has anyone got or used schwings chamber valve on their boom pump, if so what do they think of it ?

???

you going to hab to splain dat one

A gate maybe?????

ok , it is a valve connected just after the first transistion pipe, and it has sort of like a trap door , where eg.

you pump the hopper down , then you press a button on the machine , and then you open trap door , insert sponge and blow out via compressed air  the entire boom

i have a photo , but i dont know how to upload it

Man, I do not even like to see the words compressed air and concrete pump on the same page. I am even mad at me for doing it ;~)

I'm pretty sure they mean the "ball injection system" on the new vector system remotes there is a button for it.  Though apparently not used in the U.S. it is in fact as described above.  Open a door put a ball in, and it blows the ball out the end of the boom with compressed air.  Apparently the weight of it is too much to be used in the U.S. but it is used in other countries.  Someone please correct me if I'm wrong I just inquired about this last week and this was all I was told. 

they're fitting them on most new schwings here,

if you check my profile i uploaded a picture of a chamber valve

I admit that I am simple minded.

Can anyone explain the WHY of that device?

that is one of the clean out methods described in my Reed ST36 manual.  Clean out hopper and cylinders, open up the elbow, insert sponge, close elbow, fill hopper with water, and pump until the sponge comes out the discharge end. 

 Regarding compressed air.  We have it available and I only use compressed air under emergency conditions when the pump is down, and it cannot be quickly repaired before the mud sets up. The emergency compressed air way is this:  Remove end hose, insert sponge at the end of system, attached blow out cap, attach CO2 hoses, open the elbow at the hopper (you can leave it slightly closed to "catch" the sponge, rocks and mud....in the event it comes out with great force, make sure tho to have everyone stand clear of the hopper area for safety, crack the valve slightly open and shut repeatedly over and over, until you see the mud flowing, the mud should flow out nice and smoothly, if it is coming very fast you are opening the valve to much at a time.  I have never had to do this myself, but we have the CO2 available, just in case.  I'd stay away from CO2 if you can use water or have enough water.

I hope that there is a regulator on that CO2 bottle that is set @ 120psi or less. No pump system is certified at the pressure that can be put in by using an unregulated CO2 bottle. I like the part about filling the hopper with water and using the pump when ever possible. 1100# of non compressible water will clean out a boom better than any compressed air. And the water has the ability to squeeze between the pipe wall and the concrete to give it an extra advantage. Last week I spoke to a gentleman that said he was able to work out a hard as hell boom that way, He said he put a bunch of commercial primer in the warer that he was using. I mean.... can't hurt, right?

The CO2 deal is used, and often times with unintended, negative results. Please Be careful. ;~)

Vasa,

Your english is 100% understandable.

IF the unit is on there so that water is used to chase the sponge, I like the idea. I do have one question.

Many operators do what we call water washes; chasing the concrete out of the boom with water / no sponge. This has always made me nervous but works well for those that do it. Do you think that this is just a refinement of that? That is to say to introduce the ball between the crete and the water... more of a guarantee. And a reason to increase the price of the machine. Cool, but not needed - like all the computer crap some pumps have.

I guess when the guy drives the machine to the job and sets it up and then the computer takes over and makes the pour.... then the reason for these devices will become  apparent. Time marches on ;~)

I know that it can be done safely. It only takes one mistake.

If you look at blowing out with air from a "RISK & REWARD" standpoint; the risk/liability is all to the pumper and the reward/clean site and better concrete utilization is all to the contractor.