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Gardiner backpack question??

jrlucas21cw

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harrietsham
So this might be a noob question, im getting a gardiner backpack but want to put a cleaning chemical through it too. To save the cleaning out i was wondering if its possible to fit a barbed Y piece into the hose before the pump and have a female ez snap connector fixed to the housing as a chemical inlet? 
has anyone done anything similar or is it a waist of time? 

 
So this might be a noob question, im getting a gardiner backpack but want to put a cleaning chemical through it too. To save the cleaning out i was wondering if its possible to fit a barbed Y piece into the hose before the pump and have a female ez snap connector fixed to the housing as a chemical inlet? 
has anyone done anything similar or is it a waist of time? 
I'm a newbie also. Probably easier to just spray any cleaning liquid onto the brush with a hand held sprayer.

 
So this might be a noob question, im getting a gardiner backpack but want to put a cleaning chemical through it too. To save the cleaning out i was wondering if its possible to fit a barbed Y piece into the hose before the pump and have a female ez snap connector fixed to the housing as a chemical inlet? 
has anyone done anything similar or is it a waist of time? 
Before getting a backpack you should consider buying a chemical rated pump with viton seals as you'll drastically shorten the life of your backpack.

Secondly tampering with a backpack and trying to do something that's not possible is a bad dream.

I don't think you understand the basics of how a backpack works 

 
I have a Gardiner backpack on a trolley. I only use it for my soapwash mix. I'm on my second backpack now. The first one lasted over six years of soap/chemical mix only. I bought it for pure water use on awkward houses and for soapmix use. I quickly found I had to use it for one or the other but not both. I could never get all the soap out for the pure washes. I stopped taking on houses that I couldn't get reasonable access to with the van. I'm more than happy to have got over six years out of it.

Righty or wrongly I'd expect them to have some significant tolerance of chemicals. Surely most backpacks outside of our trade are used for chemicals.

Of course I've voided the warranty on the one I bought earlier in the year. I don't entirely agree with that fact being as they are a chemical sprayer but I can live with it. As long as I get reasonable service life from it.

 
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Waist of time just rinse it out after use it will be fine been doing it this way for 20 years never had a problem , depending g what chemicals you are using it might void the warrants but we use hypo in ours and some strong mixes at that and they last at least 3 years , so it’s a very cheap way todo the job . 

 
You could either buy a chemical resistant replacement pump (DA components I think sell some that might fit) or just a spare pump from Gardiners. That way if it goes you have another ready.

 
Waist of time just rinse it out after use it will be fine been doing it this way for 20 years never had a problem , depending g what chemicals you are using it might void the warrants but we use hypo in ours and some strong mixes at that and they last at least 3 years , so it’s a very cheap way todo the job . 
Thinking of using tap water to do first part of first clean then pure water to finish it. Do I need to flush backpack out after using tap water before I use pure on windows? 

 
Thinking of using tap water to do first part of first clean then pure water to finish it. Do I need to flush backpack out after using tap water before I use pure on windows? 
I'd just use pure mate. I used about 75 ltr max on my own house + conservatory.  It hadn't been done for over 2 years.  So in pure water it came to about 3 quid. 

 
Thinking of using tap water to do first part of first clean then pure water to finish it. Do I need to flush backpack out after using tap water before I use pure on windows? 
Hi Nick, I would think you should be fine. Get as much of the tap water as possible out before refilling with pure. You could even swill a litre or two of pure around the backpack and pump it through the pole to make sure before filling it right up with pure for the final wash. Probably worth testing the water in the backpack after with a TDS meter for the sake of being thorough and as a learning experience.

I wouldn't want to be doing this long term though. It would seem to me to be a slow and inefficient way to work long term. However if you're in the early stages, you have to do what you have to do to get going.

Good luck. ?

 
Hi Nick, I would think you should be fine. Get as much of the tap water as possible out before refilling with pure. You could even swill a litre or two of pure around the backpack and pump it through the pole to make sure before filling it right up with pure for the final wash. Probably worth testing the water in the backpack after with a TDS meter for the sake of being thorough and as a learning experience.

I wouldn't want to be doing this long term though. It would seem to me to be a slow and inefficient way to work long term. However if you're in the early stages, you have to do what you have to do to get going.

Good luck. ?
It's only for my house which I'm doing to practice on, have limited amount of pure as I'm buying it temporarily and only got 2x25l barrols

 
Don't think I have connection ?
If you contact one of the equipment suppliers they will be able to help with the fittings and short hose you need to make a bridging hose ; Hoselock male to whatever fitting you have on your pole hose. I got mine from Streamline. I'd suggest a bridging hose of 5~10 metres. I'd consider making two to have a spare. Don't forget the compression clips and a couple of spares.

 
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Thinking of using tap water to do first part of first clean then pure water to finish it. Do I need to flush backpack out after using tap water before I use pure on windows? 
Just empty it out and then flush your hose through should be ok depending on your tap TDS .

 
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