Anyone here water wash a 36z Putz, not going to try try but what IS the procedure

Found on a Google search, lots of info, read it a couple times so you understand everything he talks about.  Print it out and keep in a handy spot in the cab.  As he states, practise it in the yard with just water, (a 'dry run', so-to-speak) so you don't have to do it on-site, under pressure.

Waterwash is quick and dirty for lazy folk like me.  Gotta have a site that doesn't mind the mess on-site and is willing to clean it up.  Or have the RM truck stick around so you can blow out into it & waterwash into it, then all you have is the hopper drop.

Water-washing is strictly a rock or swing-tube operation. and you've got to have a good strong pump kit. 

What I do, is A-frame the boom, throw the splash board on & pump the hopper down until I get 6 or 7 dry 'spits' in the hopper.  Then I fill the hopper RIGHT TO THE TOP of the rubber.  I've got an older long-rock, so the hopper is HUGE!!.  I also have a 1-1/2" ball valve I can open to dump the water straight from the tank into the hopper - I made that modification myself, it's a LOT quicker than the water pump.

Then I crank up the volume control, rev the engine up & let 'er buck!!  After 7 or 8 strokes there will generally be water coming out of the tip hose, then I throw the pump into reverse, and the remaining water in the #1 & 2 sections will rush back to the hopper, carrying all the rock & sand back with it.  I usually pump about 20 strokes backwards to be sure, but there is usually quite a bit of air bubbling back out of the cylinders after 9 or 10, I go for the over-kill to be safe!

Counting strokes is a good habit to get into, whether priming out, water-washing, or sucking a sponge back. it'll give you an idea of where the plug is, if you should ever be so unfortunate to experience one. 

There is usually only a 1/2" or so of slimy stuff in the hopper elbow when I break it apart, then I pump forward 2 strokes to clean out the cylinders & valve. then I go about cleaning up the hopper in the standard fashion.

This is not a procedure for the faint of heart, I've messed up on 3 occassions where I either didn't start with enough water, or pumped too much out the tip & didn't have enough water left to carry the mud back to the hopper.  I ened up having to crawl into the turret & break the pipe apart & clean it out.  There is usually some left in the deck pipe & the first few feet of the first boom section as well. I've done this clean-up back at the shop.

One of these screw-ups was caused by the mud being rather coarse, and binding up the valve in the hopper and it couldn't shift to make the next stroke.  When the water stops flowing back, the rock settles out in the turret, with sands on top, and cement powder above that - that's what's in the first section of pipe on the boom. (I've had to deal with that on a Monday after a failed prime ---ugh!! You guessed it...messed up water-wash on Friday!!)

The first indication that it has gone bad, is that you don't get much water back in the hopper, The mud that comes back with the water, will nearly match the volume of mud that came out the tip, so the hopper is almost over-flowing again.  The next hint is when you fold up, there will be a rush of water out the boom tip as you set it into the cradle, then you know you're in for a bad next couple hours.

And don't even bother trying to pump this plug out, it ain't happening, what you're left with is nice, clean stones in the last part of the deck pipe, up into the turret, and progressively finer material above that. There is no slippery stuff left in it to ease it through the pipe

Go back to the shop & face the music....you've just learned something!!

One way to ensure you have enough water, is to have the mixer truck stick around and when you've filled the hopper with water, pump 2 strokes forward (2 strokes only!!) that way you've got that additional volume of water in the system, and the mud shouldn't have gotten beyond the deck pipe into the turret & started segregation in the turret pipe when you stop. (that would be BAD!!)  Then use his water to top up the hopper & any more you can hope to steal from him for your tank for your hopper clean-up.

Anything bigger than a 36M & I don't think you would have enough water on board to do this without an additional water source.  At least in my vintage of pump.

I've water-washed into the mixer drum on occasion....they kind of like that at the end of the day. The safest way is to have the tip hose removed so you don't have the nasty potential for whipping.  Maybe it would be prudent to remove the steel reducers as well, and only have the swivel elbow remaining.  If you do go with just putting the hose into the mixer, don't put it in too far and have it get wound up on the mixer's fins.  Maybe better yet, have the driver stop the drum.  And don't let the driver stand up at the funnel to watch, I don't know why they'd want to be that close to that much potential energy, but they do!

Only do this if you are prepared to handle the potential disaster that may occur, otherwise, stick with the tried & true.  The only bright point is that there is not much cement in any of this material to harden up, generally just a small amount in the first part a little ways into the first section.  Trust me, I know, I cleaned it out after it sat there for a long-weekend. 

