Question Ultrasonic Cleaners vs HCL acid?

[Pearlman]

Hey Folks
So I am a few weeks away from servicing my regulators - 2 1st stages and 3 2nds.

I was looking at purchasing HCL acid but confused about grades and concentration to use. The classroom taught me to create a solution of 10% HCL by adding the right measure of HCL to a measured volume of water. A quick browse on Google says 100% HCL is a gas and the local market offerings online shows me some 37% HCL and other offering are listed as CP grade or LR grade. What are these and which one should I get? What is the strongest concentration of liquid HCL possible for general sale without any special licenses etc?

Then I also did a quick check on Ultrasonic cleaners and I found that they are not that expensive compared to the various speciality tools I got for repairing my regulators. The most affordable ones appear to be for dentures and jewellery cleaning etc and I am looking at one on Amazon locally that has just a 304 SUS 600ml tank & Ultrasonic frequency 42,000 Hz it looks like. Will that suffice for a single 1st stage at a time?

The blurb on the product site says this however -

• PLEASE DON'T put plated items into the tank.
• The ultrasonic cleaner can not remove the oxide layer.

Now I am confused because regulators are typically plated brass right? And what about the salt or white aluminium oxide coating/deposits (not sure what it was deep inside the body) I found inside my regs when I opened them in the classroom?

Please help me decide the minimum specs of either that I should go for, thanks for your inputs on this.

 

[tursiops]

I would never use HCl acid. My go-to is white vinegar, diluted 1:1.
The Deep6 Service Manual says:

Acid wash - Distilled white vinegar, diluted 1:1 in warm water; Lawrence Factor Wash® or GSM 43190​

Regulator Cleaner, diluted per manufacturer; food-grade phosphoric acid, diluted to 8-15% (for​

soaking), or diluted to 3% for use in an ultrasonic cleaner.​

 

[Pearlman]

I would never use HCl acid. My go-to is white vinegar, diluted 1:1.
The Deep6 Service Manual says:

Acid wash - Distilled white vinegar, diluted 1:1 in warm water; Lawrence Factor Wash® or GSM 43190​

Regulator Cleaner, diluted per manufacturer; food-grade phosphoric acid, diluted to 8-15% (for​

soaking), or diluted to 3% for use in an ultrasonic cleaner.​

I see distilled vinegar of 5% only online. Then there is a 20% cleaning vinegar that does not say “distilled” … what %strength of vinegar are you referring to?
Is there a custom regulator cleaner solution available?

 

[Mobulai]

Now I am confused because regulators are typically plated brass right? And what about the salt or white aluminium oxide coating/deposits (not sure what it was deep inside the body) I found inside my regs when I opened them in the classroom?

Chrome plated brass does alright in an US cleaner — they might have meant non electroplated items (idk what would be the difference even)

Regarding HCl:
From previous experience at chemistry lab, we had an incident at school, I would avoid HCl tbh as it fumes up very easily, (food grade) phosphoric acid does really great and is available without any special permits

Oxides: some pre rubbing with a toothbrush helps loosen it up, maybe with some diluted vinegar
Aluminum not a good idea to put it into either an acid bath nor an US cleaner, I think it makes it (More)brittle — not sure about that tho

 

[tursiops]

I see distilled vinegar of 5% only online. Then there is a 20% cleaning vinegar that does not say “distilled” … what %strength of vinegar are you referring to?
Is there a custom regulator cleaner solution available?

Don't overthink it. Cheap, grocery store vinegar.

 

[tursiops]

Hey Folks
So I am a few weeks away from servicing my regulators - 2 1st stages and 3 2nds.

I was looking at purchasing HCL acid but confused about grades and concentration to use. The classroom taught me to create a solution of 10% HCL by adding the right measure of HCL to a measured volume of water. A quick browse on Google says 100% HCL is a gas and the local market offerings online shows me some 37% HCL and other offering are listed as CP grade or LR grade. What are these and which one should I get? What is the strongest concentration of liquid HCL possible for general sale without any special licenses etc?

Then I also did a quick check on Ultrasonic cleaners and I found that they are not that expensive compared to the various speciality tools I got for repairing my regulators. The most affordable ones appear to be for dentures and jewellery cleaning etc and I am looking at one on Amazon locally that has just a 304 SUS 600ml tank & Ultrasonic frequency 42,000 Hz it looks like. Will that suffice for a single 1st stage at a time?

The blurb on the product site says this however -



Now I am confused because regulators are typically plated brass right? And what about the salt or white aluminium oxide coating/deposits (not sure what it was deep inside the body) I found inside my regs when I opened them in the classroom?

Please help me decide the minimum specs of either that I should go for, thanks for your inputs on this.

Ultrasonic cleaner recommendations

Can anyone recommend a good ultrasonic cleaner for reg servicing that won't break the bank?

scubaboard.com

 

[davehicks]

I don't use acid or vinegar at all in the ultrasonic. I just use hot water @ 50c and parts come out sparkling. Maybe a little simple green crystal on some parts. If you have a really crusty part, then try some diluted vinegar.

 

[happy-diver]

Car parts regs acids the lot

http://www.telagakura.net/web/resources/gear/Servicemanual_Xstream_ENG_2.1.pdf

 

[happy-diver]

Using Acids in Ultrasonic Cleaners - Zenith Ultrasonics

Using acids in ultrasonic cleaners must be done very carefully to prevent problems with equipment reliability and cleaning results.4

zenith-ultrasonics.com

 

[Pearlman]

Chrome plated brass does alright in an US cleaner — they might have meant non electroplated items (idk what would be the difference even)

You may be right.

I don't use acid or vinegar at all in the ultrasonic. I just use hot water @ 50c and parts come out sparkling. Maybe a little simple green crystal on some parts. If you have a really crusty part, then try some diluted vinegar.

Makes sense. My regs are just 3 years old and nothing beginning to rust yet just whitey deposits inside. I will hold back on adding vinegar as well and use just plain water. One question I had was whether plain water in a US Cleaner will degrease the old coating of christ-o-lube on the inside surface of the reg body as well? Simple green isn’t available in my country and finding an odour free detergent is not easy. All I see is kitchen stove oven grease removers in consumer stores. May need to search for industrial products otherwise. But on second thoughts it looks as though vinegar should suffice. Yeah definitely overthinking this …

Using Acids in Ultrasonic Cleaners - Zenith Ultrasonics

Using acids in ultrasonic cleaners must be done very carefully to prevent problems with equipment reliability and cleaning results.4

zenith-ultrasonics.com

That was really useful. The acid reformulation and flash rusting phenomenon was an interesting phenomenon to be aware of. So is there a danger of flash rusting from a 1:1 vinegar/water solution as well?

I ordered a US cleaner today from a local manufacturer. Next week I take my first shot at servicing my kit on my own without supervision.

Thanks for the useful pointers everyone!