If you make a basket for it and your drawings show you plan to hang it from the edge then make it hang as low in the unit as possible.
Steeping Times and an Ultrasonic Cleaner Part III
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If you make a basket for it and your drawings show you plan to hang it from the edge then make it hang as low in the unit as possible.
I can make a basket that sits flush in the unit. Is it good or is very little gapped version better?
Nope can't think of anything else. I highly recommend the Joy4Less Professional Grade Ultrasonic Cleaner 4810
This is who I got mine from:
Industrial Grade Professional Ultrasonic Cleaner Heater for Lab Dental FCC App | eBay
I purchased the 2.5L model because it has a 120W power supply and larger transducer. I had an older one that konked out on me last week. I should have the new one Thursday. The ones he is selling with the smaller 1L capacity look lice decent little units as well, 30 minute timer, basket, etc. In my humble opinion, you don't really *need* a heater function, you just put warm water in it to start and the ultrasonics will keep it heated up while it runs. Of course, that is up to you. some insist that higher heat works better for them and I won't argue that point, warm water seemed to be doing the trick for me.
Industrial Grade Professional Ultrasonic Cleaner Heater for Lab Dental FCC App | eBay
I purchased the 2.5L model because it has a 120W power supply and larger transducer. I had an older one that konked out on me last week. I should have the new one Thursday. The ones he is selling with the smaller 1L capacity look lice decent little units as well, 30 minute timer, basket, etc. In my humble opinion, you don't really *need* a heater function, you just put warm water in it to start and the ultrasonics will keep it heated up while it runs. Of course, that is up to you. some insist that higher heat works better for them and I won't argue that point, warm water seemed to be doing the trick for me.
I would make a suspended floor with no sides and the smallest contact area around the perimeter. Think thin.
Been having trouble with my cleaner. after reading here, it seems I need to use glass bottles??? And plastic takes twice as long?? Also, the plastic floats in the water, is this a bad thing? I've been trying to steep my large batch of mocha and sweet cream for a few nights and it still tastes like nothing. I even made two batches thinking I might have messed up the recipe. Help
You are correct. Mine has heat and I initially used the heat cycle. Now I just fill it with hot water and the radio wave action keeps the water warm. The only time I use heat now is to finish up the steep the next day and just on the first 30 minute cycle to heat the water back up. As long as you keep the water warm to the touch that will do the trick.
Are you sure the UC is working properly?
Are you seeing a rippeling effect on the surface of the water while running it?
If not
Fill the UC with water to the MAX level and drop a peace of tin foil in it. Run it for a few minutes and pull out the tin foil and inspect it for pin holes. If there are no pin holes created in the tin foil from the radio wave action the UC may not be working.
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The US cleaner uses a transceiver to generate very short high frequency vibrations. Those vibrations are transferred to the tank in a mechanical fashion. The reason you must use liquid in these cleaners is so the tank can then transfer that energy to the liquid that is in the tank. The liquid then carries those waves until they make contact with an object... and that can dislodge stuck dirt particles, etc... that's the idea behind it all. So, knowing this, think about it this way: you goal is to get that wave energy transferred into the juice in your bottles, so the wave will have to be transferred to your e-liquid by the bottle material itself. So think of this comparison: 2 hammers of the exact same weight, one with a plastic head and one with a traditional steel head. The steel is more dense and rigid than the plastic head so, when you hit something with both, the steel hammer is going to transfer energy to the target object in a more efficient manner, right? This is mainly because of material density. The plastic hammer, on the other hand, will absorb a portion of the energy itself rather than transfer it to the target. That is why we use plastic, rubber and brass head mallets on more delicate items when they need persuasion.
This is the same effect you will see using plastic bottles v/s glass bottles. The plastic will absorb some of the energy that you really want to make it to your juice inside the bottle. How much, I cannot tell you for sure. That would require some test gear, probes and an oscilloscope.
One other factor could be the location of the target object, but that is a huge variable and would depend a lot on the design of the particular cleaner you have, how the transducer is attached to the tank and where it attaches as well as the fluid level in the tank and the control circuitry. What I am getting at is that most cleaners produce a "stack" of equidistant bands that more or less cause hot spots. Knowing this, it is also safe to assume this is taken advantage of in a targeted manner so the further you get away from said "hot spot", the less high frequency energy your target will be exposed to, and one of those dead zones could be the level at which the bottle is floating on top of the tank fluid. Some cleaners have design features that use sweep frequencies to reduce this because it is considered problematic in some applications, but these cheap-o units we are using wouldn't contain such expensive circuitry.
One other thing to take into account and just as a for your information: I don't think any of us really know WHY US cleaners speed the steeping process because as far as I know, none of us really know WHY (from a molecular or chemical perspective) why we need steeping in the first place. We can make assumptions, but I have yet to read anything that explains the process technically. Ultrasonic cleaners work not because of vibrations, but because of the cavitation effect that they cause when they run. it's not radio waves or anything like that, it is physical cavitation. So, why does the flavor get better? Is it some sort of bonding? Is the cavitation changing the structure of something that makes the bonding easier? Is it just the residual heat that is doing the trick? I for one, would love to know. If anyone has any insight I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.
This is the same effect you will see using plastic bottles v/s glass bottles. The plastic will absorb some of the energy that you really want to make it to your juice inside the bottle. How much, I cannot tell you for sure. That would require some test gear, probes and an oscilloscope.
