ritmo wasted day

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clivo

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another wasted day on ritmo, got it up and spraying in morn with ians guidance, started spraying hpx base,thought all was going well then a third of way down gable the hose blocked, purge again then start afresh, got material to end of pipe as instructions but as soon as we put gun on it was only air coming out, material wouldn't pump and no reading on pressure gauge, couldn't get hold of ian so we ended up putting rest of gable on by hand, to say I was pissed off was an understatement, maybe thinking hpx doesn't like being sprayed, this machine plastering aint as easy as first thought ! Don't know what will happen if your spraying K1 top coat and it goes tits, can you hand apply it ?:RpS_cursing:
 
Oh Dear ! i did try ringing back but no answer. What was the mortar pressure guage at when the machine was running.
 
it was running at 15 but when I put gun on and tried to spray, dan said there was no pressure at all, so all we had was air and no material pumping
 
Welcome to the machine world, these thing have a mind of there own sometimes . When there good there good when they go wrong the stress levels go through the roof . See you doctor for ramopril a blood pressure tablet .
stick with it,when you get used to it you will be fine
 
This may be a silly question, but when you say you put the gun on and the air was coming out but it wouldn't pump and the pressure was on zero. Had you plugged in the pressure drop switch and turned the motor knob to the right? There is a lot to take in and learn when you first get going with a machine!

Have a good look over the machine and try to work out and understand what does what, when and why. It does help to have a bit of mechanical knowledge I should think, but when you break it down they're quite simple.

I have had it a couple of times myself blocking a pipe on start up, mainly with acrylic coatings, I haven't used HPX but I imagine that to be sticky too? I was taught to squirt a good glug of washing up liquid down the mortar hose before priming it with water when using the sticky stuff.

Good luck with it mate it comes good in the end just keep at it.
 
We had a problem with ours. Turn the motor on it goes. Turn off then on again and it won't go?

Found out my other lad who wants the Ritmo all to himself was turning it off at the red knob instead of the motor switch. It had to be re-set.

As for HPX? A bit like rend-aid then. Never sprayed it but some materials are ok others are not. People was having trouble with PFT 3 Phrase not so long ago spraying K Rend Silicone E Grade. D4-2 with clamp pump sorted it.

When we spray once we start we don't stop. When you stop thats when problems start.
 
think maybe im leaving too much for the Labrador to work out while im on scaffold rather than sorting it by the machine myself. we will crack it in the end, thanks for the advice lads :RpS_thumbup:
 
when spraying K1 onto a hpx base coat would you do in one pass or two ?, when we are doing by hand we always do two passes but wondered if you could manage in one on the spraying !
 
think maybe im leaving too much for the Labrador to work out while im on scaffold rather than sorting it by the machine myself. we will crack it in the end, thanks for the advice lads :RpS_thumbup:
Clivo ,try and look at it as you are learning ,with no pay mate ,you are going to loose money in the first week or so ,but it will all come together and your set up ,i have been there , but with back up from the pft guys you will get there ,ring them when you want to kick the **** out of the machine ,or just to run through the set up ,7 years down the line i still talk to les if something not right ,first port of call , it will work out and you will never look back , best of luck mate :RpS_thumbup:
 
I would do it in two mate, allowing the first pass to firm up a bit if you can as this K1 stuff is prone to seperation cracking. This can only help minimize slumping and cracking.
 
Clivo ,try and look at it as you are learning ,with no pay mate ,you are going to loose money in the first week or so ,but it will all come together and your set up ,i have been there , but with back up from the pft guys you will get there ,ring them when you want to kick the **** out of the machine ,or just to run through the set up ,7 years down the line i still talk to les if something not right ,first port of call , it will work out and you will never look back , best of luck mate :RpS_thumbup:
that's exactly how I am looking at it keith, first job is a learning curve, don't care how long it takes as long as it turns out a good job
 
