Can I test my sprayer with water?

Yes, you can and you should. Just spray into the air to see the pattern being created.  There is a bit of a learning curve, so testing with water first is a great way to make sure the sprayer is working properly and it’s cheaper to experiment with than paint.   

 Play with the flow control and the turbine speed which will help you get use to the adjustments so when you add your coating, adjustments will come easy. 

 Start a test pattern with the turbine speed all the way up and the flow control at it’s lowest setting and slowly turn the flow control up until you are getting a good spray pattern.