Save Your Breath
Jun 14, 2009
With spraying season running full-bore it's very useful to have a can of compressed air in your toolbox to help clean plugged spray nozzles. We know it's a bad idea to put a spray tip to our lips to blow out obstructions...but we've all done it. It's better to spend a few bucks for a can of compressed air--like computer geeks use to clean keyboards and circuitry in computers--and use it to blow clean plugged nozzles. Cans of compressed air come with extension nozzles so you can get them into tight spots, so they're also good for any situation that needs a brief blast of compressed air. I've used them to clear dust from computer boards and switches on combines, clean hay chaff from the knotters on balers, and in dozens of other situations where I needed a brief blast of compressed air. In some cases, even though I have access to a high-pressure air supply, I still use the can of bottled air because it's more precise and less apt to blow dust and debris all over me and nearby equipment than the high-pressure air supply.
Cans of compressed air don't have high pressure--maybe only 10 to 30 psi. But that's better than using your mouth and lungs to blow clean spray nozzles or clear dust and chaff from knotters and other dusty components. The only complaint I have about buying canned, compressed air is with the idea that I'm paying for "air." Somehow that doesn't feel right...
