Anyone have problems with spray bottles that stop working?

[beanluc]

Seems like every spray bottle I get stops working after a couple of months. It's like the spring won't push the plunger/piston/whatever back out after squeezing the trigger.

(Sometimes they start leaking, too, but that's not the problem that drives me wild.)

The springs aren't broken, it's more like the cylinder/plunger/whatever is sticky. I can wiggle it back out and get a full trigger stroke again, but then it just sticks in the pressed position again.

I had one once which had the end of the piston/cylinder/whatever attached to the trigger, so I could basically work the trigger in two directions for a while: squeeze to spray and then pull to draw/re-set. This thing just broke right apart after a while though.

So this is my question:
Who else has this problem? Can it be avoided? Can it be fixed? Can I stop this landfill abuse and hydrocarbon waste?

[Jkelee]

Mine all stop working too, after a few to couple of months! My hubbie tries to fix them, or throws them away.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I had the same issues too. I guess spray bottles were just not meant to take that kind of usage on a regular basis.

That's why I decided to get a spray canister. The parts are replaceable and inexpensive depending on what you get. They're durable and pretty low maintenance.

[beanluc]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

...not meant to take that kind of usage on a regular basis

Eh, I dunno, I could buy that if we were talking about a small amount of some product packaged in a disposable spray bottle. These things are supposed to be durable though: I buy them empty.

I actually get my money back (actually, trade them in for replacement) about half the time, from one of the nursery retailers around here, if they stop up in <60 days (keep those receipts). But jimbly crizzet, just gimme one that lasts! I'll pay double... triple!

When I worked in a cafeteria in college, there were ones full of "red juice" for cleaning tables. Those things really did last a long time - you just kept filling them up again out of this gigantic barrel of red juice. Where did those go? I ordered "red juice" from an online cleaning products vendor. It came, I put the red juice in a jar, and used the bottle for plants, like always. What do you know? Dead of a heart attack at 35 - almost like John Belushi, but days not years.

It would be nice if there was just a way to un-stick the pump. That's the problem they all have.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

This is what I mean, when I said that. This is going to sound like a horrible math problem so bear with it...

Let's just say hypothetically you own 350 orchids. Of those 350 in your collection, there are 125 that are mounted. And out of those 125 that are mounted, 110 need to be watered 4 days a week. Now...let's say just for kicks, you one day decided to count how many squeezes of the trigger it takes to water just 1 orchid completely and thoroughly in one watering and that number happens to be 20 squeezes of the trigger.

Now assume that all 110 mounted orchids that need to be watered 4 times a week will have the same number of squeezes to the trigger of your spray bottle each (remember that's 20 squeezes). So...if you're following me right now, here's the math:

(110 mounted orchids) x (20 squeezes of the trigger) x (4 waterings a week) = (8,800 squeezes of the water bottle trigger)

Okay...but you still have the other 15 mounted plants. Let's just say these 15 plants need to be watered 3 times a week. Again assuming these 15 plants need 20 squeezes of the trigger from the same water bottle as the one mentioned above to be completely and thoroughly watered, let's do the math:

(15 mounted plants) x (20 squeezes of the trigger) x (3 waterings a week) = (900 squeezes of the trigger from your water bottle)

Now lets account for all the 125 mounted orchids and the number of squeezes it takes for them to be properly watered:

8,800 + 900 = 9,700 squeezes

Then multiply this number by let's just say 30 days, (mine actually lasted about one to two years):

9,700 x 30 = 291,000 squeezes!!!

Then take into account that these spray bottles were manufactured in China where quality control is like shooting darts in the dark. And...voila! I'm willing to bet that this problem is not just yours!!!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Actually, now that I've read the problem again... The 291,000 squeezes within 30 days was incorrect.

It should actually be:

9,700 squeezes of the trigger of your water bottle for all 125 mounted orchids in a week. And 291,000 squeezes for 30 weeks.

So let's calculate for 4 weeks...:

9,700 x 4 = 38,800 squeezes after 4 weeks.

Now here's my disclaimer; it's actually a ball park figure and the 38,800 squeezes should account for a + or - 1% or 2% margin of error.

[beanluc]

I have like 20 orchids. 3 mounted. Man, if you have anywhere near that number of orchids, and you had a spray bottle last 1-2 years, just lemme know where I get one...

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Actually, about 2 years ago, I HAD over 500 orchids. I didn't break down how many were potted and how many were mounted. Many of them were species.

I had a lot of personal issues I had to work out and I struggled to find out how to grow some of the more exotic and rarer species, therefore because of these two reasons many of my orchids passed on. I currently own around 85, (fortunately some of the rarest ones from my old collection made it).

The spray bottle I had is probably no longer manufactured. I got mine at The Home Depot. I looked for the one I thought was the sturdiest most heavy duty one I could find. The manufacturer claimed it was for industrial use. Those are the only recommendations I can give you on how to find a good heavy duty spray bottle.

Because I had over 500 plants, I didn't have the time or energy to deal with squeezing the trigger of a regular old spray bottle several times to water my plants, so I opted for a spray canister (the ones used for herbicides or insecticides). There are even ones with straps you can wear like a backpack for about $90.

[jkofferdahl]

They make half-gallon spray bottles that pump, much like the larger bottles used to spray insecticides, etc. I think they're about $10 at HD or Lowe's, and work like a charm. The price seems a little steep until you balance their durability against that of a $3.99 spray bottle.

[playtime8978]

I was wondering if people put fertilizer in the spray bottles which might be a bit sticky and clog it up, mine sprays after a few squeezes but leaks I get drips of water everywhere ( that gets on my nerves)