Just wondering what is the best/safest way to clean your boom after the pour. I tilt elbow up fill with water/put  sponge in .Boomup  to 40 degreeplus/minus  and draw at 2 to 3 on dial/  till I get a Ping at the deck pipe.  Just Wondering   What you guy's do out there

sounds good to me, yet might try a little slower

Recirculate if its hot or stiff and add some water in hopper til its slumpy. We have heated and accelerated concrete here.

Yes some guys down here suckback in an A frame or a Z no matter , but DOOM on the next guy that runs that boom if it has been a couple O day's.     I guess that may be a problem if you do not have an assigned  piece.

I just suck back a damp 8X8 square sponge slow takes about 1.30-2.00min. Slower the better that way it cleans the elbows nicely I never had a problem priming out evan a couple weeks later works gr8 for me.

put sponge in then water then another sponge.... water before sponge will bite u on the ass one day in the deck line

Everytime I try to put a ball in first then water and another ball I always chop the first ball in half ! Which is annoying so I just use water and 1 ball. I must be doing something wrong when I try the 2 ball washout.

It happens with me to.. I only suck 2 balls if there is a good stopping pinn on the primeport..

someone said to me the other day, if your not using your boom a while, suck back with a ball soaked in diesel to stop rust forming, not a bad idea! but ive never had a prob with rust, anyone else??

suck back on of these nice and slow (25% VOLUME) using a few litres of water between sponges, listen to the tip elbow as the sponges go back, once you can hear an echo as the machine changes strokes you're golden, the sponges will be sitting in the transition door everytime.

I like the diesel idea, definitely going to give it a try.

I suck back an 8x8 sponge, but the first time you use it saturate it with oil, it lasts longer and washes out easier.  I A frame the boom and start wide open until it goes over the top then slow it down to 4 or slower on your stroke limiter  to slow it down going through the deck pipe.  I just put on a new boom system no build up and it takes less then 30 sec,

That is less then 30 sec to run the sponge!  Just watch for the water in the hopper.  If your not sure if the sponge is back put your ear to the jib elbow and you can hear the hollow sound and air blows back.

Waterwash it's the only way to go!! 

The best answer is to do what works best for you and gets the boom clean. I only use one sponge inside a plastic bag so the sponge does not get concrete sucked into the middle of it. The sponge is clean and only needs a quick rinse.

pig

Hey 16 cell I like those balls we have the same of course, But I use a damp 8x8 never had an issue pulling slow, two if hot stiff mud though, eat one who cares hehe. But not that often. Butch loves them Fank seems to also, don't buy of build to many we have a dozen not used.

I put a pail of water in the end and hard sponge to follow, fold it all up, put boom back on truck and suck it back nice and slow.  Never had a problem yet, truck has even sat for a couple weeks and primes no problem.

Seeing that Mile Mike brought it up... I own a telebelt,and am now getting into line pumping. Will a pig clean out hose or pipe better than a sponge?

Gord i would be afraid of having a big sponge and a  shower of concrete falling all over my pump if i folded up with out sucking back first.

Must be a Z boom he's talking about.. I can not suck back a ball with my Z boom if its in Z possition so I put the boom on the truck first and then suck back.. Works great..

I do run a Z boom but have done this with a roll and fold, before i fold the boom up with the roll and fold i stroke it backwards two strokes and then fold it up.  Mesy trying to figure it out though lol 

I don´t know how to say it in a nice way - but i try. Ask your boss how much a spongeball cost! He will never tell you that a spongeball is ok to use as a onetime-usething, because a spongeball costs 10 times more than what´s possible to believe (the price is unacceptable high). Maybe you think i´m very scrooge - i have to be that to run a pumpcompany - just as your employers.

Just for fun, check out what a spongeball cost - Then you know if it´s a onetime-usething.  

Take my reply as it is - i don´t wish any harm.

8x8 spounge  $10,  ball $20-25

we pay less than $20 for a 5" round sponge, around $5 for a 8X8 square. the round sponges (because they are rubberized) last about a year, and are much quicker/easier to clean than the squares. Square sponges last about a month, at best.... in our application.

