Waterwash Spray Booth Chemicals

Question:

I have two 1,400-gallon waterwash spray booths where I spray alkyd enamel bakes, polyurethanes, epoxies and waterborne paints. The problem I am having is my paint booth chemicals are not working properly. The supplier says that because I mix solvent-borne with waterborne it creates major problems like foaming over. We keep our pH at 8.2 roughly. A centrifuge spins the paint out of the water and places the water back into the tank. I have found a lot of people who think they know something about this. Do you know any experts that can help? A.F.

Answer:

Waterwash spray booth chemicals are formulated to accommodate specific type of paint. Perhaps your supplier is correct, at least as far as its chemicals are concerned. Furthermore, I am not surprised that you are getting foaming. Some waterborne paint will foam if you look at them crossly, and when they are agitated they will really foam. Perhaps using waterborne paints only in one spray booth will help. Since the relationship of paints to waterwash chemicals is so specific, that’s all I can tell you at this point.

Your next step is to call other suppliers. They will want to know the composition and use of all your paints so that they can recommend one or more of their products for you to try. And I do mean try, because of the mix of paint types you use.