Paint tank, 2.8 gal, 2 regulator, with agitator

Set it by measured flow, not by feel. With atomizing air shut off and the air cap removed, pull the trigger into a graduated container for 10 seconds and multiply by 6. That is your fluid flow in ounces per minute. For standard finishing, Binks targets 14 to 16 oz/min; if you are below that, raise container pressure and repeat.

Starting points: about 6 PSI for a remote 2-quart cup and about 15 PSI for a 2-gallon or larger tank, with the gun's fluid screw open to the first thread. Then refit the cap, set atomizing air at roughly 30 PSI and tune until particle size is even across the pattern.

Pressure stays in the tank after the air supply is shut off, so never just loosen the clamps. The Binks sequence:

1. Turn off the main air supply to the tank.
2. Close the air inlet valve on the tank's air manifold.
3. Turn the air relief valve thumb screw counter-clockwise and wait until all air has escaped.
4. Leave the relief valve open until the lid is back on.

You can also pull the ring on the safety valve until the pressure bleeds down. If the tank has a quick-disconnect at the regulator inlet, do not pull it while the tank is pressurized unless the ball valve is closed; a sudden release can suck paint back through the regulator and air motor.

You can pour straight into the zinc-plated shell, but a single-use polyethylene liner means no scrubbing, far less solvent and no cross-contamination between colors. The 83C tanks take the PT-78 liner: PT-78-K10 (kit of 10) or PT-78-K60 (kit of 60). Binks also recommends the anti-static PT-78-K10 liner for waterborne compatibility in the 2-gallon outfits.

Short on liners? A one-gallon can fits inside the tank if you cut about 5 mm off the end of the fluid tube at an angle so it reaches the bottom of the can.

Strain material on the way in with the PTS-2GAL-K20-200 200-micron (about 65 mesh) Prospector tank strainer, sized for the 2-gallon tank and sold 20 per case.

Every use. Pull the ring on the safety valve to make sure it moves freely and relieves air. If it is stuck, does not operate freely or does not vent, replace it. Binks is explicit that you must not eliminate, adjust or substitute this valve: it is what keeps an 80 PSI tank from being over-pressurized.

On the 83C the valve is the TIA-4080 code safety valve. If it starts leaking below working pressure, the seal is dirty or the stem is seized: replace the valve, do not try to repair it. Keep it clean, and if the tank regulator starts creeping or the gauge (83-2727) no longer returns to zero, fix those too, because the safety valve is your last line, not your first.

Two things, in order:

1. Clamp tension. Tighten the C-clamps to 8–10 ft-lb, or turn the thumb screws about 1/2 to 1 turn past hand-tight, working in a cross pattern so the lid seats evenly.
2. The lid gasket. If it still leaks, the Sarlink gasket is cut or flattened. Replace it with PT-33-1.

Leaks also show up if the lid handle (PT-32) has been bent so the lid sits crooked. While you are in there, pull the safety-valve ring and check the gauge returns to zero with no pressure.

Both are regulator faults, not tank faults:

• Air escaping from the port on the regulator cap means a broken or damaged diaphragm.
• Pressure creeping on the gauge means a dirty or worn valve seat that no longer closes fully.

Binks says erratic operation or loss of regulation is usually dirt in the valve area: remove the bottom plug, clean the seat and body with denatured alcohol, blow out with compressed air and check the O-rings. If cleaning does not cure it, or the unit leaks at the bottom plug, fit the KK-4977 repair kit, which covers both the HAR-507 and HAR-511 regulators used on Binks tanks. Release all system pressure before servicing.

Same 2.8-gallon ASME shell, lid, safety valve and 3/8″ fluid outlet. The last two digits tell you what is bolted on:

• 83C-210: single regulator (fluid pressure only), no agitator.
• 83C-220: dual regulation, so a second regulator feeds the gun's atomizing air from the tank. No agitator.
• 83C-211: single regulator plus an air-driven agitator.
• 83C-221: dual regulation plus agitator. The most complete tank, 34-1/4 lb.

Choose dual regulation if you would otherwise need an air adjusting valve at the gun. Choose an agitator for anything that settles: metallics, zinc-rich primers, block fillers, heavy latex. All models are rated 80 PSI and ship with a polyethylene liner.

Oil it daily: 4 or 5 drops of SAE 10 oil into the air inlet fitting. A dry motor blackens and chips its vanes and fails early, and Binks does not cover that under warranty. Then:

• Run the agitator at the slowest speed that keeps the material mixed. Over-agitation whips air into the paint and shows as bubbles in the finish.
• Clean the agitator shaft and propeller at the end of each day.
• Occasionally remove and clean the muffler felt, or replace the 350-401 muffler assembly.
• Keep the paint level below the bearing assembly so paint cannot reach the shaft seal.
• Shut agitator air off before relieving tank pressure for cleaning, so paint cannot back up into the motor.

The air motor uses only 3–6 CFM at 60 PSI; maximum input is 100 PSI. For light-viscosity or waterborne materials that over-agitate easily, Binks offers the optional QMS-79 propeller.