The Sealcoat Tank Strainer on your sprayer is designed to collect and hold all of the large chunks of undissolved emulsion and other particles before it enters your pump.
Strainers come in a variety of sizes and designs, but really perform the same task. 2" NPT threads are common allowing you to hook-up most hose applications to them and reducing down as necessary for smaller systems.
They are also available in one gallon and two gallon capacity's, most sealcoaters want the largest strainer possible giving them as much capacity as possible before cleaning the basket.
Strainers used in the sealcoating application are usually made from cast iron / Steel or high quality polyethylene and have a stainless steel basket which can be easily removed for cleaning simply removing the strainer lid.
If possible you will want to make sure that the strainer basket holes are 5/32" or 13/64" for proper filtration, and that the lid on the canister can be easily removed and re-sealed.
We use Eaton, Hayward,Banjo and Titan and we also have some of our larger strainers custom built to fit specific needs. All of them perform well, but each has different characteristics, from the way they mount to how their lid is designed.
If you use a diaphragm pump, it is even more important to strain the sealcoat using a Sealcoat Tank Strainer to give the pump and tip added protection.
Our Yamada Diaphragm Pumps are very tough will tolerate 5/16" of solid material going through them.
Some centrifugal transfer systems do not use a strainer which can lead to plugging of your spray tip too often. Other centrifugal systems use a strainer basket on the Discharge side of the system, usually under the tank lid and we have found that when the basket fills with material, it will create excessive head pressure which will lead to pump leakage and failure.
Strainers should be installed in the "Suction" side of the system as close as possible to the tank which will protect the pump, and only create low spray pressure when they plug.
The Sealcoat Tank Strainer is a very important part of your sealcoat spray system and helps protect your investment and helps your system to operate more efficiently as well.