Learn how to calibrate a sprayer to ensure accurate application rates and provide effective pest control.
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Sprayer calibration is important because if you are applying the incorrect amount of pesticide than the label suggests, you could be:
- Violating the law and could be fined
- Risking the chance of damaging desirable plants in the area
- Wasting money on pesticide that is sprayed unnecessarily
- Ineffectively controlling your target pest
Be sure to check the instruction manual for your sprayer. The manufacturer might have a specific method they would like you to use. There are different methods for calibrating your sprayer, today we are only going to use one.
Here are the tools you will need to calibrate your sprayer:
Sprayer Rig
Stopwatch
Measuring Tape
Measuring Container (graduated in ounces) or Digital Sprayer Calibrator
Flags or Stakes (for marking)
Pocket Calculator
Pen and Paper for recording your data
Before you begin it is important to make sure you're wearing the proper personal protective equipment
Goggles, gloves, closed-toe shoes and long sleeves are some of common articles of PPE that might be required.
Always start with a clean sprayer. Fill your sprayer about half full with clean water.
The first thing to do is measure the spacing between the nozzles in inches.
In the field, measure out a test course that corresponds to the distance between your nozzles. Our nozzles were spaced 20 inches apart, so our test course is going to be 204 feet.
With the course set up, taking a running start, run the course from start to finish at the speed you’ll be applying your chemicals. Measure the time in seconds.
Once you're done running the course, park your rig and set the breaks. If appropriate for your spray rig keep the engine running at the same RPM you used to run the course.
Set your sprayer pump pressure correctly for the sprayer tip type that you have and the desired gallons per minute of chemical that you would like to apply. This information can be found on the instruction manual for your sprayer as well as in the pesticide labeling.
Using your plastic container marked in ounces, collect water from each tip for the same amount of time it took you to drive the test course.
Check to see that the flow rate from each nozzle is approximately the same. Replace or clean any nozzle whose output differs by more than five percent from the average for all of the nozzles. Check flow rates again for any nozzles that needed to be replaced.
In this example, the average nozzle output is 13.4 ounces. Five percent of 13.4 ounces is 0.67 ounces. Any nozzle whose output differs from 13.4 ounces by more than 0.67 ounces should be cleaned or replaced; that is, any nozzle whose output is greater than 14.07 or less than 12.73. In this example, all were within an acceptable range.
Once all your spray tips are outputting within 5% of each other, your average spray tip output for your course time is used to calculate gallons per acre. So for our example, our gallons per acre is 13.4.
For minor adjustments in output:
Adjust your sprayer pressure to achieve the gallons per acre required by the pesticide label.
For major adjustments:
Change the travel speed or change the spray tip size.
If you replace any nozzles or make any other adjustments, be sure to recheck your flow rates and recalibrate your rig.
For help with any questions on sprayer calibration, on pesticide labeling or finding the correct spray tips, contact Gemplers Product Support.
Thank you for watching. Let us know what you thought of this video or if you have suggestions for future video topics.
0:00 Introduction
0:05 Calibrating your sprayer is necessary to ensure accurate application rates and provide effective pest control.
1:33 Measure Your Nozzles
1:43 Mark a Test Course that corresponds to Distance Between Nozzles
2:07 Run Your Rig on Your Course
2:25 Park Your Rig and Set the Brakes
2:38 Set Pump Pressure
2:58 Test Nozzle Output
4:16 Change travel speed • Change nozzle tip size
