Regulator Cleaning - are ultrasonic cleaners any good ?

[Phil_C]

Has anyone any experience of using an ultrasonic cleaning bath on regulators?

I have managed to pick up an ultrasonic cleaner large enough to put a second stage in complete without disassembly. I am wondering how good or beneficial giving second stages a clean every now and then would be.

I am thinking of putting the second stages in complete, suspended on their hoses, then run a cleaning cycle and finally flush through with fresh water and hang to dry.

I know on other items ultrasonic cleaners work well to dislodge and remove salt deposits and so on - will it work on second stages as well?

Any info gratefully received - thanks - Phil.

 

[Wookie]

Ultrasonic cleaners work great for cleaning salt deposits off of parts, but what you're describing would be a waste of time IMO. I'm tearing down all of my cylinder valves as I do once per year, and as always, I'm amazed at how clean the valve pieces come out, but to me, the idea is to get the grease and schmutz and crap off of the surfaces you can't see when the part is assembled, not the places you can see. I expect it will make your second stage nicer to look at, but I don't think it will make you reg work any better.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

And depending on how powerful the cleaner is I would not put assembled regs in one. You have no idea how it may effect mating surfaces, some of the plastics in there, the seats, diaphragms, etc where they come into contact with each other. Some soft items don't like ultrasonics either. When I service a reg rather than take chances metal parts go in the ultra sonic. Plastics, rubber, silicone, just goes in warm water with degreaser or soap. Then freshwater rinses. Proper after dive rinsing is more important. If your regs have salt deposits turning up after a few days out of the water that says the rinsing after dives is not being done right.

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[kwinter]

Proper after dive rinsing is more important. If your regs have salt deposits turning up after a few days out of the water that says the rinsing after dives is not being done right.

Personally I think the word "soaking" is more appropriate than "rinsing."

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Depends on what you are soaking them in. Dunk tank? Forget it. Actually can make it worse. Seen some that were as salty as the ocean itself. Only finer crystals and dirt, debris, plus who knows what else to get in more places. Sink or tub with frequent water changes? Ok. But still need fresh RUNNING water to move the stuff along.

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[halocline]

Depends on what you are soaking them in. Dunk tank? Forget it. Actually can make it worse. Seen some that were as salty as the ocean itself. Only finer crystals and dirt, debris, plus who knows what else to get in more places.

I think this is a wee bit of an exaggeration. If a dunk tank is filled with fresh water, it's never going to get anywhere as saline as the ocean, and a quick check with a refractometer or hydrometer would absolutely confirm that. And since salt dissolves in water, there are no 'crystals' floating around in the dunk tank or ocean itself. Soaking in fresh water provides osmotic movement from more saline to less saline, and even the dirtiest dunk tank is several orders of magnitude less saline than the ocean.

It might look a little suspect, and cleaner is always better, but make things worse? No way.

 

[Wookie]

I think this is a wee bit of an exaggeration. If a dunk tank is filled with fresh water, it's never going to get anywhere as saline as the ocean, and a quick check with a refractometer or hydrometer would absolutely confirm that. And since salt dissolves in water, there are no 'crystals' floating around in the dunk tank or ocean itself. Soaking in fresh water provides osmotic movement from more saline to less saline, and even the dirtiest dunk tank is several orders of magnitude less saline than the ocean.

It might look a little suspect, and cleaner is always better, but make things worse? No way.

I'm going with Jim on this one, but only because I am an Atomic fanboy. I've had too many "helpful" divemasters put my regs in the dunk tank with no consideration for the seat saver. When I go on vacation, I always tear my regs down after because someone will have soaked/dunked them in the rinse tank for me introducing salty pond water into the first stage. Yes, I know Atomic says this can't happen. Whatever, I've found water in the first stages more than once.

 

[Phil_C]

If your regs have salt deposits turning up after a few days out of the water that says the rinsing after dives is not being done right.

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Thanks Jim, it was issues like mating surfaces I was trying to get my head around. - and no I don't have salt visible or other dirt, my regs and stages always get an immediate rinse followed by a thorough soak before storing. But as always there are areas you might have missed and any crevices inside the mouth piece were what I was thinking about. I didn't buy the cleaner for scuba kit, but as always I started looking for other uses - Phil

---------- Post added January 9th, 2014 at 03:06 PM ----------

I'm going with Jim on this one, but only because I am an Atomic fanboy. I've had too many "helpful" divemasters put my regs in the dunk tank with no consideration for the seat saver. When I go on vacation, I always tear my regs down after because someone will have soaked/dunked them in the rinse tank for me introducing salty pond water into the first stage. Yes, I know Atomic says this can't happen. Whatever, I've found water in the first stages more than once.

Frank - I also use Atomics - what is the issue with them and dunk tanks?, if it is first stages I was always taught never to put them in full stop, just rinse the outside, so no problem, but I always soak my T2X second stages. - Phil

 

[Scared Silly]

I am with Jim on the ultrasonic cleaners - I only put disassembled parts in there and no plastic parts. Also a ultrasonic cleaner that can apply heats helps as well.


As for Atomics the issue is the seat saver on the second stage. If unpressurized there is a path way for water to the first stage if the second stage is above the first.

 

[Wookie]

^^What he said.