The bread and butter of a paint store, your mixing and tinting equipment is crucial to the success of your business. If these tools break, you lose customers and revenue. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep your machines in good working order to avoid downtime.
Paint & Decorating Retailer spoke to KC Adams, owner of Pacific Tool & Equipment, and Eric Wolfe, a technician with Midwest Paint Equipment. These experts shared five tasks retailers should keep on their maintenance list to avoid major issues with these critical machines.
1. Mandate Employee Training
If you purchase a new machine, require all of the employees who will be using that machine to go through the manufacturer’s training so they understand how the machine works and how to maintain it properly. Do the same anytime you bring on a new employee as part of their training.
“That’s a problem we see with many clients. They’re not doing the necessary daily maintenance because they’re not trained on it,” Wolfe says.
The type of training offered for these machines varies depending on the manufacturer and can include everything from a basic user manual to training videos to a technician coming on-site to conduct training sessions. Wolfe says Midwest Paint Equipment does training for some of its retail customers and recommends that retailers host refresher training at
least once a year.
2. Conduct Daily Cleaning
Wipe down the tinting machines regularly to keep the nozzles clean and unclogged and grease the bearings of the shakers. Wolfe says he uses warm water with a little alcohol and a cheap toothbrush to clean the nozzles.
“I see a lot of places that don’t do daily or weekly maintenance,” Wolfe says. “If you don’t clean the nozzles, they can become clogged and even full of mold. We had one client who was having trouble with mistinting and we figured out it was because the nozzles were so clogged they were pulling colors from both sides.”
With a tinter, if more than two to three hours passes between uses, Adams recommends a general purge, following the manufacturer’s recommended purge and cleaning intervals to the letter. He also suggests thoroughly cleaning and purging the nozzle and verifying all agitation motors are functioning each day.
“Keep the nozzles clean and free from dried colorant buildup,” Adams says. “With auto-tinter machines it is crucial to keep the humidifier system—the sponge and cup that closes over the dispenser nozzle—clean and moist.”
3. Pay Attention
Wolfe says he sees numerous instances of retailers who ignore issues and don’t fix problems when they occur, which leads to more problems. For example, he recommends cleaning debris out of the bottom of the shaker to avoid that debris causing serious issues.
“If your machines start making weird noises, stop using them,” Wolfe says. “Some retailers will keep running them when one thing fails, which leads to another piece failing and on and on.”
4. Perform Regular Maintenance
The frequency of maintenance will depend on the type of machine you have and how often you use it. Wolfe recommends preventative maintenance at least once a year to calibrate the machines, check the pumps for any abrasive damage from the colorants and change the filters if necessary.
“The frequency of preventative maintenance depends on the usage of the machine,” Wolfe says. “We have programs set up with some of our stores to come in every six months because some machines are a little more needy when it comes to maintenance.”
Adams says frequency of use is key to how often a retailer’s equipment needs preventative maintenance.
“Our minimum recommendation to retailers is to undergo preventative maintenance and calibration twice per year. For machines used in commercial settings or high-volume retail stores, we suggest quarterly preventative maintenance and calibration,” Adams says. “We also suggest combining all shaker maintenance with your auto-tinter scheduled maintenance program to stay on top of both.”
5. Keep the Area Tidy and Organized
Keep your paint areas clean of dirt and debris that can cause issues in your machines. In the tinting machine, be sure the colorant canister lids and area remain clean and clear.
You can avoid any internal spills in your shaker machine by verifying the container lids are secured properly, and be sure to clean up any paint spills in or around the machine to keep it in good operating order.
Retailers should also maintain the colorant levels in tinting machines to keep the colorants from drying on the canister walls. Dried colorant can plug up the filter and make the pumps work longer and harder and negatively affect the dispenser’s accuracy.
“Don’t be afraid to use your machines regularly but take the steps to keep them clean and in working order,” Adams says. “Regular machine use is actually better than intermittent use for keeping the machine in good operating order.”
