AK230 Sealcoating Sprayer

Yes, simply close the main valve on the bottom of the tote. Disconnect the suction hose from the bottom of the tote and then put that end of the hose in a 5 gallon pail and turn the valve above the pump to spray mode and then start the engine. The pump will suck the water up out of the 5 gallon pail into the pump and down the spray hose out the gun and then spray the water out of the gun back into the 5 gallon pail you just sucked up and you can recirculate it in the pail like this while having the engine on low idle.

We cannot warranty a system if sand has been used in it as it will wear and ruin the seals. We do however, suggest applying the sand by hand with a grass seeding machine after applying a thin wet coat of sealer and then applying a second coat of sealer over top of the sand layer as a final coat.

300 gallon metal tanks with sweep agitation blades mostly move the product contents near the outside walls of the storage tank. The heavy paddles usually rotate very slowly and are driven by cumbersome gears, chains, and pulleys. The product near the center of the tank may never even get mixed at all!

To observe this, try this revealing experiment:

First take a can of paint, secondly take a paint stir stick. Now stir the contents using the stir stick only along the inside edge of the paint can slowly. Try to emulate the speed of a paddle moving around the inside of a storage tank. What happens to the contents in the center of the paint can? Hardly moves or mixes at all doesn't it?

The re-circulation system that comes with the AK Tote, Drum, Portable, 130 and 230 Sprayers is absolutely amazing. Your sealer mixes up in 3 to 4 minutes and ready to apply.

These systems are field-tested with our own brand of Coal Tar asphalt sealer. The systems cannot spray sealer with sand, and they cannot spray Asphalt Emulsion sealer.

We can't guarantee the performance of the systems with other people's sealer because they may add additives that we don't know about that could affect the performance of the pump, hoses, circulation, etc. We use the industry's best-quality sealer and we can assure you that you will not have any issues with it; if you wish to use another brand of sealer please contact the manufacturer to guarantee performance with your spray system.

If a chunk of sealer, a stone, or a rock is blocking the output of the tip, it would create a blockage in the tip that would create a trickle or a pressurized multi-stream spray. Sealer sitting in the tank for a long period of the tank can dry on the side walls and form flakes. These flakes can fall into the rest of the sealer and get suctioned through to your spray tip, causing a blockage.

We heavily advise investing in a filter kit, as it filters out unwanted chunks. See more troubleshooting tips for if you lose pressure at the spray tip.

This usually happens due to the tip clogging or if the tip is worn out past a usable point. Make sure to clean your spray tips after every sealcoat job. Buy new spray tips and invest in a filter kit to prevent clogged spray tips.

Any standard 4-stroke motor oil (like 10W30) for lawn mowers, snow blowers, etc. can be used.

Pump priming is simple. As long as there is constant liquid reaching the pump, it will prime and pump. The less air in the suction hoses the better the pump will prime and work.

When transferring sealer from drums to the main spray system tank make sure the transfer kit hose is completely full of water. Connect the barrel pipe to the transfer kit and then the other end of the transfer kit to the suction port of the pump and make sure the transfer kit hose remains full of water. Put the barrel pipe into the sealer drum. Make sure the ball valve handles are in transfer mode. Start your motor and begin your transfer.

The pump only needs to be primed the first time you use it or if you haven't used your pump for longer than 24 hours. Use 1 gallon of water in the pump through the pump orifice allows the machine to immediately push that liquid through, creating enough force to start pulling sealer from the tank.

If air is hitting your pump at anytime it will lose prime and the chances of burning up your seals are high. Make sure water or sealer is always reaching your pump.

If the pump is leaking between the engine and the motor, it's usually caused when the pump overheats, due to running the pump dry. The main master seal heats up and shrivels up, creating small cracks. Always make sure you run some kind of liquid in your pump, whether it be sealer or water during priming.

The 130 gallon system fits in trucks as small as Ford Rangers, Chevy S10's, or any full sized pickup truck.

The 230 gallon system fits in full sized pickup trucks like Ford F150's or larger.

Both systems fit in most trailers.

The 130 (130 Gallon Capacity) = 13,000 square feet of coverage.

The 230 (230 Gallon Capacity) = 23,000 square feet of coverage.

If you have the aluminum pump, it weighs 2930 when full with 230 gallons of sealer. With the cast iron pump, it is 2955 lbs. (Calculate the weight of sealer at 10lbs per gallon.)

No, it only works with refined coal tar emulsion. Slurry seal is only used with air operated units or in 99% of the cases applied with a squeegee and brush because of its viscosity.

The filter connects to the output port of the pump, and then your spray hose connects to the filter kit.  

You get this when the sealer is too thick and the pump cannot create a prime to circulate the sealer. Dilute it properly to achieve 20 to 30% water dilution.

Use a dipstick to check the level of your sealer at the end of the day and the next time you use your system, just in case of water evaporation (if the levels are different, add enough water to regain the previous sealer level).

Another possible reason could involve the system's ball valve. On the output part of the pump, there's a ball valve that allows you to redirect the sealer to the top of the tank or to the spray gun. If that ball valve is constantly or permanently broken to the spray gun, you wouldn't get recirculation.