Homebrew parts cleaner solvent.

[Birken Vogt]

This is interesting to me. Years ago I tried an old dishwasher that was on the junk pile by the shop. We had no hot water but it had its own heater so I filled it with cold, and some powdered dishwasher soap on some old crusty parts.

After ages of running it got the water hot, but the parts came out very clean, but with some tremendous barnacles of corrosion I presumed because the detergent was too corrosive. So I never took the idea any further.

 

[kshansen]

Where I worked we had what I recall was a Hotsy wash cabinet. Got it a couple years before upper management decided to farm out 95% of the repair work. When we were still doing most of the engine work in house it worked fine. Not 100% clean on some parts but sure saved a lot of work.

Basically just a rotating basket you put parts in and had a U-shaped pipe with spray nozzles and a built in heater.

Problem was once we were cut way back on in shop work it went for months at a time and corrosion and settlement of crap did it in.

 

[Birken Vogt]

We called that a jet cleaner/washer. Standard practice for automatic transmission cases. After hot tanking went out of favor, flame cleaner/shot blaster was standard practice for iron engine parts but I would also wash the old IDI pickup heads in them to avoid heating up the iron to the point that the pressed in prechambers fell out. The machine shop guys looked at me funny but they came clean.

I think my problem above was not having the correct jet cleaner detergent in the dishwasher. There must be some corrosion inhibitors not present in household dishwasher soap. Whatever detergent is used must be low suds. Ever seen what happens when a dishwasher gets loaded with regular soap?

 

[workshoprat92]

Where I worked we had what I recall was a Hotsy wash cabinet. Got it a couple years before upper management decided to farm out 95% of the repair work. When we were still doing most of the engine work in house it worked fine. Not 100% clean on some parts but sure saved a lot of work.

Basically just a rotating basket you put parts in and had a U-shaped pipe with spray nozzles and a built in heater.

Problem was once we were cut way back on in shop work it went for months at a time and corrosion and settlement of crap did it in.

Yes one thing I have been thinking about is the fact that I am not going to be using this thing every day and it may set for months at a time between use. This creates a couple of problems. Number one being the corrosion issues of something like that setting idle. The second being that I dont want to keep it plugged in just to keep the water hot and ready. I think this would just be to much expense in energy cost. So the problem with shutting it off is that in the winter my shop is not insulated nd only heated when im in it. Damage caused by freezing is a real posibility. I have had a couple of thoughts on what to do to combat these issues. First is to add a 110v imersion heater hooked to a thermocouple that can keep the water at a temp just above freezing. Still an energy drain but not as bad as keeping it at operating temp all the time. Plus it would only be on when temps dip blow 45 to 40 degrees. This solves the freezing issue but not the corrosion issues. So the next thought I had was to drain the machine entirely between uses and long idle times. I am thinking I can pump the solution onto a plastic barrel where if it freezes it just does not matter. I can pump it back into the machine for use. The only ofher problem I can see with this is a large amount of time needed to heat the water. Threre would need to be some pre planning and preperation before use. Kind of a P.I.T.A. but still better that constantly damaging the machine creating more projects which I dont have time for!

 

[fast_st]

The drain and plan sounds like a good idea. What's the inside of the cabinet look like? My thought would be this, go to your big box store and get a pair of 5kw heating elements for a hot water heater, put it near the circulator pump intake. After filling, turn on the circulation pump and apply some good 240v power to the two heating elements, they'll draw about 40 amps combined but maybe 60 on startup. They usually use a standard pipe thread to screw into. I'm suggesting running the pump as well because they're meant to be under pressure and without pressure, the water will just boil on the surface, overheating them. Moving the water will help reduce this problem.

 

[DIYDAVE]

Re draining, I'd drain, blow out with air pressure, and refill with a couple gallons of red RV antifreeze, to keep the bits from corroding. Or build a small heated bit, in the shed, I gots a walmart 1500 watt electric heater, that has a keeps from freezing setting, on da switch... Works great, in the tiny office I have above my shop...

 

[thepumpguysc]

I doubt seriously that it would freeze w/ the cleaning agent in the water ??
& I don't think any damage would happen, given the size of the water container itself ??
but its "yours" & your the one who has to fix it if I'm wrong.. just thinkin outloud.

 

[workshoprat92]

I wanna say this thing holds about 20 to 25 gal of water. Its a smaller unit. I think a small block chevy block may be about its limit. Still its gona be great for washing brake drums, wheel hubs and shoes on trucks that had wheel seals go out! For the size of my shop its about all I can handle for now. Anyhow the inside of the machine looks real good and not all rusted if thats what you were asking. It should already have 220v heaters on it. I just mentioned the 110v element for a cheap way to keep it above freezing. For quick heat up im wondering if i can figure a way to cycle the solution through a hotsy coil. I also have a couple of diesel fired old webasto units. The only thing that suks with those is they are 24v units.

 

[fast_st]

I just mentioned the 110v element for a cheap way to keep it above freezing.

110v barnyard stock tank heater with its own thermostat?

