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Karen Brindle [ PM ]
Spray tank heat effect on microbes new
April 20, 2020 09:44PM Registered: 9 years ago
Posts: 103
The discussion on spray tank pressure got me thinking about heat. My 50gal PakTank agitator gets the liquid quite warm by the time I get down to 1/3 tank, or so. I can feel it in the handgun. Sometimes it is warm for quite awhile as I maneuver to trees in different locations on our property. Is this damaging the little guys?

Vista Ridge Orchard
Zone 8a in Washington
235 Cider and heritage apple trees, 72 varieties,
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Michael Phillips [ PM ]
Re: Spray tank heat effect on microbes new
April 23, 2020 02:56AM Moderator
Registered: 10 years ago
Posts: 621
I’m intrigued that your spray tank water heats to such a degree that you are expressing concern, Karen. I have not experienced this. I’ve heard PakTank sprayers sometimes need adjustment with respect to where the agitator paddles are positioned on the shaft but that certainly shouldn’t lead to noticeably warmer water. Perhaps the pump action warms things slightly at the tail end of each tank? I do like the idea of holding a warm nozzle gun in my hand on a cold day, admittedly.

Here’s some parameters that might be helpful. Effective microbes are held either side of 100F for the first couple days when being activated so another 10 to 20 minutes at “body temperature” surely won’t do in lactobacilli and friends. Canning fresh juice requires heating to 160F for a full two minutes to kill the yeast and thus stop fermentation . . . but surely you’re nowhere near pasteurization temperatures when spraying microbes.

Lost Nation Orchard
Zone 4b in New Hampshire
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Karen Brindle [ PM ]
Re: Spray tank heat effect on microbes new
April 28, 2020 05:40AM Registered: 9 years ago
Posts: 103
Next time I spray I will try to measure the temp. Those parameters are helpful Michael, I will be interested to see what it is. Too bad there is no way to turn off the agitation only when I get down to the lower level on the tank, everything is thoroughly mixed by then!

Vista Ridge Orchard
Zone 8a in Washington
235 Cider and heritage apple trees, 72 varieties,