Schwing SPB 28, Operation Manual

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76
Operation
SPB Operation Manual
Cleanout
Sometime before you have to clean out the boom, wet
your sponge ball (cleanout ball) with water. A lot of op-
erators simply fill their 5 gallon bucket with water and
throw the ball in to soak when there’s about a half hour
of pumping left. Other operators start soaking the ball
first thing in the morning, but the ball won’t last as long
if it is always in water.
If you have to use compressed air for cleaning
the boom and pipeline, you must have all of the
necessary accessories. Read and understand the
complete safety rules regarding cleaning out with
compressed air under “Safety Rules For Clean-
ing A Separately Laid Pipeline” in the Safety Man-
ual. Remember that cleaning with compressed
air should only be done by a qualified person.
Cleaning out the boom
Some contractors blow the cleanout ball through the
boom and pipeline at the same time. Others prefer to
disconnect the boom and blow it separately, prior to
blowing the vertical pipeline. If you choose to blow the
boom by itself, follow these six steps before moving to
the vertical pipeline:
1. Place the boom in whatever configuration is nec -
essary to blow it out. With the boom in an “A frame”
position (two sections up and two sections down)
gravity will help to pull some of the concrete out of
the boom.
2. Disconnect the pipeline at whatever point is neces-
sary to safely blow the ball through the boom.
3. When concrete has stopped dripping out of the
end hose, walk to the end of the boom with the
sponge ball. Remove from the end of the boom any
reducers, hose, or pipes which are smaller than 6
inches (150 mm). Place the clean out sponge ball
into the end of the delivery system, and attach an
approved blowout cap (Figure 42). The blow out
cap must have two air valves and be long enough
to prevent the sponge ball from being able to block
both ports at the same time.
4. The condition of your sponge ball must be moni-
tored closely. As the ball begins to wear and you
notice that it slips into the tip hose or boom elbow
much more easily than when it was new, the ball
should be replaced. The sides of the ball should
drag with enough pressure to clean the pipe wall
thoroughly, or the creamy layer that remains will
harden, adding a new layer each day, eventually
closing off your pipeline and causing a blockage.
The lowest elbows seem to be the most likely to
build up first as gravity will begin to draw the ex -
cess cream to that location. Extra sponge balls
may be ordered from Schwing at (800) 328-9635.
Water/air inlet
Air discharge regulator valve
Air inlet regulator valve
Ports spaced so a cleanout
ball cannot cover both
ports simultaneously
Figure 42
Approved blowout cap
5. Secure the discharge end before blowing out the
boom. The discharge must be controlled by either
attaching a ball catcher or directing the flow of con -
crete to a safe location and tying down the end of
the pipeline.
6. Two qualified people should now be able to follow
the proper procedure and complete hooking up the
air compressor hose and blowing the sponge ball
through the separate placing boom.