Practise in the yard with water only. Then the first time, clean the mud out of the hopper & try it.  Then you can try it with just pumping the hopper down.  A word of caution: don't attempt it with a stiff slump unless you've got the additional water supply from the mixer or onsite.  If it's a stiff mix, you're well advised to re-circulate and slump it up a to a 6" or so.

G'luck, I take no responsibility for boom parties.

In reading your description I see no advantage to the water wash it seems like more trouble then it's worth and you run the risk of getting jammed up pretty good that's just my opinion why not just suck back a sponge slow I've never had a problem that way, also it seems to use allot of water what happens if you have 2 or 3 jobs a day then you gotta go to the trouble of getting water off the mixers it doesn't seem worth it like I said just my opinion though no offense to anyone.

The main thing you must remember is to make sure you have enough water and be A-framed. On a 36, I usually go about 2" above the grate towards the back. On a 52 and bigger, you better have a full hopper and sometimes I would give it one stroke when water is almost full and then finish filling the hopper. Never stop in the middle of a water wash, just like when you are priming. I always water washed for 9 years and now the company I work for discourages it and makes us suck a sponge. There is a whole procedure for doing it without problems but it takes too long to put on here. You can send me a message and I will help you with it.

Now you said don't stop in the middle of a water wash now if you lose signal during the wash then your f***ed it just seems like to much risk,now the other operator/my supervisor does not want us doing it so I got no reason to try it.

It all depends on how you have been trained. i always water wash and it works great for me. I would advise not to pump the water out at full bore tho. pump slow till you see water out the tip then reverse full bore. Check your deck pipe after you get your water back to the hopper then if needed i'll stroke forward 4 strokes to run the water back thru the deck pipe again. Definately wouldn't do it on your own first time. Have someone that does it normally with you

It does use a lot of water and that's a downside. But if you can fill the hopper quick and have water left over to do the little bit of hopper and valve rinse, it's super fast. On a long pour when the mud is tight under the valve, the force of the water coming back at full volume will dislodge that crap, saving a lot of time there too. It's just another option in your bag of tricks, it's good to know how to do, even if it's not a regular part of your pumping practice. It may save a boom party in the right situation - hot mud in the pipes, no fresh to push it out with - if you can, water-wash, it's fast, simple and it works - but it's gonna be messy.

FYI: From screwing the pooch more than a couple of times during a water wash ( battery died, 2 sections down on a 3 section boom) I've learned that MOST times if you put 5 gallons of water and a hard sponge in and pull back fast, it'll clear the pipe! Mostly I've messed up on a reverse waterwash,by leaving the hose in the puddle too long,or not long enough. Still works though!!

ok ill bite, just go w/ what you know, ive been trained to water wash, and i do 3 hoppers of water, but at my new job ive been shown how to suck a sponge the "right way" and im seeming to like it more, cause water washing is a good way to wear out and blow up a pipe,  they also encourage to do a 2 stroke plus a full hopper of water but since ive never done it i dont wanna rock pack so i go w what i know, this has worked for me up to a 52 meter.

Think I will stick to sucking the sponge, I agree with mudcup the water wash seems like more trouble than it is worth. Besides I have never had the ball not come back

The reason to know how to water wash is in a situation like this. Residential completed subdivision, no mess allowed anywhere within 5 miles. Ready mix plant 30 miles the wrong direction from your next job, which is is 1 hour from now. 3 pm, 90 degrees, you must get out of the driveway and get going now..... Water wash back into mixer truck, drive to next job carefully because of water trying to slosh out of hopper, arrive at next job, open valve, and check/clean out. pump forward 3 strokes to get the water back into the system, fill with new mud, and pour. Yes, I have done it often.

Birky, I guess the difference is that where I am the contractor knows ahead of time that they will provide a place for me to wash or I will choose my own spot on the job, they may not always like it but they usually understand it once it is explained to them that my job is to take care of the customer AND the very expensive (used to be) piece of iron that I brought with me. Try explaining this to your customer and let them consider whether or not they can get all 250 yards worth of 12 foot walls poured from the mixer! Don't want to sound cocky but sometimes you have to give and take a little bit here and there.

If you suck back 2 balls with enough water between and let it shift a couple of times in reverse
all that comes out you hopper when you dump it is a nice pile of clean sand, rocks and some water.

Pump Noob, don't forget about the sponge balls coming back, usually one of them is cut in 2.....LOL

BIRKYGERALD...that is called a suicide prime and the name fits. I have done it but do not recommend it to anyone. And do not ever do it unless I absolutely have to.