Ultrasonic clearomiser cleaning?

[Sida]

Hey all

I've been vaping for about 5 months now (after trying years ago and failing, the great recommendations on this forum lead me to the right products and I haven't touched a real cig since, thanks for that) and one thing that is really bothering me is cleaning the clearomisers. I'm still looking for a good solution. I've tried a few techniques and the liquid still turns pretty nasty when I refill.

I noticed Amazon has an ultrasonic cleaner for under £35 (product linked below, remove if not allowed) and was wondering whether anyone has tried these or think they could work. It'd be great to just put the bits into it and let it clean. The reviews are mostly by people who use it to clean watches, jewelry, glasses etc and it sounds like the results are really great.

I'm considering getting one but would hate to waste my money if there's a reason it wouldn't work or I shouldn't use it.

Thank you

JPL 7000 Ultrasonic Cleaner with accessories: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

 

[rotorhead]

I recently bought a ultrsonic cleaner but have only used it to help steep my diy juice. It is made for cleaning so it could work.

 

[supertrunker]

My old work used to use one and it was filled with toluene which is rather hard to get hold of and i'd be wary of it. I am not sure what liquid that one in your link is using but i'd stick to hot water which has been fine for all my tanks and RBAs. The liquid to fill it may well be more costly and hard to dispose of than i'd think is worth it and ofc you have to clean the entire thing out now and then.

T

 

[spider362]

I'm not sure I'd trust the Ultrasonic Cleaner if silica wicks are involved.

I was going to replace the coil wick on my Kanger T3 with cotton and when I started pulling out the old silica wick it just fell apart, and this was without Ultrasonic cleaning. If you want to see the results of ultrasonic cleaning drop in a small square of kitchen aluminum foil (about an inch square) and run it through a couple of cycles.

The results, if it's a good ultrasonic cleaner, will be very tiny holes all over the foil square. If an ultrasonic cleaner will do that to aluminum foil I wonder what it will do to the silica wick.

I clean my T3 by forcing water through it using a syringe with a short piece of 3/8" silicone tubing attached. The ID of the tubing will slide over the 510 part of the clearomizer and produces a good seal. Then I do a dry burn if I want to.

 

[Unforeseen]

Moved to Assorted PV Topics - Clearomizers

 

[Sida]

Sounds like it won't be as great as I thought Thanks all.

 

[mostlyclassics]

I've used an ultrasonic cleaner to clean both Stardusts and Vision Vivi Nova (and VN Mini) parts (including heads) with no problems. I've used both 91% isopropyl alcohol and hot water. The hot water is almost as good as the iso, so I've discontinued using iso for this purpose. Ultrasonic cleaning seems to be gentler and work more thoroughly than boiling, IMO. Three or four three-minute zaps on my cheapie ultrasonic cleaner does the job. Then I let everything dry for a day or three, reassemble and dry-burn.

I did have one VN head lose its wicks, but that head had started to show odd resistance readings on my Lavatube, so it was on the way to failure anyway. I recoiled and rewicked it, and it works fine now.

If an ultrasonic cleaner will do that to aluminum foil [poke tiny holes in it] I wonder what it will do to the silica wick.

The conclusion does not follow from the premise, since aluminum foil is not spun silica. The ultrasonic cleaner will only clean sound wicks and coils, not destroy them.

 

[Sida]

I've used an ultrasonic cleaner to clean both Stardusts and Vision Vivi Nova (and VN Mini) parts (including heads) with no problems. I've used both 91% isopropyl alcohol and hot water. The hot water is almost as good as the iso, so I've discontinued using iso for this purpose. Ultrasonic cleaning seems to be gentler and work more thoroughly than boiling, IMO. Three or four three-minute zaps on my cheapie ultrasonic cleaner does the job. Then I let everything dry for a day or three, reassemble and dry-burn.

I did have one VN head lose its wicks, but that head had started to show odd resistance readings on my Lavatube, so it was on the way to failure anyway. I recoiled and rewicked it, and it works fine now.



The conclusion does not follow from the premise, since aluminum foil is not spun silica. The ultrasonic cleaner will only clean sound wicks and coils, not destroy them.

