I prefer 2 use slick-pak II and hit it hard takes about 5-7 sec. to prime out never had a problem even with a 2'slump knock on wood she grunted a little but she got it out love those closed loop hyd. More power if you ask me.

Just plain old water.

grout;no doubt

I've heard that before I'm not sure I would trust that but if that works 4 you by all means keep doing it I will never try it I have seen a water wash also I don't like that either it goes against everything I was taught 2 much potential 4 problems.

I put a slick pac in the bottom of a five gallon bucket,with 3-4 inches of water, when ready to prime it should be all slime. Than fill it up with water before you prime, water should be gel like. Dump it in your prime port but keep the 3-4 inches of gel on the bottom of bucket, one pac is good for four or five primes. That's the first prime of the day than I use water to prime the rest of the day. Turn the volume on three or four and let it idle through. Always use a ball to clean up.

Youll hear alot of diff ways on here. I personally hate snotpacks. Thats me i guess. Ive primed 61m hundreds of times with 20 gallons of water, thats about half way up the barrels. Turn pump on 3/4 volume, full rpm's, pour it in and wait till it comes out. Grout is just about idiot proof but makes a hell of a mess when it hits the ground.

I forgot to mention that was all ranges of mud. 3000psi to 10,000 psi. small rock to 2.5 stone, 4 diff kinds of fibers, diff stones, 4 diff states. And more chemical design batches than i can name.

The guys a got my 89 putz 32 from filled the hopper to halfway on the barrels  pumped at full speed they never opened the prime port, I know cause when I opened it I had to use a air hammer to clean it out.

I have always been told when it comes to concrete pumping " Diffrent strokes for diffrent folks" Just go with whatever your comfortable with. It depends on the situation. But personally most cases I use a slick pack. I fill my hopper up about 3/4 way up my material cylinders shift the pump forward a couple times with no mud in the hopper. This puts the slurry a little bit ahead of the concrete or by theory anyway. The biggest thing I have found is once you tell the Redi-Mix driver to go ahead and fill it up just keep strokin until you get solid mud out the end. When I prime out I tell the contractor right up front tell me where you want it because I'm not stoppin until I get solid mud out the end. Obviously don't let anyone around the tip hose when you prime out. I go about 1/2 to 3/4 volume that depends on what your comfortable with. Some people may say my way is totaly incorrect. But it works for me and luckily I haven't had any problems. But then again I have seen guys prime our 61 with 20 gallons of water and it comes out the end everytime. DIFFRENT STROKES FOR DIFFRENT FOLKS!!!!

booms a bit of detergent and water full revs 5 or 6 on flow. line pumps flyash with the consistency between a milkshake and a thickshake idle it through

I am old school. Going threw the boom I use slickpakII or a 90lb bag of portland cement. When I have to use system it is 1 yard of grout. Never tried a water prime "maybe" someday. As far as a deturgent and water prime "wouldn't that effect the air entrainment of the concrete on the first load " ?

About 10 or so litres of water in the prime port and maybe a bit of detergent depending on the mix full volume half revs stand back and listen for it going up the boom just before it hits the top of 3rd stage back everything off and let it drop down nice and easy into 4th and 5th .Nice clean and simple .Have seen operators go full volume full revs till it comes out the end of the hose and then just about blow the linehands off their feet. Never had any problems doing it this way so long as you A frame your boom .

Just keep in mind there's no one size fits all answer.I have seen places around the country that the pump mix is like all rock.Some places the mix is like cream gravy,personally a slick pak is cheap insurance.

Slik pak II and half way up cylinders. 3/4 volume get ready to reverse a plug and stand boom straight up. Favorite is have batchman put 1000# sand and 700# cement and charge em for a yard.

Your prime is only as good as your last clean out. since I started using two sponges with 5 gallons of water in between.No problems. I use just a little water on the first prime. Two things you don't want to do: Drop the mud in an over filled hopper of water, it segregates the concrete and you end up priming with pure rock. #2 don't just suck one 5" soft sponge. It leaves a concrete coating that will make the next prime difficult.

couple of bags of cement or a bit of sand and a bag of cement everytime. f##k chancing it with water . 

