There are several ways to keep your wet spray booth clean and clear of paint sludge when you use powder paint. Unlike wet coatings, powder paints will not completely mix with the booth water, and the powder element will always settle on the bottom of the tank. This means that our standard treatments will not be able to keep the spray booth clear of paint sludge, as it does with wet coatings, but this doesn’t mean that you have to accept the build-up of sludge that results in the booth being pumped out and the water disposed of, which can be an expensive process. With a little work, the booth can be kept free of sludge or the sludge kept to a manageable or acceptable level that keeps the booth running well.
The best method for treating your booth depends on the size of the booth and the volume of paint you use. Also, the amount of effort you are prepared to put into keeping the booth clean will be a factor in deciding the most suitable treatment. We have listed a few treatment methods which will enable you to decide which is most suited for your spray booth.
OPTION 1
If you are happy to allow the build-up of sludge, having it pumped out every 6 or 12 months, and not using any chemical treatments, then we strongly recommend using a biocide to control the bacterial growth within the water. PROBIO is our biocide liquid, designed to control bacteria levels within industrial water. It should be added on a weekly basis to the booth water so that it can maintain low bacteria levels, making for a safer and more pleasant working environment and reducing smells that increased bacteria levels will emit.
OPTION 2
The next step up the treatment ladder is to replace Probio with PROCO, which contains a biocide and will keep the paint, within the booth, soft. Soft paint means reduced possibility of blockages within pipes, pumps, and nozzles and no paint lining the inside of pipes or sticking to booth surfaces.
OPTION 3
In addition to Proco, add Proflo+. This will allow the pigment to be separated from the water, bringing the pigment to the surface, from where it can be skimmed. The pigment is only a small part of the powder paint, so the powder will still settle within the tank. From here, it can be carefully skimmed, placed in a filter bag with the drained water returned to the tank, and the now dry sludge disposed of.
OPTION 4
This allows the booth to be cleaned without having to skim the water or base of the tank, and is just as suited to a large booth as it is to a smaller one:
- Stop the spray booth and dose the water with Proco 416P
- Agitate the water with compressed air
- Allow the water to settle for 1 hour
- Pump the supernatant water into a separate tank, or even an empty 1000-litre IBC
- Pump the separated paint (with a diaphragm pump) from the bottom of the tank into a filter bag (Aspifloc MF or Aspifloc FSK50)
- Return the original water and filtered water to the tank and top up as necessary
If you are uncertain how the treatment options relate to you or how best to treat your spray booth, then contact us, and we can discuss your concerns.
