Blog: Getting the most out of your Rendering and Plastering Machine - CES Hire

You have just bought a new or second hand Rendering and Plastering Machine and you’re ready to put it to work and start to earn you some money back. Before you start getting the machine spraying render or plaster it’s important to know a few tricks of the trade that we at CES Hire have picked up over the 30 plus years we have been hiring rendering and plastering machines…

Daily Checks

Spending 5 to 10 minutes carrying out checks on your Rendering and Plastering machine spray equipment before you begin your spray, is a great way to maintain the performance of your render or plaster spray machine. This short check in the morning can also help spot any faults there may be with your equipment. We recommend checking the below…

Electric Rendering or Plastering Machines

• Water feed – Are you getting a consistent supply of water with good pressure? Make sure you are the only person using that particular water supply and no one is going to turn you supply off. Using a water butt is a good way of getting a consistent feed.
  
  
• Water filter – Make sure it is clear and allowing water to pass through.
  
  
• On 3 Phase machines make sure your Phases are the right way round – If not the machine will run backwards and not pump.
  
  
• Good Power source available? – Make sure you have a good consistent power source that is dedicated to your machine and will not trip out. If the power keeps dropping out you could end up damaging your machine and its components.

Diesel Rendering or Plastering Machines

• Oils – Check your Engine, hydraulic and compressor oil levels.
  
  
• Fuel level – It sounds obvious but make sure your machine is full of diesel. If your machine has a full tank of diesel at the start of the day then it should remove the potential stress and hassle of running out halfway through a spray. Remember they are classed as plant machinery so using Red Diesel is fine.
  
  
• Engine coolant level – If it runs out of coolant your machine will over heat and cut out. This causes downtime and could result in costly repairs.
  
  
• Grease points greased? – This ensures all the parts on the machine that are supposed to move can move freely and free from contamination, extending the life of your machine parts.

Some other bits of equipment to check on your rendering or plastering machine include…

Rotors and Stators – Is your rotor and stator providing enough pressure to transfer the material from the machine to the wall? If not it could be time to change it.

Hoses and couplings – are they clear and in good condition. Blocked hoses will not allow material to travel through to your spray gun. Perished or damaged delivery hoses can be dangerous as when under pressure they are more likely to split. 

Lubricating Hoses Prior To Spraying

One way of increasing the life of your rotor and stator and your delivery hoses is to ensure they are lubricated prior to spraying. Lubricating your delivery hoses reduces the resistance created in the hose, therefore allowing the render or plaster to pass through the hoses a lot easier and taking some strain off the machine. You can lubricate your hoses in a few different ways…

1. Pump pure cement through the hoses prior to spraying and walk it out.
   
   
2. Pump a special hose primer through your hoses such a leyco slick and walk it out.
   
   
3. Pour water down the hose and walk it out (Water is not the best of lubricants and should be used as a last resort).

Note: It is important to walk out your water or hose primer prior to spraying to ensure that the material you are spraying is consistent. Leaving water or cement in a hose will make it mix with your product you are spraying. This will see the finish product on the wall being either too wet or too cement rich and not to the clients spec. It can also wash out the goodness in the mix which will cause a blockage in your hoses.

Keeping The Machine Clean

Not only will keeping your rendering or plastering machine clean improve your company’s image when you turn up to site, it will also keep it working well. Renders and plasters are designed to be strong when they dry and set. This is great when putting material on the wall but not as good when they set on or inside your machine. Dry material can cause hoses, mixing chambers and rotors and stators to block. Although these parts of the machine are known as wear parts, the can add unnecessary costs to your company. So you don’t want to be replacing them unless you really have to. 

Maintenance At Regular Intervals

It sounds quite obvious but you’ll be surprised at the amount of plastering or rendering machine owners who forget to maintain or service there machine until it’s too late. One vital part of the machine to look after is the Rotor and Stator. This is the unit on the machine that creates pressure to push your render or plaster down the delivery hoses and onto the wall. You will know when your rotor and stator is on the way out as it will begin to lose pressure. Some Rotors and Stators have ‘jackets’ you can fit to them to tighten the stator and get a little more life out of them. We always recommend keeping a spare rotor and stator in the van as a backup in case your rotor and stator dies on you. On an electric mixer pump a tell-tale sign of a worn rotor and stator is the material going wet, dry, wet, dry.

Diesel machines – On a diesel powered render machine we recommend a full service around every 150 hours (which includes a changing of Oils and filters). This is only a rough guide and one we use on a hire fleet. For a more accurate time scale you can refer to your machine service manual. You can carry out a service on your machine yourself or at a garage. If however you would like to get a diesel rendering machine expert to look at your machine we will be happy to help.

You can find our full service packages here.

Or call us on 01494 715472 for more information.