Heating a Parts Washer?

[armalites]

I don't think using a kettle heating element is going to work, As the electrical connections need to be on the outside & not in contact with the solution

Not sure I get what you mean? The connection will be on the outside?

 

[brightspark]

I don't think using a kettle heating element is going to work, As the electrical connections need to be on the outside & not in contact with the solution

a kettle element has a 10 amp plug fitted on the outside

 

[Ashley Burton]

Not sure I get what you mean? The connection will be on the outside?

The scrap kettle I have has this style of element:

 

[armalites]

Ah ok, that won't work. You are going to have to make a hole or find an element that will hang in the tank like a fish tank heater

 

[Ashley Burton]

Ah ok, that won't work. You are going to have to make a hole or find an element that will hang in the tank like a fish tank heater

If I connected the element up & covered it in resin could that possibly work? Or does that sound a little risky/dangerous?

 

[julianf]

Surely it can't drop in temperature that rapidly?

The test I suggested is so quick and easy, why not just try?

I did not say either way on my post, but, I have my suspicions.... : )

 

[Fintray]

Best to have the solution in direct contact with the element plus hoping the resin seals the electrical connection from the solutions doesn't sound to be the best idea.

 

[Ashley Burton]

Best to have the solution in direct contact with the element plus hoping the resin seals the electrical connection from the solutions doesn't sound to be the best idea.

Yeah I'm not convinced it's a good idea either!

Will see about getting a different heating element

 

[james butler]

buy an old dishwasher they work really well!

 

[rosinante]

Hi if you are using a water based degreaser get a wallpaper steamer and stick the end of the hose in it, I id this years ago with ordinary laundry detergent , worked just fine , got the solution nice and hot , whatever you do do not heat petroleum based solvents, we used to have a special vapour degreaser that boiled a solvent , the whole system operated under a vacuum to reduce the boiling point of the solvent below its flash point, massively interlocked for safety,
Chris

 

[hotponyshoes]

Presuming it's a steel tank parts washer...
Could you not just wack a load of big ultrasonic transducers on the bottom of it?

I have an ultrasonic cleaning bath. It's not heated but if you leave it running for an hour the water gets too hot to put your hand in just from the sound waves.

All I need to put in that is boring old water and a tiny squirt of washing up liquid.

If I'm cleaning something really baked on, like a variable vane pack from a diesel turbo then I stick a dishwasher tablet in it.

 

[Farside]

The parts washer I cobble together for my bike engine recently was using a hot solution of dishwasher tabs, laundry tabs, Aldi multi-purpose cleaner and some sodium carbonate. When the temp remained reasonably high the cleaning power was pretty good, which gives me some confidence that a proper system will work fine. When it all cooled down overnight and I went to scrub some parts the next day, it was a shadow of its former self, so I just did them with kerosene.
My eventual parts washer will definitely be heated with an Inconel immersion element.

 

[mrsbruce]

Is there any reason you CAN’T use a fish tank heater to warm your detergent based solution up. I could see the benefit of popping the heater into the solution while getting organsied, and if nothing else, take the cold edge off the solution.

 

[winchman]

The ones I have used all use a Caustic type solution heated to 85C and work well.
When Mrs Burton is out try a part through the dish washer as they are a very good cheap solution and basically an industrial washer is just a dish washer.
From my experience you don't heat solvents usually Caustics heated clean most things assuming the component is heat proof.

 

[winchman]

When I was a small boy we used to strip a complete 11l gardener engines put it in in stainless baskets in one of these and it came out like new
https://www.teijopesu.fi

You can scroll down the page and look at the data sheet for the cleaning them they sell

 

[selectedgrub]

buy an old dishwasher they work really well!

This is a pretty cool idea if you could regurgitate the solvent.

 

[winchman]

This is a pretty cool idea if you could regurgitate the solvent.

You don't use solvent, you use dishwasher tablets about 4-5p each from Aldi etc ( I assume you have Aldi down under?) Its the caustic and hot environment inside the washer that cleans it. Usually leaves them dry too. If I had a big workshop it would be the first thing I would buy