Maintenance
Maintenance.
Everything you need to keep DuraSpray™ No.01 working: what it can spray, how to clean it, which parts wear, and how to lubricate it.
01 — What It Can Spray
What Touches Your Solution.
Spray head
316L stainless steel
The marine grade, chosen for its superior durability.
Springs
304 stainless steel
The hinge pin and the piston and check valve springs.
Seals
Platinum-cured silicone & Rubber
Off-the-shelf seals make common repairs quick and easy.
Glass
Type III soda-lime
Inert to nearly everything, but it dislikes hydrofluoric acid, sodium hydroxide solutions, hot concentrated alkalis, and sudden changes in temperature.
The Table
Solution by Solution.
Ratings run left to right across the four materials, and the Overall column takes the most cautious of them. Tap or hover over any question mark for examples of cleaners that commonly contain it.
Rated at room temperature.
Compatibility shifts with heat, so treat every rating below as a room-temperature answer. We do not advise storing the unit below freezing or above 90 °F / 32 °C.
✓
Compatible
!
Not recommended
✕
Not compatible
Solution
Spray head
Springs
Seals
Glass
Overall
Water — distilled or tap
?
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Compatible
Salt water, brine, saline
?
!
✕
✓
✓
✕
Not compatible
Isopropyl alcohol, ethanol
?
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Compatible
Hydrogen peroxide — up to 10%
?
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Compatible
Hydrogen peroxide — concentrated
?
!
!
!
✓
!
Not recommended
Bleach — sodium hypochlorite
?
!
✕
✓
✓
✕
Not compatible
Ammonia solution
?
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Compatible
Vinegar, acetic acid — dilute
?
✓
!
✓
✓
!
Not recommended
Citric acid — dilute
?
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Compatible
Sodium hydroxide — dilute
?
✓
✓
✓
!
!
Not recommended
Hydrochloric acid — any strength
?
✕
✕
✕
✓
✕
Not compatible
Sulfuric acid — any strength
?
✕
✕
✕
✓
✕
Not compatible
Acetone
?
✓
✓
!
✓
!
Not recommended
Toluene, xylene, aromatic solvents
?
✓
✓
✕
✓
✕
Not compatible
Mineral spirits, paint thinner, fuels
?
✓
✓
✕
✓
✕
Not compatible
Essential oils
?
✓
✓
!
✓
!
Not recommended
Mineral oil, vegetable oil
?
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Compatible
Soaps, detergents, surfactants
?
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
Compatible
If It Isn’t Listed Here.
No list of chemicals can be complete, and we would rather answer a question than have you guess. Write to us with what you have in mind and we will tell you whether it will work.
If you would rather check it yourself, you have everything you need above. Look your solution up against 316L stainless, 304 stainless, platinum-cured silicone, and soda-lime glass in any published compatibility chart, then take the most cautious of the four answers. That is the same rule the Overall column follows.
Every rating here assumes room temperature, brief contact, and a rinse afterwards. Concentration, heat, dwell time, and mixtures all move the answer, and standing liquid is the hardest case of all — empty the reservoir and rinse it when you are done. Never store the unit below freezing or above 90 °F.
02 — Cleaning
Cleaning.
The unit is easily disassembled with the aid of a 7mm wrench. Instructions provided with purchase.
After every use
To maximize the life of the head, seals, and lubricant, spray clean water through the head to rinse. This helps prevent premature wear and build-up that impact performance.
Every few weeks, or after anything aggressive
Disassemble, rinse the head, dip tube, and check valve ball in warm water with a drop of dish soap, then dry fully, re-lubricate the seals, and reassemble.
Never
No dishwasher, no abrasive pads or brushes, and no damaging chemicals (see guide above).
Finish and cleanability
Brushed
A directional grain with a matte sheen. Hides handling marks well, and carries the unit number visibly on the head.
Electropolished
Measurably smoother, and modestly more corrosion resistant. The number is set inside the assembly and is not visible once assembled.
