Chemical Bandit or equivalent

Steven Button

Steven Button

Administrator
Hey guys

I've got a few ideas for changing my trailer about - it's not as functional as I'd like. I'm interested in buying a Chemical Bandit or equivalent setup... anyone got any pics or information on the Chemical Bandit?

Will reduce the size of my tank (535 gallon) down to 335 or similar to free up some space for 2 chemical tanks - will give me a few more options and make it easier for some jobs.

appreciate any input... especially from guys that run the Bandit or equivalent... thanks :)
 
Go to PTState.com and click on the store tab.

I have written about it a lot, do some searches from the home page.

It is great, I bought the first one, I actually had to wait a few weeks for it to get here for a job.
 
We have one of our trailers set up with a Bandit on the front and a cold water pw on the rear. We will use the Bandit when we do roofs. For houses when we have 2 guys together they will use a M5 to put soap on and the Basndit to wash off. They can d a house in no time. We have a 250 gal tank on the trailer and either a 50 or 75 gal chemical tank on the truck
 
Ron Musgraves said:
Is there a gas powered pump that could be used for these chemicals?

5 horse motor with a pump
Click to expand...
There are several.
There is a Comet Diapraghm Pump, and a John Blue, and a Udor.
None of these are "Chlorine Proof", but will last awhile if rinsed right away.
I personally used a John Blue DP 193 for almost a full year, doing from 2 to 5 roofs a day, 6 days a week.
The "problem" with these pumps is when they DO go, and they will, repairs are expensive!
Personally, I never had much luck with roller pumps lasting very long.
BUT, the advantage to a roller pump is they are cheap, just remove/replace, and chalk it up to "the cost of doing business".

My FIRST Gas Pump was the cheap hypro 4 rollers.
I bought em 12 at a time, got em for 80 bucks each, landed!

They lasted ABOUT a month of doing multiple roofs every day.'
Whe they started losing pressure, or NOT priming, I chucked that pump, replaced with another.

I HAVE used the silver and Nickel plated pumps called Ni Resist.

In MY experience, they DID last a bit longer, but were more expensive.
 
thanks for the advice guys...

I've read about the chemical bandit having problems priming - is this just a minor problem? Are guys adding a 3-way valve before the pump to prime it with a water hose?

I'm just thinking about the best way to plumb it all

- supply from main water tank to Hot water PW
- downstream capability for hot water PW
- supply from main water tank to chemical bandit or similar
- valves controlling mix of water/chemical 1/chemical 2 to chemical bandit or similar
- drain valves
- priming valve (if necessary).
- what to use for plumbing - polybraided hose or PVC Pipes.

A few things to consider... I don't think I'll be reconfiguring it within the next couple of months, just want to have as much information to plan the best way forward and have a budget in mind.

thanks again :)
 
Steve, give me a call tomorrow afternoon after 5pm central time, I can talk to you about it and walk you through it.

Most roller pumps will not prime, they have to be primed if you take the suction out of the tank without filling it back up with chems when you start (priming it).

I have not had luck with the viton gaskets on my tank lasting longer than 1.5 to 2 months then the roof mix tank leaked mix all over causing things all over to rust.

I switched to a pco tank (no bulkhead fitting) so no more problems with bulkhead gaskets leaking anymore. This is the roof mix tank.

The regular water tank for the pressure washers (2 of them), the Bandit, and the hose coming off the side of the trailer is all plumbed with 3/4" clear polybraid hose coming off 2 of the 2" "T"'s off both ends of the water tank with 2" to 3/4" reducer bushings. This way each unit has it's own water supply from the tank.

I do not use pvc pipes for supply to the units as vibration and trailer flexing will make them weak, crack or break over time. I know a few guys that tried that many times and each time it did not last more than a few months, they all went back to hoses and no more problems.

Downstream capability for the pressure washer is simple, order a General Hi Draw downstream injector from Bob at PressureTek, tell him the gpm and psi of your machine, install it at the hose reel. You will need to get some downstream nozzles, he can fix you up with that too. I can tell you all about that too, takes too much typing to explain or I just talk too much. hahaha

You don't want to use valves to adjust or control the mix, many have tried and did not like the results. Easier to downstream or for roof cleaning, make up the mix in the mix tank and spray then rinse.

The Bandit comes with a 3-way valve so you can spray chems then rinse with water from your tank by turning the ball valve handle.

If you plumb water to the bandit, you will be always connected so you will not lose suction there, it is the mix tank that will lose suction if you take the tank too low so it sucks air.

What I did is I got a 4' long piece of 3/4" clear polybraid hose and put a pvc 90 degree hose barb elbow on it and threaded it into a 3' long 3/4" piece of pvc tube. So, the hose goes to the elbow into the tube for suction for the chemical side of the Bandit.

If I lose prime, I just take the tube out, fill it with water, put it back into the tank quickly and I am ready to go. I take the tube out when making up more mix so I can stir the water and mix real good, the tank only has like an 8" hole in the top so not a lot of room for mixing.

Give me a call and I can explain the rest. Fingers are getting tired of typing. hahaha
 
Bob has come up with a fix for the "primming" problem.

I just installed mine this past week-end. simple and effective. Remove pressure regulator, install "T". reinstall regulaor on top of "T". From the middle port of the "T" install ball valve. When starting Bandit open ball valve until fluid comes out and close.
 
Chris, that was a GREAT Post, whew!
It made my fingers sore, LOL
When I USED bulkheads, here is the best I found http://www.metexcorporation.com/Hayward/hayward_bulkhead_fittings.htm
Then, I used their ball valves on the bulkhead.
Heyward is the very best I tried, better then Banjo.

But we pull out of the TOPS of our tanks now, and buy our tanks w/o holes in them.

Works for me :)
 
Ive been using a basic tank from Tractor supply for 8 months. We pull from the bottom bulkhead, and never had an issue with leaking. The nice thing is it keeps it primed, bad thing is, it pulls junk off the bottom.
 
This IS a "problem" with roller pumps, we almost had to "force feed" them.
But NO PUMP IS PERFECT< AND NO PUMP IS FOREVER WITH CHLORINE.
A freaking set of valves/springs for the diapraghm pumps can set ya back 300 bucks, then guess what ?
You pull the pump apart, change the valves/springs/gaskets, and suprise, the freaking things LEAK all over.
The NEW John Blues are easier to work on, but only 4 to 5 GPM.
The roller pumps are easy to change out, just remove and replace.
 
I have used the ShurFlo, FloJet, and Delavans and never had a problem with them. I always rinse out with around 5 gallons of water after each use or the end of the day.
 
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