Question Ultrasonic Cleaners vs HCL acid?

[lowwall]

Has anyone tried citric acid (the active ingredient in lime juice) instead of acetic (the active ingredient in vinegar)? It comes in a powder that you mix with water. It's food safe and you have probably eaten it since it's what is used to make the sour taste in sour candies. I use it to descale my coffee machine and humidifier and it works great for that.

 

[Mobulai]

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?

Probably if it’s a thin film; if you jave lumps in corners probably not as well
I’d say that’s where the pre cleaning with a soft brush shines the most (I use liquid soap — it’s not non scented, but the least scented i could find — with a couple drops of kitchen vinegar for the verdigris)

Christolube gunk’s very easily and needs to be removed with a bit of “soft abrasion” i’d say

 

[Pearlman]

Has anyone tried citric acid (the active ingredient in lime juice) instead of acetic (the active ingredient in vinegar)?

Thread 'citric acid for cleaning'
citric acid for cleaning

Probably if it’s a thin film; if you jave lumps in corners probably not as well
I’d say that’s where the pre cleaning with a soft brush shines the most (I use liquid soap — it’s not non scented, but the least scented i could find — with a couple drops of kitchen vinegar for the verdigris)

Christolube gunk’s very easily and needs to be removed with a bit of “soft abrasion” i’d say

Well.. I am afraid to use any brush for rubbing the insides of a regulator body for the fear of creating microscopic abrasions. Moreover some areas are hard to reach… (which is why I spent more $$$ on a US cleaner rather than try to just soak the reg parts and try to rub things off). While the grease is a thin film that vinegar should remove, the white deposits seem to be something else.

 

[Mobulai]

Has anyone tried citric acid (the active ingredient in lime juice) instead of acetic (the active ingredient in vinegar)? It comes in a powder that you mix with water. It's food safe and you have probably eaten it since it's what is used to make the sour taste in sour candies. I use it to descale my coffee machine and humidifier and it works great for that.

I think it would work, but probably not as we’d expect — I think the main advantage of citric acid is how it binds to Calcium (been a long time since I did any chemistry let alone organic ch)

Probably it would not be that good of a fit witg heavy verdigris (heavier metals and such)

I’m willing to try it, I got a reg I need to clean soon— I’ll try to make it a comparative approach (not sure how, maybe I need to look into the untouchable pile of abused regs)

 

[tarponchik]

37-40% is as high as you can get with aqueous solutions of HCl. This is what's called "concentrated hydrochloric acid". HCl is a gas under normal conditions, unlike sulfuric acid which is a liquid. So, "concentrated sulfuric acid" means ~98%, "concentrated hydrochloric acid" means only 37-40%.

 

[bakodiver391]

I've been using 50% vinegar solution in my US cleaner, then soak and scrub with a toothbrush in a Simple Green solution, then a soak in rainwater, then blow dry with breathing grade air. This has given good results over the years. Any tough deposits can be worked on with the toothbrush and Simple Green.

 

[runsongas]

vinegar or citric acid like they sell for cleaning coffee machines

if you elect citric acid, you want to go with a lower concentration around 0.5 to 1% than the 2.5% common for acetic

diluted lemon juice can also be used if you aren't worried about o2 clean

 

[Pearlman]

vinegar or citric acid like they sell for cleaning coffee machines

if you elect citric acid, you want to go with a lower concentration around 0.5 to 1% than the 2.5% common for acetic

diluted lemon juice can also be used if you aren't worried about o2 clean

I have citric acid powder lying around for household cleaning. The trouble is I am not sure how to prepare a mix meeting any specific concentration. With citric do I mix 5-10gms in a litre of water? Likewise if I get food grade 95% orthophosphoric acid in powder form - how do I convert it into a 3% solution with 1 ltr of water? Pour 30 gms (to equate to 30ml) into the water and mix? High school stuff I know, but I hated chemistry class back then…

Anyways I am not running a shop having to deal with corroded regulators day in and out. My regs are in relatively pristine condition so I am not too worried right now. Just pour water, like for my Whisky …

 

[davehicks]

I have citric acid powder lying around for household cleaning. The trouble is I am not sure how to prepare a mix meeting any specific concentration. With citric do I mix 5-10gms in a litre of water? Likewise if I get food grade 95% orthophosphoric acid in powder form - how do I convert it into a 3% solution with 1 ltr of water? Pour 30 gms (to equate to 30ml) into the water and mix? High school stuff I know, but I hated chemistry class back then…

Anyways I am not running a shop having to deal with corroded regulators day in and out. My regs are in relatively pristine condition so I am not too worried right now.

Don't overthink it as you won't likely need any acid.

 

[PACKRMAN]

I have owned an electroplating shop for 35 years. We use HCL to strip chrome. I'm pretty sure using HCL on a regulator would be a great way to get a new regulator for Christmas.