Is Your Sandblaster Clogged?

If you turn on your blaster and no abrasive comes out, it is most likely a clogged nozzle or hose. In this weeks Facebook Live video, Wes from IKONICS Imaging discusses these two common issues and how to address them.

Check for a Clogged Nozzle

The most common issue with abrasive not coming out of the hose is a clogged nozzle. If debris gets down into your machine and sucked up through the hose it can clog the back of your nozzle. All our hoses have a quick connect to remove the hose from the nozzle effortlessly. Once you disengage the teeth with the quick connect, pull out the hose and look through the back side of the nozzle to see if any debris is clogged inside. If the nozzle appears to be clogged, take a paperclip and clean out the nozzle.

Perform a Purge

If you've checked the nozzle and it looks clear, you may have a clog in a different part of the machine and it's time to perform a purge.

First, remove the nozzle using the quick connect as explained above and increase the pressure on the machine to 60 psi. On the bottom of the machine, switch the choke valve to 100% air by turning the valve parallel with hose. This puts the maximum amount of air through the system. Next, hold the hose with a strong grip and turn on the machine (be aware that this can create static shock due to the high pressure). Finally, step on the foot pedal and blow out all abrasive and possible debris, making sure to run the machine until everything is cleaned out of the hoses (anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes).

Still Not Working?

Unclogging the nozzle and/or performing a purge on the machine will fix your clogged abrasive problem 95% of the time. However, if these two steps didn't solve your issue, you may need to dig deeper. Additional clogs may be in the bottom of the pressure pot, mixing valve or in the lines. You may need to disassemble the parts and use some compressed air to make sure everything is cleaned out.

Contact IKONICS Imaging

Click here to watch Wes demonstrate these tips in the Facebook live video. If you have tried all these steps and are still having issues, please contact our support team for further troubleshooting on your clogged sandblaster.