Idea for atomiser cleaning (die-hard version)

[kinabaloo]

Found this. Don't know what's in it though and it says it's the the 'mechanical parts' of the fog machine so maybe of no interest anyway.
SMOKE MACHINE CLEANING FLUID - 250ML- PRICED PER BOTTLE

That site has something for TropicalBob too: http://www.htfr.com/more-info/MR284270

 

[Sun Vaporer]

Kinabaloo--the throwaway atomiser is not an option as the big ban is going to make the atomizer "gold"--The goal is to prepare for the long run when we can no longer order atomizers--that is why I have over 200 of them----Sun

 

[kinabaloo]

Sun - good point.

RjG has made a new coil so it can be done.

See #236 here: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tips-tricks/2175-cleaning-atomizer-33.html

heat of atomiser like i did with vinegar but with hydrogen peroxide which i included in the protocol but didnt try because i didnt have any. I though only 3% was available but he (Exogenesis) says he bought 9% no problem. Oh, and it was successful.

 

[DebRich]

how about goo-be-gone lol

 

[kinabaloo]

Final thoughts on cleaning:

Vinegar will work better than coke because it is a stronger acid. It is useful as a clean used early on after noticing a drop in performance. Hydrogen peroxide also shows good results as Exogenesis has found. Following hydrogen peroxide with vinegar (rinse first) would give the best results of all.

However, deposits cannot be avoided (even VG alone will leave deposits because it can get burned by flash heating). And deposits cannot be completely cleaned - particularly, the silica wadding inside the coil. Given this, one has to accept that an atomiser has a limited useful lifespan and that there are good reasons to just replace it when cleaning no longer makes much difference or there is a bad taste that won't go away. Better to err on the side of health rather than frugality.

For those worried about a possible ban, the answer would be learning to make a new coil. RjG has documented how to do this.

 

[~Wonder]

Kinabaloo--what I was looking for was even some resdiual build up to disapate---none was removed at all--so we need to try a different solvent-----Ideas? Sun

Hey, try a dryer sheet. They're supposed to get burned on food off of pans really easily.

From associatedcontent.com/article/608811/save_money_by_reusing_tumble_dryer.html

If you have every burned food onto a baking tray, or pan, you will know how difficult it is to remove the burned on, hard remains from the surface. Place an unused dryer sheet in the tray or pan and fill with warm water. Leave over night and in the morning the burned material will just rinse away.

 

[StoneE4]

I'm wondering if the cleaner they sell for Oreck air cleaners would dissolve this stuff? It eats tar deposits off the blades of the air cleaner like magic and if you attached one of those extensions from a compressed air can I bet you could get it inside the atomizer....

Dee--Could you elaborate more --what is this stuff and where is it sold--Sun

I don't know if this is a similar product to what Dee was referring to, but I've used this on refrigeration condenser coils : Cal-Spray Evap Foam.

Nu-Calgon makes all kinds of acid/alkali cleaners for HVAC and refrigeration systems.

The Cal-Spray Evap Foam that I've used works very well on condensers that are caked with grease (cooking grease) and dust/dirt. I don't know how any of Nu-calgon's products will work on the black atomizer coil buildup. I also have no idea how safe these would be to use for our purposes, but Nu-Calgon provides a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for each of their products that is viewable on their website.
Keep in mind that some of the products listed there are made for commercial ice-makers, so they might have a product that will work for our needs... If this buildup is similar to scale, maybe this could be of use? : Liquid Ice Machine Cleaner


(Sorry about the goofy link mess that this post is. But, I can't post normal links yet.)

*Edit* - Fixed the links.

 

[Sun Vaporer]

I don't know if this is a similar product to what Dee was referring to, but I've used this on refrigeration condenser coils :
Cal-Spray Evap Foam (www .nucalgon.com/products/aerosol_evapfoam.htm)
Nu-Calgon (www .nucalgon.com) makes all kinds of acid/alkali cleaners for HVAC and refrigeration systems (www .nucalgon.com/products/products.htm).

The Cal-Spray Evap Foam that I've used works very well on condensers that are caked with grease (cooking grease) and dust/dirt. I don't know how any of Nu-calgon's products will work on the black atomizer coil buildup. I also have no idea how safe these would be to use for our purposes, but Nu-Calgon provides a MSDS for each of their products on the website.
Keep in mind that some of the products listed there are made for commercial ice-makers, so they might have a product that will work for our needs... If this buildup is similar to scale, maybe this could be of use? : Liquid Ice Machine Cleaner (www .nucalgon.com/products/iceMach_filtration_liquidicemachcleaner.htm)


(Sorry about the goofy link mess that this post is. But, I can't post normal links yet.)

Stone--thanks for some input here-- I posted the links for you:


www.nucalgon.com/products/products.htm

www.nucalgon.com/products/iceMach_filtration_liquidicemachcleaner.htm

www.nucalgon.com/products/products.htm

Does the ice touch the parts you use with these cleaners?---Sun

 

[StoneE4]

Oh, by the way, those Nu-Calgon products can be purchased at most HVAC/Refrigeration parts stores.

The can of Evap Foam that I've used says, "For professional use only". But, I've never heard of these products being regulated (like refrigerants are) so I don't see why anyone would have a problem purchasing them if they chose to do so.

 

[StoneE4]

Stone--thanks for some input here-- I posted the links for you:

...snip...

Does the ice touch the parts you use with these cleaners?---Sun

No problem.

And yes... Some of these cleaners are made for the inside of ice machines. Meaning the areas where water; enters the unit, recirculates through the unit, freezes, or where the ice is dispensed. In other words, some of these cleaners are designated as food grade.

Check out the third second link you posted for me.

*Edit* - Apparently I can't tell the difference between two and three tonight. - ;-)

 

[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. 8-o

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. 8-o

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