How Do You Know When to Repack?

Packings are the seals that hold the pressure back as the piston goes up and down and moves the paint through the pump while maintaining very high pressure.

If there are the smallest imperfections in the packings, piston rod or cylinder walls paint will leak past the packings. This leaking will not only cause a loss in pressure but the solids in the coatings will cause damage to the packings and scratches in the rod or cylinder.

It is important to know when you need to repack or when there is a problem with the valves.

If your sprayer is leaking fluid around the piston as it goes up and down, the first thing to try is tighten up on the packing nut. This tightens up the packings around the piston and sometimes stops the leaking.

If the leaking continues, the “throat packings” are damaged and need to be replaced.

If your sprayers piston is going up and down slowly even though it's not leaking out the gun or prime valve, there’s a high probability that the “piston packings” are leaking and need to be replaced. This replacement is called repacking and should be done as soon as possible to prevent damage to the expensive piston or cylinder.  

These are the tell-tale signs you need to repack your sprayer.