Stick with it clivo,I had the same problems when I first started using my ritmo,and It was just simple things like starting up etc but you soon get used to it.once we were spraying we wouldn't stop if we could help it,getting anywhere between 50-80 Sqm on at any one spray,and if we did have any probs Ian would sort them for us either over the phone or through an email later on that evening.One of the best things Blones sent me was a start up sheet/check list that I found very good to run through every time I set up,but it made me laugh abit cos when he emailed it to me,it was called something like the idiots set up guid or something like that :RpS_lol: but very useful to me in the early stages.
we have also tried spraying hpx which we found to be very difficult,if I remember we sprayed it at a water setting of something like 170 so quite thick as at 200 we found it just run down the wall because there is no suction going onto a partially painted surface,which is what im sure hpx is for.I think Ian suggested the best method in an earlier thread,by spraying it at a slow speed like 6-7 and spraying it like a rough cast/tyrolean with the gun,I think I will try this method next time.Anyway I'm just in the possess of getting Ian to give my ritmo a service,as it will be back in action in the next couple of weeks,first time this year.stick with it mate you won't regret it.:RpS_thumbsup:
 
Stick with it clivo,I had the same problems when I first started using my ritmo,and It was just simple things like starting up etc but you soon get used to it.once we were spraying we wouldn't stop if we could help it,getting anywhere between 50-80 Sqm on at any one spray,and if we did have any probs Ian would sort them for us either over the phone or through an email later on that evening.One of the best things Blones sent me was a start up sheet/check list that I found very good to run through every time I set up,but it made me laugh abit cos when he emailed it to me,it was called something like the idiots set up guid or something like that :RpS_lol: but very useful to me in the early stages.
we have also tried spraying hpx which we found to be very difficult,if I remember we sprayed it at a water setting of something like 170 so quite thick as at 200 we found it just run down the wall because there is no suction going onto a partially painted surface,which is what im sure hpx is for.I think Ian suggested the best method in an earlier thread,by spraying it at a slow speed like 6-7 and spraying it like a rough cast/tyrolean with the gun,I think I will try this method next time.Anyway I'm just in the possess of getting Ian to give my ritmo a service,as it will be back in action in the next couple of weeks,first time this year.stick with it mate you won't regret it.:RpS_thumbsup:
thanks mate , good to know someone else had difficulty with hpx, started with something like water setting 220 but that was like piss, as we decreased water it was then bouncing off wall so other spread had to quickly trowel behind me or we would have had it all on floor, ended up wasting about 8 bags in all thro mistakes etc, but its all in the learning curve and I wont let it beat me, got three more houses to do after this one so got to get it right eventually, couple of smaller renders as well where im gunna try ocr. happy days :flapper:
 
that's exactly how I am looking at it keith, first job is a learning curve, don't care how long it takes as long as it turns out a good job

That's the best way to look at it mate.i bought my ritmo last February and reckon it took 3 or 4 jobs before I really nailed it.i pick and choose which jobs to use it on now.hand ball on the small jobs,machine on the big ones.
 
well, another day another problem ! first the pressure spiked so had to purge, then same problem as yesterday, when gun was put on, machine wouldn't cut in,rang ian but couldn't get hold of him, tried to stay calm but ended up giving up on it and hand applying the K1. anyway ian rang back but id cleaned machine by then and didn't wanna risk looking a knob in front of customer again. went thro the process and ended up being the bar on the end of air tube having a bit of old material in it, done as ian told me and the machine fired up, bloody hell I was pissed off.( Sorry ian if I sounded it on phone) These tiny problems will go away as we encounter them now ! Can anyone tell me why the first mix to go thro always seems to spike the pressure. and it takes ages to get the 10m hose purged, I had primed the hose and the mix seemed fine , about 250 on the water. pretty confident of a result next week after a frustrating first week :mad:
 
well, another day another problem ! first the pressure spiked so had to purge, then same problem as yesterday, when gun was put on, machine wouldn't cut in,rang ian but couldn't get hold of him, tried to stay calm but ended up giving up on it and hand applying the K1. anyway ian rang back but id cleaned machine by then and didn't wanna risk looking a knob in front of customer again. went thro the process and ended up being the bar on the end of air tube having a bit of old material in it, done as ian told me and the machine fired up, bloody hell I was pissed off.( Sorry ian if I sounded it on phone) These tiny problems will go away as we encounter them now ! Can anyone tell me why the first mix to go thro always seems to spike the pressure. and it takes ages to get the 10m hose purged, I had primed the hose and the mix seemed fine , about 250 on the water. pretty confident of a result next week after a frustrating first week :mad:


It does seem to take ages for the material to come through on the Ritmo but it does eventually. The blocked air pipe has happened to us twice and you learn by it. You will get there eventually.
 
