Ultra sonic cleaner

[old-cat]

I think it's about time for me to invest some more $$$ into my saw adventure. I've got several carbs that don't work. How about this ultra sonic gismo, is it good or should I get a different one?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Professiona...639?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item462bc50bdf

 

[1Alpha1]

For what you'd pay for it, I don't see much of a risk. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

 

[Bilge Rat LT 20]

It's your money, i would put it towards a a quality unit that is built to do the job.

 

[Milkman31]

This is the one I have. Just wish it had a longer run time, you have to reset it every 5min. My wife bought it for me so can't complain lol!! It does a fine job.http://m.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-95563.html?utm_referrer=direct/not provided

 

[goods426]

Harbor Freight has these for sale as well.
http://www.harborfreight.com/ultrasonic-cleaner-3305.html

 

[redfin]

This is the one I have. Just wish it had a longer run time, you have to reset it every 5min. My wife bought it for me so can't complain lol!! It does a fine job.http://m.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-95563.html?utm_referrer=direct/not provided

There is a thread floating around here on how to mod for longer cycle time.

 

[BigRed96]

This is the one I have. Just wish it had a longer run time, you have to reset it every 5min. My wife bought it for me so can't complain lol!! It does a fine job.http://m.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-95563.html?utm_referrer=direct/not provided

I have this one and love it. I have had it for years and cleaned countless carbs from chainsaws, weed eaters, motorcycles, etc. When I remove oil pumps from my saws I throw them in the cleaner and it does a great job. I clean cylinders, pistons, nuts and bolts, and just about anything that will fit in it. Well worth the money.

 

[lone wolf]

I have one like that it does not stay on long enough it shuts off to soon.

 

[wkeev]

I paid about 250.00 for mine on fee bay . Its big enough that you will use it for more than carbs. I also bought some clam shell like thinges for the small parts.

 

[decableguy2000]

I've been kicking this around awhile also. Been trying to contact closing dentist office that had one CL to no avail. I was looking at the other units on the bay that are 6L and heated but not have pulled the trigger. They have been running 160ish. I figure I could put a lot more in at once.

Jeremy

 

[Philbert]

This is the one I have.http://m.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-95563.html?utm_referrer=direct/not provided

I also have one of these. Used it periodically and seems to be OK. It was a lot less on sale, and with a 25% off coupon. I hate to recommend HF over much, but probably more reliable than some random eBay seller if you have problems with it upfront.

Philbert

 

[fossil]

I bought a $40 unit and it works great. The longest cycle is 8 minutes so I run it through two those with hot tap water and Dawn dish soap. It works great for carbs.
It would be nice to have one with a heater and large tank to clean cylinders, flywheels and other parts but I couldn't see spending 5 - 10 times that amount to save a bit of elbow grease.

 

[Derf]

They all work basically the same : a metal bowl with an ultrasonic transducer on the bottom side. The most important thing is to not run them without any liquid in the bath (obvious, but why most of them have timers). Also, don't use solutions that aren't recommended for the bath - one person I know used acid and it ate through the metal bowl.

Bigger ones have more powerful transducers, can do bigger objects, but ultrasound penetrates all things so really its just about size of object you're cleaning. For saw carbs you could use a jewelry ultrasonic cleaner for rings probably... but you can order a different transducer on ebay and glue it on the bottom of the bowl and rewire it. You may have to anyway if your cheapie dies on you. The transducer is usually what fails.

The single most useful thing I've found is having a wire mesh basket in the tank. For some reason it cleans 300% better when the object is not floating on the surface, and not laying on the bottom... also I think the transducer can be damaged if heavy objects are laying on the bottom of the tank (not sure). Look for the little eddy vortices in the solution, and try to position your object there.

 

[old-cat]

They all work basically the same : a metal bowl with an ultrasonic transducer on the bottom side. The most important thing is to not run them without any liquid in the bath (obvious, but why most of them have timers). Also, don't use solutions that aren't recommended for the bath - one person I know used acid and it ate through the metal bowl.

Bigger ones have more powerful transducers, can do bigger objects, but ultrasound penetrates all things so really its just about size of object you're cleaning. For saw carbs you could use a jewelry ultrasonic cleaner for rings probably... but you can order a different transducer on ebay and glue it on the bottom of the bowl and rewire it. You may have to anyway if your cheapie dies on you. The transducer is usually what fails.

The single most useful thing I've found is having a wire mesh basket in the tank. For some reason it cleans 300% better when the object is not floating on the surface, and not laying on the bottom... also I think the transducer can be damaged if heavy objects are laying on the bottom of the tank (not sure). Look for the little eddy vortices in the solution, and try to position your object there.

The timer on the $40 unit at HF is 3 minutes. Can the timer be bypassed with an on/off switch?
My Husqvarna dealer will do my 353 carb for $5 and he said the cycle time for his is 45 minutes.

 

[Philbert]

Do they need 45 minutes? I usually run stuff in mine while I am in the shop, and periodically reset it. Most things are clean (and hot!) after 2 - 3 cycles. But I have not done a lot of carbs, so maybe they take longer?

Philbert

 

[Bilge Rat LT 20]

The better ones have multiple transducers on it as well as different frequencies.
How they are attached is important.

Keep the parts suspended, not on the bottom for good cleaning.
The good ones use power.
Get the heated ones.

The ones with short time timers is not designed to run for longer periods.

 

[Derf]

Mine runs anywhere up to 59 minutes (I think)... I usually get sick of waiting after 10-15. I think most carbs are good after about 7-10, but I run it a little longer to be safe. Only the nastiest parts that have caked on crap and solid-varnished passages need longer. The cleaner you use plays a big role too. I was reading somewhere someone used 50:50 pine-sol:water pretty effectively.

 

[old-cat]

Mine runs anywhere up to 59 minutes (I think)... I usually get sick of waiting after 10-15. I think most carbs are good after about 7-10, but I run it a little longer to be safe. Only the nastiest parts that have caked on crap and solid-varnished passages need longer. The cleaner you use plays a big role too. I was reading somewhere someone used 50:50 pine-sol:water pretty effectively.

So if I get the $40 one, I'd want to run it 3 cycles per carb and I might do 2 or 3 carbs in a year. Can you give a guess how long a life it might have?

 

[Derf]

for 40 bucks? maybe 15-20 hours and I'd say you got your money's worth.

I'd also consider reading up on some reviews of different units on Amazon, then hunting online or the 'bay for best price

 

[Nate66n1]

I was just looking on Amazon and I didn't think the prices were all that bad, I've been contemplating an upgrade in the ultrasonic cleaner department too.