 

[Delmer]

If you had the space and inclination, get a small junk chest freezer, cut/melt a barrel to fit, put a garden pond pump in the bottom of it, one tube running to your cleaner, close the lid and put a top on it so it's not all wasted floor space. Those 20 gallons in a chest freezer will never freeze in Missouri. DON'T listen to thepumpguy in SOUTH CAROLINA

Then again, I don't know how cold it gets in your shop, if you want to keep the washer full and not freezing get a couple of old heat tapes with the thermostats in line in the cord, put the thermostat right against the tank and the tape layed out under the tank and some sheet metal to keep the heat in place.

 

[workshoprat92]

Well the old casters on this unit were flat spotted and broken out in the hubs so it wouldnt roll. $22 and a trip to harbor frieght I have new casters on it. Rolls like a champ!

I am amazed at how some companies take advantge of you if your not smart enough to do some reasearch.

First case in point: i was looking at detergent to put in it. A local pressure washer store here sells a powdered product right at about $100 for 40 lbs of it. They say for the amount of water I have I need about 10 lbs of powder in the solution. That $25 every time I change the water and I can only do that 4 times per container. Ok so then I called hotsy and they have a super concentrated liquid detergent in a 5 gal bucket for $68. But heres the thing for the amount of water I have I only need 36 ounces. Thats just a hare over a quart. That means I can change my water 17 times for $4 per change out. I bought the Hotsy soap !!!

Second case in point. Cleaning out my tank I noticed my heating element was screwed and couldnt possibly have worked even though the seller said everything works as should!

Ok so I resigned myself to my fate and removed the heater element. Called bend pak which is who makes the ranger washer line and thier price for the heating element is $111.87! Thats kind of a big fat ouch! Well setting here looking at this heater i noticed a part number on it. Plug it in to a search engine and its sold by grainger and I can pick one up tommorow for $20.67! Now thats a huge price difference! How can bend pak justify gouging you for that much when it cost a fifth of thier price. Thats just criminal! Im getting so fed up with companies trying to take advantage of me!!!

 

[kshansen]

Just had a thought how about something like this:
https://katsblockheater.com/oil-pan-heaters

Just stick it to the bottom of the tank and use the Thermo Cube Thermostat that they show to the right of the page to have it only come on when shop temp drops close to 32ºF.

Just assuming you are only worried about the water/soap solution freezing. Says they are available in the following sizes 25, 50, 100, 150, 250, 500 watt models.

 

[workshoprat92]

Yes I dont know that the tank freezing would hurt it its the pump im worried about most. Usually the pump is submerged in the tank but this one is external. If you drain the tank you also have to drain the pump to get it all.

 

[crane operator]

Surely if the water was warm from a tank heater, the intake line would keep the pump warm enough to keep it from freezing?

We used to keep a pressure washer in iowa, in a homemade oversized doghouse built inside a unheated building. Insulated the inside of the little shack with foam board, and hung a heat lamp in it, and it never froze.

 

[workshoprat92]

Surely if the water was warm from a tank heater, the intake line would keep the pump warm enough to keep it from freezing?

We used to keep a pressure washer in iowa, in a homemade oversized doghouse built inside a unheated building. Insulated the inside of the little shack with foam board, and hung a heat lamp in it, and it never froze.

You forget one thing. My luck suks! I just cant afford to take chances.

On my hotsy pressure washer i have a tank with antifreezein it. After in done i flip the valves and run it till green comes out the hose. That way i know for certain it wont freeze! When i go to use it i just flip the valves and run the antifreeze back into the tank till its clear and not green. Its so easy and 100 percent fool proof. Gona be a little harder to do something with the spray wash cabinet due to the volume needed.

 

[Nige]

Is there enough space to somehow get a shutoff valve in each line so that you could isolate the pump from the tank then drain the pump housing from that hex plug at the bottom..?

 

[kshansen]

Is there enough space to somehow get a shutoff valve in each line so that you could isolate the pump from the tank then drain the pump housing from that hex plug at the bottom..?

Maybe if needed remount the pump a couple inches further back to make room for the valves and install a ball valve in the port at the bottom of the pump?

 

[thepumpguysc]

Getting back to the homemade cleaning solution..
Anybody ever watch the video's about the HF parts washer tanks.??
1 guy buys his solution in 5-10 gal pails.. I don't remember the name of it tho.. gonna go back & watch.
The video is something about> Hacks to the HF parts washer tank..
Where he takes the whole thing & mounts it to a furniture dollie & adds an additional scotchbrite pad scrubber/strainer..

 

[workshoprat92]

Maybe if needed remount the pump a couple inches further back to make room for the valves and install a ball valve in the port at the bottom of the pump?
View attachment 191548

That was pretty much my plan to put a pipe and ball valve in tbe pump drain port just like you say. Then also gona put a ball valve on the tank drain. I can lif the whole unit up and dump it in a plastic barrel. May even make a metal barrel one with anotjer imersion heater so I can pre heat it or thaw it out for use. Nice thing about a metal one is i can put a ball valve on it and use tje forklift again to dump it in the machine. No pumping needed lol! I think id rather it rust out a metal barrel tjan rust out the machine so complete removal to me would be ideal for long term setting idle

 

[pipeline mech]

I had to start cleaning EGR coolers and valves on our Dodges so I purchased a ultrasonic cleaner for 500 bucks off ebay and filled it with straight purple power and it makes your parts look like new after couple 30 minute cycles!!!