Idea for atomiser cleaning (die-hard version)

[Adik Ted]

Yesterday I soaked 3 atomisers in 3 parts water (boiling when put in) to 1 part vinegar for an hour. Burnt taste still there. Repeated the dose. Vaped each of them for 2 minutes. Dipped in juice and left overnight. This morning I tried one of them dipping in 36 mg TW menthol. It was reasonable for about 3 lots of dipping and vaping then the burnt taste returned with a vengeance. All of the atomiser bridges look clear (as in silver in colour with no black bits).

Today a 4th atomiser which worked fine for a couple of days started giving off the burnt taste. I am now on my 5th of 6 new atomisers. Of the 3 I boiled above, 1 is now practically dead and the other 2 have the burnt taste. Ignoring the breaking in period, only one of them had the really foul burnt taste from the outset. The other three I got a couple of good days out of them before they went bad. On all of them I was using a combination of carts and dipping into TW 36 mg menthol. I suspect the dipping has something to do with it. Could the atomiser bridge being soaked before being smoked cause this. I ask as I noticed that when I dipped and smoked through an empty cart I hardly ever got a squirt of juice (which made me think I was using approximately the right amount) but if I dipped and smoked through a spent menthol cartridge I did get several squirts of juice. I'm finding it hard to imagine how I managed to suck it off the vaporiser and through the spent cart but whatever the physics were it's making me think I've been putting too much juice on the atomiser bridge.

[Sun Vaporer]

Stone posted a link to this late last night and I took a look and it looks promising to try as it states:

Liquid Ice Machine Cleaner is formulated for 75% phosphoric acid for removing scale deposits from ice machines and coffee urns. It is a food-grade liquid acid that is fast acting yet safe to use in this equipment. It does not give off any harsh fumes or contain chlorine or chlorides that would attack stainless steel. It is available in 8 fl. oz. bottle and 1 gallon bottles.

This would take some of the positve results we have seen with the Cola bath and boost it up safely with a content of 75% Phosphoic acid an is food-grade so it is safe---------



Any thoughts----Sun
Link again See www.nucalgon.com/products/iceMach_filtration_liquidicemachcleaner.htm

[kinabaloo]

I posted a link to a fog machine cleaner before (post #61 this thread) but that link didn't mention what was in it.

It sounds like a super idea. A super-dupa cola!
Give it a go.
This will be far stronger than coke or vinegar or lemon juice.

It might be the same or very similar to the CalGon or sound alike product used in washing machines. So if anyone has that ... This one could get at any supermarket. Although designed primarily for removing calcium based deposits (minerals) i know from my experiments with vinegar and others experiments with cola that phosphoric acid can be effective (at least in the early days of deposit formation).

Looks promising

[Sun Vaporer]

I posted a link to a fog machine cleaner before. It sounds like a super idea. Give it a go.
This will be far stronger than coke or vinegar or lemon juice.

It might be the same or very similar to the CalGon or sound alike product used in washing machines. So if anyone has that ... This one could get at any supermarket. Although designed primarily for removing calcium based deposits (minerals) i know from my experiments with vinegar and others experiments with cola that phosphoric acid can be effective (at least in the early days of deposit formation).

Looks promising

kinabaloo--I just called a Supplier here who is only suppose to sell to licensed Plumbers, etc--but after explaining that I was not in the business and what I wanted it for --he stated he would sell me a gallon. So I will get down there and pick some up--When I told him what I was trying to do--he said that that carbon would fall off in minutes without hurting the coil or the contacts and that this product was designed to not hurt components--rather it attacks the heavy carbon and scale that builds up on the coils of ice makers---I will report after I get down there a pick it up either today or tomm---Sun

[kinabaloo]

The next step, assuming it works, is to determine what safety factors are involved, if any; wrt skin exposure. If that is an issue, experiment to find the weakest solution that works effectively. Get juice suppliers to stock and issue it in smallish quantities.

Thanks for taking the trouble Sun. Fingers crossed ...

[surbitonPete]

Great stuff sun.....this is sounding promising...........I can't wait to hear what happens.

[strayling]

I tried cleaning my atomiser by letting it stand in a glass of cola overnight.

I checked on it this morning and it's been completely dissolved!

Still, it could have been worse. A friend of a friend tried putting his atomiser in a bottle of Diet Pepsi and when that was taking too long he added a Mentos. The atomiser shot straight through the window and embedded itself in a No Smoking sign on the wall outside.

[surbitonPete]

I have had a little bit of the black gunk from coils sitting in a coke bath for a couple of days and and another little piece sitting in lemon juice.....they haven't dissolved in the least...I have been trying everything I can think of to see what might work and nothing has had any effect on those little black lumps yet.......my fingers are crossed with suns idea.

[StoneE4]

Stone posted a link to this late last night and I took a look and it looks promising

...snip...

Any thoughts----Sun

I have one that I didn't think to mention last night...

Although this Liquid Ice Machine Cleaner is a food grade product, lets not forget that when heated it may give off harmful gas. For example, most plastics are considered food grade, but I sure wouldn't want to smoke any.

That being said, I would think that a thorough rinsing would be all that's necessary after using it as an atomizer cleaner. Either way, let's all be extra careful that these atomizers are FULLY rinsed after attempting a cleaning with any chemical.

[Sun Vaporer]

I have one that I didn't think to mention last night...

Although this Liquid Ice Machine Cleaner is a food grade product, lets not forget that when heated it may give off harmful gas. For example, most plastics are considered food grade, but I sure wouldn't want to smoke any.

That being said, I would think that a thorough rinsing would be all that's necessary after using it as an atomizer cleaner. Either way, let's all be extra careful that these atomizers are FULLY rinsed after attempting a cleaning with any chemical.

Stone--I found a vendor that has this product and am going to get it tommorrow--I plan on not heating it as I do not think it will need heat to remove the residue--just a soaking and a full and long rinsing. ----I think that this might work. I did not know that they cleaned ice makers--so it has to be safe to use otherwise the ice would be tainted ---we will see Tomm when I report---Sun