One other factor could be the location of the target object, but that is a huge variable and would depend a lot on the design of the particular cleaner you have, how the transducer is attached to the tank and where it attaches as well as the fluid level in the tank and the control circuitry. What I am getting at is that most cleaners produce a "stack" of equidistant bands that more or less cause hot spots. Knowing this, it is also safe to assume this is taken advantage of in a targeted manner so the further you get away from said "hot spot", the less high frequency energy your target will be exposed to, and one of those dead zones could be the level at which the bottle is floating on top of the tank fluid. Some cleaners have design features that use sweep frequencies to reduce this because it is considered problematic in some applications, but these cheap-o units we are using wouldn't contain such expensive circuitry.
One other thing to take into account and just as a for your information: I don't think any of us really know WHY US cleaners speed the steeping process because as far as I know, none of us really know WHY (from a molecular or chemical perspective) why we need steeping in the first place. We can make assumptions, but I have yet to read anything that explains the process technically. Ultrasonic cleaners work not because of vibrations, but because of the cavitation effect that they cause when they run. it's not radio waves or anything like that, it is physical cavitation. So, why does the flavor get better? Is it some sort of bonding? Is the cavitation changing the structure of something that makes the bonding easier? Is it just the residual heat that is doing the trick? I for one, would love to know. If anyone has any insight I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.
Sorry to turn this into a novel, but I was just reading a little deeper because this sparked my interest.
If you don't have any glass bottles, there is one thing you could try while you are waiting for them to come in the mail...
Now, I am assuming you are filling the tank with water up to the specific "MAX" line, correct?
If this is the case, and assuming your cleaner is standard 40khz, try lowering that level by about 1/4 inch and see if it makes any difference at all. There is a reason for this and that is JUST in the case that your bottles may be floating in the dead zone between two frequency bands. At 40khz, those bands are right around 1/2 inch apart. So, floating them 1/4 inch lower would put them right smack in the center of a frequency band IF this is the case. I will admit, it's a long shot, but hey... while you are waiting for the mail, what's to lose, right?
If you don't have any glass bottles, there is one thing you could try while you are waiting for them to come in the mail...
Now, I am assuming you are filling the tank with water up to the specific "MAX" line, correct?
If this is the case, and assuming your cleaner is standard 40khz, try lowering that level by about 1/4 inch and see if it makes any difference at all. There is a reason for this and that is JUST in the case that your bottles may be floating in the dead zone between two frequency bands. At 40khz, those bands are right around 1/2 inch apart. So, floating them 1/4 inch lower would put them right smack in the center of a frequency band IF this is the case. I will admit, it's a long shot, but hey... while you are waiting for the mail, what's to lose, right?
I would if my wife would let me. I make liposomal vitamin C in the UC and she thinks I'd inadvertently poison us all. Plus getting the juice out of the tank might be problematic.
bobalex i thought you had two, one old smaller then upgraded to a bigger one for your liposomal needs
I gave the smaller UC to my sister so she could make her own liposomal C.
Though I started her with vaping, and she's making her own C now, there's No Way In The World I'll talk her into making her own e-liquid.
Thanks much bobalex and all who contributed to this thread!. I came across this thread while doing research on diy. Ordered a uc with my first order of diy stuff. Its working great and not having to wait 3 weeks to try stuff is a giant bonus!!!!
Thanks!!!!
Thanks!!!!
I wonder if the DYI juice venders are monitoring this thread. I would'nt be surprised if I saw them starting to sell UC's.
I've always wondered how the retail juice vendors "age" their stuff. Haven't received a clear answer from the vendors I've asked. Makes sense. Why would they tell us how to easily stop being customers?
Before I started DYI the last few bottles of vender juice were'nt even steeped. THey were flavorless so I thought they were just poor quality and put them on a top shelf. I went back to this stuff recently and they were totally different colors then when I first bought them and tasted good. Others I've bought from actually have born on dates on the bottles. So it's really a crapshoot what you get as far as premixed juice Unless you go to an established vender like Halo which was my goto vender.
Hello to all and thank all that contributed. I have a couple of observations and a question or two.
I recall hearing bad things about PET bottles leaching chemicals into water if left in a car to get hot, so it would be my guess that it would not be good to accelerate this with ultrasonic stimulation.
I also read in this thread that you should not exceed 125 degrees, but my old mind recalls from another source(forgot that part) that 194 was the magic number. Why 125? Is that 80% of the boiling point of an ingredient?
I believe juice in the tank would be the best way to go, but if you had less than the minimum level required, what is the consensus on floating a thin glass bowl filled with juice?
Has anyone done a side by side comparison with and without vinegar or lemon juice? If so, please share.
This method makes experimenting so much easier, as I'm sure most of the vendors already know.
Thanks
I recall hearing bad things about PET bottles leaching chemicals into water if left in a car to get hot, so it would be my guess that it would not be good to accelerate this with ultrasonic stimulation.
I also read in this thread that you should not exceed 125 degrees, but my old mind recalls from another source(forgot that part) that 194 was the magic number. Why 125? Is that 80% of the boiling point of an ingredient?
I believe juice in the tank would be the best way to go, but if you had less than the minimum level required, what is the consensus on floating a thin glass bowl filled with juice?
Has anyone done a side by side comparison with and without vinegar or lemon juice? If so, please share.
This method makes experimenting so much easier, as I'm sure most of the vendors already know.
Thanks
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