It does seem to take ages for the material to come through on the Ritmo but it does eventually. The blocked air pipe has happened to us twice and you learn by it. You will get there eventually.
It seems to happen every time tho Rigsby and takes an hour to clean out !
 
Clive i think u have misunderstood how to purge a hose thats blocked. gimme a ring (not tonight)and i will explain it all again. Worst case scenario you can come back for more training if you feel you need it. FOC
 
Going with the training :RpS_thumbup: save your phone bill and you kicking the **** out of the machine , day out :RpS_thumbsup:
 
Clive i think u have misunderstood how to purge a hose thats blocked. gimme a ring (not tonight)and i will explain it all again. Worst case scenario you can come back for more training if you feel you need it. FOC
thanks ian, I will phone you tomorrow, if I can sort that then I reckon I will have it cracked
 
I think ,imo , that when you by a machine , you could have the option ,of a 2/3 day course ,which you pay for ,i would have done that ,to show you the ropes ,it is so much to take on board in one day . The Pft guys are second to none when you are in the **** ,but most of the time the calls are made in the early days of owning a machine , not the machine but the lack of knowledge , only a thought guys ,with respect
 
Clivo,

If ever you can't get hold of ian and your struggling you can always give me a bell me and ian are both still on the tools so do miss the odd call or 2
 
Im usually with someone or on the phone allready. He only gave me fifteen minz and he had it all cleaned out lol
 
I think ,imo , that when you by a machine , you could have the option ,of a 2/3 day course ,which you pay for ,i would have done that ,to show you the ropes ,it is so much to take on board in one day . The Pft guys are second to none when you are in the **** ,but most of the time the calls are made in the early days of owning a machine , not the machine but the lack of knowledge , only a thought guys ,with respect

My thoughts also Keith.most of the things go wrong are at the beginning for sure.
 
a standard training day would cost 240 plus vat. that is included in price of machine. 2 more days and the costs start to get high. consider travelling or accomadation costs plus material costs will be more.
i would offer that if thats what the customer wants. consider though that the telephone back up is FOC and as long we can establish the problem then we can fix it quickly most of the time
 
I think half a day is plenty.take 2 guys so at least then you can both take it in.most people want to get out the door with the machine in the van as I did.back up is key so I would advice to always buy off a dealer not from the likes of ebay if you are a machine virgin.with the dealers you will get good advice on materials to use through the machine.
 
a standard training day would cost 240 plus vat. that is included in price of machine. 2 more days and the costs start to get high. consider travelling or accomadation costs plus material costs will be more.
i would offer that if thats what the customer wants. consider though that the telephone back up is FOC and as long we can establish the problem then we can fix it quickly most of the time
As i have always said , you guys are second to none on your after sales , only a thought ,hope i did not offend
 
got to agree, the pft guys always sort the problem, its just that when you first get the machine you are scared of messing it up so your not thinking things through properly, it might take a while as it is with myself, but I know that when I get thro most of the problems that everyone on here has encountered it should be fine. Next week has got to get better !!!! I will ring you mon, early morn ian, not using machine till tues so get the purge probs sorted,
 
I was fortunate to have been offered a day watching an experienced Lord and Downing Team work although I missed the machine set up. On my first 3 jobs I employed an ex Lord and Downing machine operative who knew the ropes, otherwise the Monojet would have been chucked on the first passing scrap wagon!

But we also had Les Lord training but it is a lot to take in and remember. All our breakdowns was avoidable and down to operator error. Still do. Our Ritmo packed in 3/4 down a gable and it was a blocked air hole on the gun even though it was clean to start with. You will have teething problems and will learn by them. But it will take time. The more you do the better it will become.
 
If you brought a g4 ,i would say come a spend a few days we us ,i remember going through what you are mate
 
no offense taken kieth. feedback is important. like i said if the customer wants a longer training session when they buy a machine i will offer that and see what they say.
 
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