Brakleen can is jammed

[JohnR]

The can feels nearly full, but depressing the nozzle won’t release any stuff. Would it be stuffed up, or did it lose pressure from sitting a few months? Can it be restored?

[yqtszhj]

I had a new can of something or other that I left in the garage (at about 120 degrees) over the summer and best I can figure is all the propellant leaked out. About all it would do was drip out. I think it was foaming window cleaner now that I think about it.

[DJK11]

I hate when it looses pressure from sitting without use, then just drips out. Generally sitting for a while in the heat increases pressure. Strange, very strange.

[JohnR]

I guess it increases pressure so the propellant leaks out, probably by design so it doesn't explode. Mine was in an air conditioned space, though. Just a bad can, I guess.

[dustnchips]

Punch a hole in it and you will know for sure if it is the propellant or the valve. Remember to close your eyes. LOL

[tokuno]

My WD-40 cans seem the most susceptible to this effect. Hadn't given it much thought, but I'm thinking I'll move them into a temp-controlled space. None of the other many cans of paint, throttle cleaner, brake cleaner, contact cleaner, etc., have failed this way, though.

[AJBert]

Put it in a vise or some other type of holder thing, step back about 20-25 feet, then shoot the upper regions of the can with a .22 short. If it explodes, it still has propellant inside (or did). If no explosion, you now have a can of cleaner you can brush or wipe onto your choice of parts. I recommend doing this procedure outside, as it will make a mess and probably toss some shrapnel around in various, unknown directions. Standing behind a tree offers good protection to oneself when attempting this procedure.

To be clear, I have never done this myself. I would like for someone else to try this and report back, providing they survive, to let me know how things turned out. I've got a number of cans of various sprays that are dead. With me, it is more than likely a number of winters with sub-zero temperatures that did the deed.

[Bawanna]

In an earlier life when I worked at an industrial supply house, I was called into the President's office. (great guy and good friend) thought I was in trouble, but he just wanted some information, don't recall what even. As I'm standing in his office I noticed a couple cans of Rustoleum spray paint on his windowsill. While chatting I picked one up for no particular reason but quickly noticed the can kind of rocked. Where it's usually concave on the bottom it was bulged outward. My first thought was this can't be good. I asked him if I could remove the cans as I thought they were a hazard.
Like a bomb tech I very carefully carried them to the rear of the warehouse where we had a large dumpster. I stayed back about 20 or so feet and tossed one of the cans into the dumpster. It blew out of the dumpster across the parking lot over one of the salesmans Suburban with his cabin cruiser boat on the back and into the neighboring lot. The inside of the dumpster was nearly completely painted, blue as I recall. I thought holy crap, here we go again and tossed the second one with the warehouse doors almost closed in case it decided to come back my direction. It did nothing at all, total let down. Fortunately it must have dumped all the paint in the dumpster, no spray on the Suburban or the boat.

I got a few other good stories about the president in the warehouse, I'll share sometime when appropriate.

[mr surveyor]

the can in the OP has a serious prostate problem

[getsome]

I got the same problem, I used to have great pressure but now doing good to just dribble over the side........:cool:

[JohnR]

Btdt

[Old No7]

Can you change the nozzle???

That's what I do with spray paint that won't spray -- and it works 90% of the time.

Old No7

[JohnR]

It’s worth a try!

[getsome]

Agree but if it doesn’t fix it I would just toss it rather than trying to drain and save the liquid in a container of some sort because it’s highly flammable to store and a new can is much cheaper than a fire….