Ultrasonic Cleaner

[cmalinowski]

All,
What are the differences between the $200 cleaners (like crest 175T) and the $40 on ebay for cleaning, say, your stuff on a regulator rebuild? I know the saying "you get what you pay for," but I'm interested in knowing why I should pay so much.

I am completely dumb when it comes to ultrasonic cleaning and don't know what to look for when purchasing one for this type of thing.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[pescador775]

I'm as puzzled as you. Why do you need an ultrasonic cleaner? Are you restoring potentially valuable vintage gear? I can see one potential use, eg, where an O ring makes a sliding fit in a narrow passage. Sometimes, there is a sticky residue from the old O ring which needs cleaning but I would think MEK and a Qtip would clean that off.

If you require one of these cleaners for professional use could you not write off the expensive tool as a business expense?

There are several simple strategies for regulator or valve cleaning. For oxygen, I use ENSOLV; good for brass and teflon but not thermo plastic. For removing verdigris or oxides from a brass filter, phosphoric acid or Muriatic acid works OK. Clean in a minute. Some people use vinegar, tooth paste and stuff like that for the chrome parts.

 

[cmalinowski]

I'm as puzzled as you. Why do you need an ultrasonic cleaner? Are you restoring potentially valuable vintage gear?

If you require one of these cleaners for professional use could you not write off the expensive tool as a business expense?

There are several simple strategies for regulator or valve cleaning. For oxygen, I use ENSOLV; good for brass and teflon but not thermo plastic. For removing verdigris or oxides from a brass filter, phosphoric acid or Muriatic acid works OK. Clean in a minute. Some people use vinegar, tooth paste and stuff like that for the chrome parts.

Took apart my second stages yesterday and noticed how gunked up they were. I'm not sure that vinegar will be good enough as I have to get into the inside of some small areas and the toothbrush couldn't reach...

 

[redacted]

As a DIYer, I resisted the purchase of an ultrasonic cleaner, feeling that the detergent wash followed by the acid soak and rinse was good enough. My daughter gave me an old, small, cheapo ultrasonic cleaner that no one was using from a lab. It is so small that I only do a couple parts at a time but it sure does a nice job with the old metal regs I pick up on ebay. I don't think it is really necessary with a few exceptions. I was wrestling with a spool stuck in an HP hose. Without the cleaner, I may well have broken it. It definately removes or reduces corrosion and salt deposits that acid baths just couldn't handle.

 

[cmalinowski]

As a DIYer, I resisted the purchase of an ultrasonic cleaner, feeling that the detergent wash followed by the acid soak and rinse was good enough. My daughter gave me an old, small, cheapo ultrasonic cleaner that no one was using from a lab. It is so small that I only do a couple parts at a time but it sure does a nice job with the old metal regs I pick up on ebay. I don't think it is really necessary with a few exceptions. I was wrestling with a spool stuck in an HP hose. Without the cleaner, I may well have broken it. It definately removes or reduces corrosion and salt deposits that acid baths just couldn't handle.

Good info. Thanks.

So I guess my question is: Would I need this or will this for $35 shipped off ebay do just fine? Does anyone out there in scubaland have a cheapo, ebay ultrasonic cleaner? I only plan on doing a couple of cleanings a year or so. And, the longest part I need to put in it is the valve spindle from the tx50 2nd and the largest (by mass I guess) is probably the valve body from the DS4 1st stage.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[redacted]

That 3L is pretty but more than most dive shops need. I didn't find any basket dimensions on the CD3800 which you really need to decide if it will be enough. The 1 pint capacity sounds about right but you really need to know LxWxH of the basket compared to what you plan on sticking in there. Mine is so small (shallow) that I have to turn some pieces over as the solution is not deep enough (even with a little overfilling) to cover them.

Might as well make sure it will do the job. They are routinely available on ebay so no big hurry getting that bid in.

 

[cmalinowski]

That 3L is pretty but more than most dive shops need. I didn't find any basket dimensions on the CD3800 which you really need to decide if it will be enough. The 1 pint capacity sounds about right but you really need to know LxWxH of the basket compared to what you plan on sticking in there. Mine is so small (shallow) that I have to turn some pieces over as the solution is not deep enough (even with a little overfilling) to cover them.

Might as well make sure it will do the job. They are routinely available on ebay so no big hurry getting that bid in.

Good to know. Is there any difference in the power that would be applicable to cleaning or is it that it would just take longer with something cheap like the 3800?

Thanks for the info and thoughts on this.

Chris

 

[redacted]

I don't know. But if I load my little cleaner, the cleaning process seems to really slow down so I'd guess that the big cleaner might be able to do a whole reg (1st & 2nd) at one time. Mine works best doing one or two parts at a time, depending on their size. But I'm in no hurry.

 

[hunter991]

I am a dealer of crest cleaners. I have used some of the cheap ones but they don't do nearly as good of a job as the professional models. My crest boils off the dirt of anything I put in it in a visible cloud of dirt. It is pretty cool. You may have better luck with a cheap cleaner than me. The only reason I deal them is to get a better deal on my stuff. I can try and help you out with a good one but you will find about the same deal I can do on ebay...

Brent

 

[cmalinowski]

I am a dealer of crest cleaners. I have used some of the cheap ones but they don't do nearly as good of a job as the professional models. My crest boils off the dirt of anything I put in it in a visible cloud of dirt. It is pretty cool. You may have better luck with a cheap cleaner than me. The only reason I deal them is to get a better deal on my stuff. I can try and help you out with a good one but you will find about the same deal I can do on ebay...

Brent

Thanks for the info. I may be coming at you for one at some point depending on my final decision.

Chris