paint stripper liquid -- now you will need to let them soak for a while. It would be a good idea while cleaning your airless paint sprayer to do this job outdoors, so that any fumes will not become trapped inside your house. You will probably need to allow the airless paint sprayer gun components to sit for at least several hours -- perhaps even overnight.
You will know that your spray gun components have soaked long enough when it the latex paint buildup on them has begun to soften. Now take your wire brush and use it to remove any stubborn paint buildup. Make sure that you rinse out all of your airless paint sprayer gun components with warm water, and make sure they are completely free of old paint before reassembling them.
Now for the pump: the pump unit of an airless paint sprayer can be a very complicated piece of machinery -- some of which are very small. The pump will need to be taken apart just like the spray gun, and every part will need to be cleaned thoroughly of any built-up paint. If you need help in reassembling the pump unit, or find that you need to replace any components, check your owner's manual. When the pump unit of your airless paint sprayer has been thoroughly cleaned out, reassemble it. As a final activity, run water through the entire paint sprayer unit to thoroughly flush out any left over paint accumulation.
When cleaning and maintaining your airless paint sprayer, it is of absolute importance to make sure that the hoses are kept clean of any paint buildup. The easiest way is to clean them after each use. If you allow paint to build up in your hoses, they will become unusable -- and you will have to buy replacements before you can use your airless paint sprayer again.
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