Pond Air Diffusers

[Wallace]

I have an MGB engine block in citric acid at the moment and for a while I have been thinking about aeration in the tank to try and to improve the cleaning process. Has anyone tried this or have experience with aeration in cleaning tanks or ponds etc?

I made an aerator for my zinc plating tank from a nylon tube with tiny holes drilled in and that worked reasonably well but the bubbles were inconsistent and obviously I need something a bit bigger now. Any ideas other than trial and error buying unkown aerators online?

 

[Barlidge]

Might be worth trying a small pump with a venturi tube in, circulation and aeration in one go.

This kind of thing

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[mike 109444]

^^ cheep enough BUT if there are any steel parts in it they will get eaten but the citric.
Agitation of the water in the tank might be better.

 

[Parm]

Just get an air stone from the aquarium shop. They work a treat

 

[Wallace]

I just remembered, in the zinc tank I started out using a pressure regulator and progressed to a fish tank pump. Any recommendations for air stones or tubes?

 

[Parm]

I just remembered, in the zinc tank I started out using a pressure regulator and progressed to a fish tank pump. Any recommendations for air stones or tubes?

air stones are all much of a muchness. I used to have 3 fish tank until a couple of years ago.

for this application jut get the cheapest ones you can and a pump. Depending on the size of your tank you may want to get a few for all round coverage

 

[Barlidge]

With cleaning I would think its the agitation that's going to help the most, with the plating I did the same thing but that was to help diffuse the current paths and prevent hot spots for a more even coating. If you go with the air pump you can also get air curtains which are just porous flexible pipes at varying lengths, you could place one of those directly under the piece being cleaned to help agitate the cleaning solution around it. They do need a reasonable volume air pump though. I found airstone/curtains clog up quite quickly though and I think that would be especially true in a dirt solution hence the suggestion of the powerhead.

 

[Parm]

With cleaning I would think its the agitation that's going to help the most, with the plating I did the same thing but that was to help diffuse the current paths and prevent hot spots for a more even coating. If you go with the air pump you can also get air curtains which are just porous flexible pipes at varying lengths, you could place one of those directly under the piece being cleaned to help agitate the cleaning solution around it. They do need a reasonable volume air pump though. I found airstone/curtains clog up quite quickly though and I think that would be especially true in a dirt solution hence the suggestion of the powerhead.

Good idea, didn’t think of that

 

[Barlidge]

Another thought is a small pump similar to this, they are available in 12v or 24v and they have 1/2" connection on so easy to connect together or to hosepipe fittings and then you could direct the flow into cavities etc. I've got 3 connected together inline and use them for all sorts of things, was using them to flush out my intercooler last week.

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[Wallace]

The waterways are the most difficult to clean as you cannot get in fully with the pressure washer, where you can comes up nicely. One of those 12v pumps might be worth trying circulating through the waterways with the core plugs etc in place.

 

[Screwdriver]

Unless the tank is already heated, heat is definitely the first port of call to improve the chemical reaction.

 

[cheb]

If it's small enough try putting it an ultrasonic cleaner filled with citric.

 

[Wallace]

It's a four cylinder cast iron MGB B Series engine block, quite sizeable and currently sat in a storage bin like the one in the photo @Barlidge posted above. I have 2 small ultrasonic cleaners and have dreamt about owning one big enough to do a block since seeing one in action on a school trip in 1980!

 

[Screwdriver]

It's a four cylinder cast iron MGB B Series engine block, quite sizeable and currently sat in a storage bin like the one in the photo @Barlidge posted above. I have 2 small ultrasonic cleaners and have dreamt about owning one big enough to do a block since seeing one in action on a school trip in 1980!

Well the transducers have dropped a fair bit in price since I first mooted the idea of building one myself. Big tank, a dozen biggish tranducers, bobs yer uncle. It's not rocket science** if only because the transducers generally come with their own driver boards and power supplies.


**OK so it probably is rocket science but there's bound to be a useable guide for how to do it!

 

[Brad93]

But the ceramic grey airstones. Worth the extra few quid over the cheap blue ones. Rubber diffusers work well but they need cleaning.

 

[123hotchef]

hot citric acid solution works soooooooo much better
I stuck a towel rad element in mine speed it up 24 hours is normally enough for the very rusty stuff

 

[Screwdriver]

The reverse is also true. In this weather a cold bucket of citric is going to be virtually useless.

 

[Barlidge]

I've often wondered if a flow through type heater like found in dishwashers would be useful for things like this?

 

[Wallace]

I've often wondered if a flow through type heater like found in dishwashers would be useful for things like this?

Interesting little units, not seen those before.

 

[Wallace]

But the ceramic grey airstones. Worth the extra few quid over the cheap blue ones. Rubber diffusers work well but they need cleaning.

I will bear that in mind, cheers.