Why electropolishing helps
Machining leaves microscopic peaks and embedded iron on a steel surface. Electropolishing dissolves that layer away, preferentially removing iron and leaving a chromium-enriched passive film that is thicker and more uniform than the one on an as-machined surface. The result is a lower surface roughness with fewer places for residue and bacteria to lodge — so it cleans more thoroughly, tolerates repeated aggressive cleaning better, and resists corrosion somewhat better than a brushed surface.
The gain is real but incremental. Both finishes are 316L, and both handle everything in the table above identically — chemical limits are set by the alloy, not the finish.
03 — Assembly
Taking It Apart, and Putting It Back.
The head is built to come apart by hand with the tool in the box. The full exploded diagram and step order ship with your unit; what follows is how to do it without losing or damaging anything.
Before you start
Empty the reservoir and run clean water through the head until it runs clear. Disassembling a head with solution still in it is how seals get contaminated and how you get chemistry on your hands.
Work over a soft surface
A towel on a benchtop. The springs and the check valve ball are small, and they travel a long way when they escape. Keep the parts in the order they come out.
Use the tool in the box
It fits the collar properly. Pliers and adjustable wrenches round off the flats and leave marks on a finish you paid for.
Do not force anything
Nothing in the head needs force to separate. If a part resists, it is either still engaged or there is dried residue in the way — rinse and try again rather than levering it.
Re-lubricate on the way back
Wipe the seals, apply fresh lubricant, and seat them by hand before reassembly. A dry seal will nip on the first pull and wear early.
Check the action before you refill
Reassemble dry, pull the trigger a few times, and confirm it returns crisply. Then fill and prime. If it feels wrong, take it apart again rather than forcing it.
If a part will not seat, or the action stays wrong after reassembly, stop and write to us with your unit number. We do not run a repair bench, and we would rather talk you through it than have you force a component that is not meant to move.
04 — Wear Components
What Wears, and When.
Every part that wears is listed below. A repair kit with each of them ships in the box, and all of them are available through support for as long as you own the unit. Everything else is machined metal: not sold as a replacement, and covered by the limited lifetime warranty.
Seals
Platinum-cured silicone & Rubber
Replace when the trigger feels sluggish, a leak or lack of compression occurs, or you can see the seal has taken damage.
Piston spring
304 stainless steel
Replace if the trigger stops returning crisply. Springs fatigue slowly and predictably; you will likely feel it before you see it.
Check valve spring
304 stainless steel
Replace if the head loses prime between frequent uses. If the prime is lost as a result of tipping the bottle, remove the spring, stretch it slightly, and then reassemble and test.
Check valve ball
Glass
Replace if the head will not hold prime after the spring and seals have been ruled out. Inspect for chips or clouding.
Dip tube
Polymer
Replace if it cracks, clouds, or will not stay in the head. Cut to length if you swap to a shorter reservoir. Replacements available for purchase.
Hinge pin
304 stainless steel
Rarely wears. Replace if the trigger develops excess play at the hinge.
05 — Lubrication
Lubrication.
Every unit ships with lubricant, and you choose which. The mechanism runs on both — what changes is service life and what you can put through it.
Regular
The default. Holds up to cleaning chemistry and disinfectants, and stays put through a long service interval.
Vegetable-Based — Haynes Vegetal-Film
A vegetable-based lubricant from Haynes: biodegradable, odorless, and tasteless. Haynes registers it with NSF under H1 and 3H; that registration is theirs, and covers the lubricant only.
On food contact
DuraSpray™ No.01 is not sold, tested, or certified for food contact. Individual components carry their own manufacturers’ registrations; the assembled unit has not been evaluated by the FDA or any other body for use with food or drink, and we make no food-safety claim for it.
If you choose the vegetable-based lubricant, read this
It is not recommended with cleaners, solvents, or disinfectants — they strip it straight out. It washes off readily by design, so it needs reapplying noticeably more often than the regular lubricant, and its drop point is 125°F.
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