Ultrasonic causes heat?

[Ethan diy]

Hi I was wondering if anyone knows if the ultrasonic cleaner heats just from the ultrasonic waves even if I don't use the heating switch.... Or is my machine just busted... It really heats up! Would appreciate some info if anyone can offer.
Thanks

 

[GOMuniEsq]

Ultrasonic waves are not very good at heating things up. Even in ultrasonic welding the temperature stays well below the melting point. I'd say your heat is coming from something else.

 

[Ethan diy]

thanks would you know how many degrees it should reach if i use the the ultrasonic for a good while consequtively??

 

[BillW50]

No they can create a fair amount lot of heat. Usually nothing high enough to boil water or anything. I don't know what it uses to create high frequency vibrations, but it may use a coil and a rod or something which probably creates heat alone. Then you have those vibrations which rubs molecules together at high frequency.

 

[zoiDman]

Hi I was wondering if anyone knows if the ultrasonic cleaner heats just from the ultrasonic waves even if I don't use the heating switch.... Or is my machine just busted... It really heats up! Would appreciate some info if anyone can offer.
Thanks

Absolutely Ultrasonic Waves can cause Localized Heat. Waves in Water are a Great Example of Energy being Transferred but Not Mass.

But so much depends on the Frequency and Amplitude of the generated Waves. And the Medium the Waves are Interacting with.

In your case though, since you say it "really heats up", I would say that a Faulty heating switch is the more Likely cause.

 

[Ethan diy]

Right thanks... So would anyone know approximately how many degrees celcius or Fahrenheit it would heat up to if it was just ultrasonic waves... So I know if it's faulty or not .
Thanks

 

[zoiDman]

Right thanks... So would anyone know approximately how many degrees celcius or Fahrenheit it would heat up to if it was just ultrasonic waves... So I know if it's faulty or not .
Thanks

I'm sure there is some Really Nasty, Non-Linear, Differential Equations that could be used to calculate the Heat Increase.

But just guessing, I would Imagine for a Home ultrasonic cleaner like what most people have, maybe something like 0 ~ 10 degrees F.

 

[BillW50]

Right thanks... So would anyone know approximately how many degrees celcius or Fahrenheit it would heat up to if it was just ultrasonic waves... So I know if it's faulty or not .
Thanks

Oh man! There are too many variables. Who manufactured it, what model, what frequency (if changeable), etc. Even the ones in our labs got warm with the heater off. But I can't think of any that I recall that really got hotter than say 110°F. Why how hot is yours getting?

 

[Ethan diy]

I think arounf the 120-130..but I'm not sure I'll have to check that.. But thanks!!

 

[puffon]

Sounds like you've got a good quality UC.
It's also recommended not to use any flammable liquids in them.
The cheaper ones usually don't heat up much.

 

[Ethan diy]

Thanks

 

[IDJoel]

I can't offer specifics, but my little el-cheapo UC (similar to this

will take cold tap water (mid 50's℉?), and raise the temperature to tepid bath water temps(high 70's to low 80's℉?), in as little as two or three 3-minute cycles. When I tried (briefly) to use it for DIYing e-liquid, and ran it for 20-30 minutes at a time, cold water was easily reaching 100(ish)℉. This unit has no heater, so the rise in temperature had to be coming from mechanical operation, and molecular agitation.

One time, the internal components got hot enough, that the hot-melt glue that holds the transducer(?) to the underside of the basin melted, and the transducer dropped off. So, to me, that is saying the internal components are generating a fair amount of heat.

I have no idea how, or if, this might compare to a higher quality unit.

 

[Ethan diy]

Definitely no problem then on my uc.. It's 6 liter industrial.
Thx Joel.

 

[IDJoel]

Definitely no problem then on my uc.. It's 6 liter industrial.
Thx Joel.

I would expect the internals to be much higher quality, and likely has some form of internal cooling (fan?). One thing that may be "encouraging" warming, is if you are adding little water to such a large unit. If you are only putting a liter (or less) into a unit that was designed to accommodate 6 liters, I could see that warming up quite a bit even without the heater being on.

Some things to consider for controlling temp.:
-- More water vs. less (cap the bottles and let them float).
-- Leave the lid open vs. closed (let as much heat escape as possible).
-- Make sure the unit is unobstructed (free airflow around the unit can only help).
-- Maybe(?) try adding a couple/few ice cubes, to offset the rise in temp, from time to time (if it is more than desired).

 

[zoiDman]

... When I tried (briefly) to use it for DIYing e-liquid, and ran it for 20-30 minutes at a time, cold water was easily reaching 100(ish)℉. ...

That is Interesting.

I Wasn't aware that a Inexpensive unit like that could Heat the Water that much.

 

[IDJoel]

That is Interesting.

I Wasn't aware that a Inexpensive unit like that could Heat the Water that much.

I wasn't expecting it either. But, given the small volume of water it holds, and it is cheaply made (solid plastic casing (good insulation) with the only "venting" being a few slits on the bottom, and no internal fan... it really wasn't that surprising. I chalk it up to being a poor/cheap unit, vs. much of anything else.

For a 3-minute cleaner for glasses or jewelry, it is okay. For anything more, it leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[zoiDman]

I wasn't expecting it either. But, given the small volume of water it holds, and it is cheaply made (solid plastic casing (good insulation) with the only "venting" being a few slits on the bottom, and no internal fan... it really wasn't that surprising. I chalk it up to being a poor/cheap unit, vs. much of anything else.

For a 3-minute cleaner for glasses or jewelry, it is okay. For anything more, it leaves a lot to be desired.

It just Dawned on me. Not just Heat from putting Waves into the Water. But Heat generated to Make the Waves. The Whole Unit gets Hot.

LOL