Okay that sounds more promising. You say it seems to be more effective than simply boiling, is it effective enough to justify the cost? If I'm going to have to really concentrate to spot the difference then I'll probably pass since I don't have loads of cash, but if it's going to make a nice difference then I'll go for it.

Thanks for your help.

 

[mostlyclassics]

Sida, it seems the rapid vibration of the ultrasonic cleaner does a significantly better job of shaking the gradoo off the coil. Heads seem to last about twice as long when ultrasonically cleaned, as opposed to boiling them.

I found it a worthwhile purchase -- but then, my plastic cheapie ultrasonic cleaner only cost me about $25.00 (about half what that JPL-7000 model will cost you), and I got free shipping from Amazon. Since we got it, my wife has discovered it does a whiz-bang job on jewelry. And if I ever get more sophisticated with my DIY efforts than just making simple menthol or minty flavors, I'll use it for instant steeping as well.

You might want to look around for a cheaper ultrasonic cleaner. That JPL-7000 model may be overkill for you -- akin to going mosquito hunting with an elephant gun.

EDITED TO ADD:

I just perused the amazon.co.uk listings. Wow! Ultrasonic cleaners are sure a lot more expensive on your side of the pond! Do those prices include VAT? At any rate, here's one that might do the job for you:

JPL-2000 Compact Ultrasonic Cleaner

The feature it lacks that's on mine is an automatic shut-off after four minutes. But if you can read a clock, that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Sida]

Sida, it seems the rapid vibration of the ultrasonic cleaner does a significantly better job of shaking the gradoo off the coil. Heads seem to last about twice as long when ultrasonically cleaned, as opposed to boiling them.

I found it a worthwhile purchase -- but then, my plastic cheapie ultrasonic cleaner only cost me about $25.00 (about half what that JPL-7000 model will cost you), and I got free shipping from Amazon. Since we got it, my wife has discovered it does a whiz-bang job on jewelry. And if I ever get more sophisticated with my DIY efforts than just making simple menthol or minty flavors, I'll use it for instant steeping as well.

You might want to look around for a cheaper ultrasonic cleaner. That JPL-7000 model may be overkill for you -- akin to going mosquito hunting with an elephant gun.

EDITED TO ADD:

I just perused the amazon.co.uk listings. Wow! Ultrasonic cleaners are sure a lot more expensive on your side of the pond! Do those prices include VAT? At any rate, here's one that might do the job for you:

JPL-2000 Compact Ultrasonic Cleaner

The feature it lacks that's on mine is an automatic shut-off after four minutes. But if you can read a clock, that shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah our listed prices include VAT. I think you're right, that one really is overkill. It's good to hear they work well though. I found an even cheaper one for £14 with free delivery but it only has 1 review. I'll do a bit of research on this one and if I can't find anything I think I'll go for the one you posted.

Thanks again for your help! Much appreciated.

 

[Thepinfamily]

I also use an US cleaner on my clearos. I love it and would NEVER clean any other way. I take everything apart and place it in a small container that fits inside the cleaner. Similar to a double boiler setup. I use the US cleaner in my other hobbies for cleaning and this lets me use a clean fresh container I know is not contaminated. I use a large pill bottle but anything plastic or glass will work. I use 91% iso and warm tap water. 3 parts water/1 part 91%. I run them a couple 8 min cycles then a quick rinse and run them again with just clean water. It works perfectly. Far more gentle than many other methods I've seen. I use the harbor freight model that's about $80 before the 20% off coupon that's printable online.

 

[Thepinfamily]

eBay is a good place to get cheap US cleaner also move seen some great deals. In my case bigger was better since I use it for restorations also.

 

[eric1973]

I have used a small ultrasonic for steeping and cleaning attys; it does work well and have never needed alcohol, personally. Usually several 15 minute cycles in hot water for the attys, blowing them out between each cycle, and then drying overnight.

One note: ultrasonics have a speaker glued to the bottom of the metal tanks, which produces the ultrasonic waves in the water. Anything, particularly metal, that touches the bottom or sides can damage that speaker and shorten the life span of the ultrasonic. I've found it helpful to use a small basket that hangs inside, an accessory that comes with most ultrasonics.