I go half way up the barrels also with slick pak II and hit it hard works every time I was just curios how other people do it im not goin 2 change how i prime thanks 4 the input guys

When I used 2 run concrete squeeze pumps I would always have to lay system and I would use 1 bag of portland and 2 buckets of sand worked like a charm every time. On another note its cool as hell having a site like this getting different views on what I love doing It sucks that I've been pumpin for about 7 years now and I just now joined thanks to all of you who gave their input I will keep thinking of good questions 2 ask that's why I love this job I learn something new everyday that and running a pump is like a big video game

B-alto is right, your prime is only as good as your last cleanout. However, cleanout is just like priming. Ask on here and you will here a ton of diff ways to do it. I have never waterwashed, and never sucked 2 sponges. Always used 1 soft one only. Different strokes for different folks.

Yea I always use 1 square sponge to clean out it leaves a little residual cream on the pipe I think that helps u prime 4 the next job I never had a problem with the residual cream on the pipe even if my pump sits 4 a week it all comes off the pipe with the first 1/4 yard and if I have 4 jobs a day wishful thinking now a days I use 4 slick packs whatever makes my job easier my company has no problem paying 4 it might as well use it.

When I am just priming the boom,I A-Frame it of course.Water in the hopper about half way up the cylinders,Make a couple strokes to get the water into the rock valve.I put the chute on the same side of the hopper as the valve is,This way it pushes the water under the valve and into the open cylinder.About 3/4 volume and 3/4 throttle let the driver start filling the hopper when the mud gets up to the auger I turn her on and let her eat!!!! I will let the valve shift 7 times and shut it down and let everything fall though the fourth section,Then take 2 more strokes at about 1/2 volume.And I am good to go!!!!

I have been a pump operator for going on 15 years. Since i started i have always primed up one way without fail. I put water in the hopper to the top of the rock valve in a schwing. top of the s in a putz. I take three strokes forward then drop the remaining water out of the bottom hatch. I have the mixer start adding concrete. when hopper is about half full.... pump on. full volume, bout three quarter throttle. I have never plugged in priming out. cleaning out, I suck a 30 gallon pale of water and follow that with a sponge. Never had build up in the deck this way. I have primed up to a 52 this way. I run a 41 now and this way has never let me down

10sack grout, never fails!!!

41 thats a good idea about a couple strokes then dump dump the hatch. On my line pump I dump a slurry directly into the hose and nothing in the hopper.

Yeah 41 thats a good idea...I am gonna try it that would save having to eplain that the mud is NOT that wet it is just still mixing with the prime out water!!!

I like 41s method have to try it.  We were line pumpin last week w/ 350' of 4". Batchman sent us a yard of 6 bag grout (that 2 yards of 3 bag without the rocks)  I told em to get ready to plug up but I mixed in a bag of slik pak in drum and spin til 2nd truck was ready. No plug :)

JUST PLAIN OLE WATER SEEMS 2 B THE BEST FOR ME. ILL USE SLICK PAC IF I RUN A PUMP AFTER SOMEONE ELSE, JUST SOMTHIN IVE ALWAYS DONE.

How many have primed out with the boom folded up.

BIGED...I have never had to prime folded up..I have how ever had to DRY prime a 34 once..I was set up at the bottom of an incline,(2nd job not much water in the tank)..When I backed the truck down and stopped him at the hopper he hit the brakes HARD!! and the truck kind of rared up and when that happened..The drum was so full and it spilled right into the hopper FULL!! none the less!!..NO WATER NO NOTHIN in the hopper!!! and after I had set the pump up the trap door was about 3 inches from the ground.So droppin the hopper was not an option..Since I had just got done pumpin a job I thought..."Well lets give it a shot" The mud was a 5 inch slump and although the pump was fairly UN-HAPPY she never plugged...I got her primed out and finished the job......Wanna talk about sayin a quick prayer to the pump gods OH BOY I did do that!!!!

I use 10 liter water when i prime My Putz M46-5 it has worked every prime since the pump was new . I fillthe water in the groutport , not the hopper . I use some primer when I have to start with mud with steelfibre... Or mud with much and large ballast over 1" stone , when they have tension-cables in the form-work We have a mud that are hard to water-prime , sometimes it works and some times I have rockpack in the 5-4" reducer , pumps 99% with 4" endhose . I have dryprime sometimes to , one mixer broke his suspension on his rear-axels , I took a Schwing 19-23 ( hallpump) rised the boom and backed to the mixer and should pump it in another mixer , and when I was in place I forgot to fill water in the hopper , 32 mm stone and 3" slump , but it worked fine . If you use some primer I see no problem to star with the boom folded...

never tried it with boom folded up. why would anyone want to?  to each his own i guess.