Hozelock Sprayer Maintenance

Those once laden home grown fruit trees have now been picked bare. The buckets and buckets of fruit they produced are a distant flavor filled memory or maybe a pantry preserve. These trees often sit idle, waiting for their winter prune, but there’s still plenty to do in the autumn garden.

Without any fruit, I like to give fruit trees a dose of copper to kill off as many fungal spores as possible before winter sets in. It is more a preventative and as they say – prevention is better than cure.

For best results, spraying into the canopy is essential. And while, climbing a ladder is one way to get the spray nozzle in, it’s not the only way. You’ll find accessories to a number of sprayers at your local Mitre 10 and Bunnings store that simply extends, excuse the pun, the use of your garden sprayer. An extension lance is a must have.

It simply screws on to the lance of your existing Hozelock sprayer. Screw the nozzle back on and you have more than doubled your reach and kept your two feet safely on the ground. Glasses and a mask are essential safety equipment, especially when spraying overhead.

It’s not just overhead that needs our attention. Reducing the drift of herbicides when spraying weeds is definitely important in keeping other plants safe. A weekiller cone that fits simply and easily on to your Hozelock Garden Sprayer is another must have accessory.

We all know the need to service a car, but what about a sprayer. Granted, good quality sprayers like this one are robust and have all the features you need, however there are wearable parts that could do with regular attention that will substantially extend the sprayers life.

These little black pieces of rubber are called o-rings and they create a seal that keeps the pressure in the tank and stops spray from leaking. Over time and constantly using concentrates these will become brittle and as that happens you’ll find they leak. If you have a sprayer that weeps at certain joins, you’ve got a faulty o-ring. The good news is, they are simple to replace. Especially when a maintenance kit is available.

You’ll find all sized rings in this Hozelock kit that match the o-rings in the sprayer. It’s a surprise to see how many there are. You’ll find large ones in the plunger and smaller ones in the lance and trigger.
Basically everywhere where you’ll find the spray.

If you are spraying harsh chemicals, these perish o-rings quicker and cause damage to the unit. In this case, a heavier duty sprayer such as the Hozelock Viton, available from Bunnings, is well worth considering.

Replacing o-rings every year is simple, give the ring a squeeze, hook your finger in and slide the ring off. Where they are tight, I find a metal skewer works well. If you have easy ways to remove o-rings post it on our facebook page or email in. Would love to share them.

This Hozelock Sprayer Maintenance kit even comes with a sachet of silicone grease that helps lubricate and improve the sealing capacity of the o ring. Apply the grease and roll on the ring.

Of course, always remember to wash out your sprayer thoroughly after use and jet fresh water through the nozzles. Turn it upside down and let it dry before putting away. That way, when you come to use it again, it’s ready for work.