Weeping over lost water? what gun am I using?
First off let me invite you to a new year here on the blog. Been down with weather and with slow to no internet then topping it off a bit of computer trouble. With all that behind us now it a time to get in this next entry.
Weeping over lost water? I was asked something the other day and had a daaaaa moment. Upon thinking about it, it occurred to me I had the very same experience or question when starting in with pressure washing. Though the question is simple and the answer is simple it is something that needs a little explanation, so here it is. I bought a new replacement gun the other day this one has a blue trigger on it why is it blue? I saw there were some red ones too. They look the same they had the same pressure and gallon ratings, but the blue one was a few dollars cheaper.
Well the blue trigger, a blue trigger guard, or blue stripe means it is a weeper. The blue gun does not shut off completely. It weeps or squirts out a stream of water when there is pressure in the line or at the head of the power washer's pump head. Now that is just about the stupid thing you may of heard a gun that does not shut off why would they make such a thing? Well to help aid in cooling and over working the unloader or pump in general. This type of gun is most used in the self-service car washes. Where people don't care about the way some thing works or how hard they use it or when they use it.
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| Blue triggered weeper gun, Cleaned by Pete photo. |
In the car wash you place you money in and a small stream of water start squirting out and is still squirting out sometimes when you leave this relives the line and head pressure as well as helps to drain the gun, lance, and line that may freeze due to weather conditions. Most of the customers would not take the time to drain the hose or gun when they finish there washing job but the weeping trigger gun or as I call them "weepers" does it for them.
Red triggers or red markings mean when the gun's trigger is let off there should be no water exiting the gun. If water weeps or keep running then the gun is defective or a piece of chafe may be lodged in the triggers seat assembly. Why would a power washer want one of these weepers if they are only good for a self-service car wash then. There are a few reasons that I have them. In a pinch when you need a gun they will still work only they don't totality shut down the water supply. You may be partial to blue over red, it was cheaper. Well the main reason I have and use this style of gun is safety. How is a blue weeper safer than a red gun? Let me propose this: you're on a roof (I use to wash kitchen hoods and exhaust fans) you finish your washing your pump is running you must either have someone stand there to turn it off or you must climb down and do it your self. Your partner is inside handling the water flow of what is being washed down he really can not do it, I'm too cheap to hire someone to just stand and turn on and off a machine. You can use a weep gun it lets a small amount of water out that is controllable you can lay it down or lower it off the roof. The pressure is not enough to hurt anything. It also lets fresh cooler water cycle in and exit the pump thru the gum keeping the pump cooler. We have heard of leaving the trigger open with something but that lets 3000 psi loose when your not around not safe for you, clients or anything around. If you just shut it down using the regular red gun then go crawling to the ladder down to the ground over to the washer takes time. The recycling water starts to heat up in the pump, a weeper gun is a good item to use here. When we wash a tall building the lift seems to take for ever to get up and in just right position if you have someone to stand around to start and stop the machine that is good I usually don't I can start it with a weep gun, because it's letting off pressure keeping the water circulating keeping the pump cool while manoeuvring into place. Just one last scenario recently I was working on the roof only water supply was a bit away power washer had no reserve tank 3400 psi at 4 gpm with about 300+ feet of high-pressure hose to get to where needed. I had to go around the air-moving stacks across a small bridge that spanned the buildings about 6 to 7 feet, around the corner and under the duck work. Had the hose laid out with the weeper gun I could start the power washer and then make it around under and across the bridge with out having to run or be unsafe the gun ran a small stream of water keeping the pump cooler and the stream was not powerful enough to move things around when left alone.
I like to keep a weep gun or two on the rig at all times. They don't get the use of the red guns but when I need it for safety in doing a job it makes it worth while. Safety on the job is the first thing I think about and that covers all the aspects my customer's, my personal, my machinery, and anything else around, all safety concerns. I'll use a blue weep gun, for those certain jobs and know that I'm doing the best I can in being safe. This is why I use a blue weeping gun other may use it for other reasons.
