Boom Sprayer Calibration--Instructions,,,,,,,,,,
"This spreadsheet was designed to simplify the calibration of your boom sprayer. These step-by-step instructions should help you make sure your spray equipment is running properly and efficiently. If your equipment is used frequently then you should calibrate your equipment more than once each year. If your equipment is used infrequently then your equipment should be calibrated at least once each year. If your boom sprayer has 20 nozzles or less use the ""Formulas 1-20"" worksheet, if it is larger use the ""Formulas 1-120"" worksheet. It is very important that you use the same equipment for calibration and actual field work. Do not switch your power units.",,,,,,,,,,
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To avoid over or under spray streaks each nozzle should vary less than 5% over or under the average of all the nozzles tested.,,,,,,,,,,
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Be sure to clean your sprayer and use clean water for the calibration exercise. Make any necessary repairs before calibrating the equipment. Fill the sprayer tank with enough water that you won't run out (it is best to not run out of water before you are done calibrating your equipment).,,,,,,,,,,
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Before you start you will need:,,,,,,,,,,
Stop Watch,,Pen/Pencil,,Graduated Beaker (ounces or milliliters),,,,Clip Board,,
Data Collection,,,,,,,,,,
Step 1.,"On the correct ""Formulas"" worksheet select the ""Measurement Unit"" in cell J1--""ounces"" or ""milliliters"".",,,,,,,,,
Step 2.,"On the ""Formulas"" worksheet select the ""Speed Calculated by"" choice in cell B6. (If ""MPH"" is selected use the speedometer on the power unit or the speed tracking with a GPS unit and enter it for the ""Speed Measurements"". If ""200 feet"" is selected use steps 10 & 11 to determine the time required to cover 200 feet.)",,,,,,,,,
Step 3.,"Enter the name of the person doing the calibration, name of the spray rig, and the tractor or power unit used",,,,,,,,,
Step 4.,"Enter the date of the test, the type of nozzle installed on the spray rig (note: all nozzles need to be the same in order for the program to calibrate properly), and the number of nozzles.",,,,,,,,,
Step 5.,"Print the ""Formulas"" worksheet to record the data collection.",,,,,,,,,
Step 6.,"Start the spray rig and get it up to the desired pressure. Record the pump pressure. It is critical to run the pump at the same pressure during both the calibration and spraying. Otherwise, the calibration will be off.",,,,,,,,,
Step 7.,Use the stop watch to time the collection from each nozzle in the beaker,,,,,,,,,
Step 8.,"Record the amount of collected spray in the appropriate ""Volume collected"" cell for each nozzle",,,,,,,,,
Step 9.,Record the time liquid was collected from each nozzle--the program will calcualte the collection volume to 15 seconds to determine the average and the variance.,,,,,,,,,
Step 10.,Mark a distance of 200 feet to determine the time it will take for the spray rig to cover that distance,,,,,,,,,
Step 11.,Record the time (in seconds) it takes the rig to travel 200 feet (be sure the rig is up to full operating speed before it crosses the starting line),,,,,,,,,
Data Entry,,,,,,,,,,
"At this point you can take the information you collected and enter it into the ""Formulas"" worksheet. Be sure the correct ""Measurement Unit"" in cell J1 and the ""Speed Caluclated by"" in cell B6 are selected, otherwise the calculations will be off. This worksheet will automatically calculate the total test volume, average nozzle volume, nozzle variation, total boom volume, time to spray one acre and gallons per acre. A color code has been built into the worksheet to indicate when nozzle variance is less than 5% (2.5% above or below=green), between 5 - 10% (2.5-5% above or below=yellow), or more than 10% (5% above or below=red) based on the average of all the nozzles. If the ""Nozzle variance"" is more than 5% above or below the average volume, replace worn nozzles or clean dirty nozzles, then repeat steps 6 & 8 and record the corrected information for those nozzles.",,,,,,,,,,
Step 11.,"Enter the tank size, acres to be sprayed, and the rate per acre of the chemical(s) to be used. The program will calculate how many acres can be sprayed with one tank and the amount of chemical to mix in the tank. If the last tank will be a partial load enter the number of acres remaining and the program will calculate the gallons of water and chemical amounts needed to complete the job.",,,,,,,,,
"Once Nozzle variation is in an acceptable range, and gallons per acre has been determined, you are ready to mix your chemical according to the label and begin field work.",,,,,,,,,,