Whether you’re chalking or painting your lines you should make sure you’re effectively cleaning your equipment.

To make sure you keep your equipment in good working condition, this final section will show you the proper cleanup protocol for chalkers, bulk paint sprayers, and aerosol paint sprayers.

Sounds simple but it’s very important: empty the chalker. Simple as that. Leaving old chalk in the hopper will leave you compaction problems the next time you use the chalker. So, at the end of the day, be sure to empty the chalk from the hopper into a storage pail.

You can still reuse the chalk the next day, but remember bridging? You’ll want to remove the chalk and then just pour it back in the next day. Just give the wheels and agitator of your chalker a few spins to make sure there is no appreciable chalk left in the hopper.

Watch the demonstration video on the next slide…

Drain & flush, that’s the method. When you’re finished for the day, drain the remaining paint from the paint sprayer and then fill the sprayer with water. With the sprayer full of water, give the machine a flush by spraying the water through the tank, hoses, and nozzle of your equipment.

It will spray some paint at first until the water works its way through the line. Once it’s spraying clean water through the nozzle, you’re set. You’ll also want to wash off any paint on the exterior of the machine, as well as cleaning any filters on the unit.

Watch the demonstration video on the next slide.

You’ll need to clear the nozzle to prevent clogging. When you’re done using the aerosol paint sprayer, remove the aerosol can from the striping unit and tip the can so the nozzle is facing upward.

By doing this, the remaining paint will travel to the bottom of the can. Depress the nozzle to spray any paint that remains in the nozzle. That remaining paint will spray out, followed by just air, leaving a clean nozzle. With the nozzle clear of paint, you can store the aerosol without fear of plugging up.

Watch the demonstration video on the next slide…

You’re ready to go out there and mark your ballfield. From setting your string lines to cleaning your equipment, we covered it all.

We have one final Pop Quiz from this last section for you to try. Then you might want to review the previous sections to make sure you have it down before you move on to another lesson. If you do not see the quiz button below, please log in at GU to take the quiz.