Sounds good 16 cell.. 1 year.. I also mannage that but I keep my balls in a bucket of water all the time.. Unless they get to big then I leave them out a while but always put them in water for a while after a job.. I never throw away a ball because its worn out.. Only when I accidentaly loose it or cut it..

Walmart five bucks.

16 cell  ,What hardness of balls do you use ?  soft, medium, hard, what works the best ?

I get 4 months out of a 8x8, just wash it.

Hard ball allways clean best....most preassure to the inside of the tube - but most work to get it into the tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2uxlhE7mOQ&context=C33f6af2ADOEgsToPDskLkfPK3Q917mo3N_fggIxid

this is how i do it clean as a whisle.

Mrpumpy how do you keep your machine so clean? Thats one extremely clean pump.

mr pumpy, you drive with a hopper full? What if you break down, or get helled up for what ever reason...(big list)?

You don't drive with a full hopper !!?? Cool..

I prefer the ones from Putz that come packaged in a clear plastic bag, I would call them a "medium" hardness.

thank you for the compliment. i clean it every day that's all. and if i have some time on my hands i keep busy removing every drop of concrete that falls on the pump with a paint-knife. my remote i keep clean allways having a thootbrush in my pocket.

we drive with concrete in the hopper practically every day. but in this case the concrete in the hopper is washed-out because of the 100 liters water i mixed in it sucking the ball. i hope you enjoyed the video thow.

I like to water wash. But that's not always the case. The mixer company here doesn't like us doing it into the mixers and sometimes you have to be really clean on the job. Not a lot of basements here to clean out next to the footing. 

Its also such a waste in some situations.. If the mixer has like 1 yard left and you would pump emty in the mixer the have like 1,5 yards in the drumm.. Then they can go back to the plant and just fill new concrete on top of the old and mix it in.. Or they can make blocks of it at the factory like they do at many places.. Safes a lot of waste and polution.. But if we water wash up in the mixer that 1,5 yards is all wasted.. Huge polution..

ReaLly not a waste off water. I have to travel some long distances to wash out. It helps since we have a way to recycle the water and materials at our plants. 

 Waterwash is the best way, but if you dont know how to do it have someone show you how to do it. If know body there knows how come to the western US. and you can learn. When I and others were helping 10 years ago Wisconson we showed contractors there how we did it and they were impressed. Since then we have left and I'm sure they still suck a sponge. Suck a sponge or blow the boom with water take the pipe apart and see which is cleaner. I,ll bet mine is cleaner. The only thing I forgot to mention is your wear parts such as cutting ring and kidney seal on a schwing has to be in good shape.

 Maybe the reason the mixer company dos'nt like it is because they try to sell that old shit to the next company like they have done here in the past.

 Everybody in the US. probably drives with concrete in the hopper every day but it is illegal. It can and probably makes your truck overweight. Whats that ticket going to cost you since you are driving. Just remember those are your tickets not the companys.

I as a linepumper, doing 2 or in best case 4 pumpjob a day, and allways i keep the concrete in the hopper alive between every pumpjob - never washout before next pumpjob!! - 5 sugarcubes and some water in the hopper a job makes a linepumper happy...Just go to next pumpjob...Even in hot summerdays 200 km away.

Even if i never wash out my pump between every job (not even in full summerheat - 30 degree C in shadow), i charge every costumer a washoutfee: 820 kr + moms! (121,91 + tax). they don´t know that i use sugar to keep the concrete alive in the hopper. I see it as a workingskill - and a workingskill is worth money! About: 820 SKR or 121,91 USD after every doned job.

If a costumer ask someting about that charge: "It is a selfcost for dumping restconcrete" What else?  

I like those days when i have 4 small pumpjobs....Ok, lots of pumphours (very good) - but also many hopperwashoutfees.(extreemly good). Sad, but to run a pumpcompany it´s nessesarey to do like this.

My costumers don´t look through me so well as my wife does!