vinegar percentage?

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vovanx

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I often see advices like "soak your gear in vinegar to remove the corrosion", but never saw which exactly vinegar should be used, I assume it is because there is only one type of vinegar solution sold in the US.
but in other countries there are different solutions, like "5% vinegar", "7% vinegar", 10%, 30%, 100% etc. also there are different types of vinegar, e.g. natural made from apples or artificial one.
I feel that different percentages may behave differently on the gear, and high percentages may be even harmful. So which exactly percentage solution should I use?
 
Interesting question. I don't seem to have any vinegar on hand at the moment but I think the stuff they sell here in California is 5% but I wouldn't swear to that. I don't mean to sound absurd, but as a general rule I'd day soak it for half as long if it's twice as strong. Personally, I have not had a lot of success with 5% and sometimes will use muriatic acid to remove bad corrosion, but never on anything new, and only as a last resort. I only leave it on for a few seconds and immerse it in water to stop the reaction. I would approach it with caution, starting with a weaker solution first, keeping a careful eye on it and don't leave it soaking any longer than necessary, brushing it after soaking with a soft brush (toothbrush) and see if it needs more treatment. If you have something such as the stem of a demand valve that is badly corroded then I would assume it is weakened and replace it.
 
I only use VERY cheap vinegar. The reason for this is that the super-cheap stuff is a 5-6% solution of synthetic acetic acid, without any of the organics that add flavour but won't be doing you any favours in a regulator. I have not seen any "factory vinegar" here which is not 5 or 6%, I imagine the other grades are definitely more organic-tainted.
 
I use Heinz distilled white vinegar in 1:1 dilution with water. Time depends on the degree of verdigris or corrosion. I usually check every 5 minutes. For most cases 5 minutes is enough. I also sometimes use a soft bristled toothbrush for "stubborn" spots. Worked great so far.
 
in our country Vinegar essence is standard product in the food markets :)
http://www.ru.all.biz/img/ru/catalog/1610486.jpeg - 70%

For regulators cleaning I used water solution of this essence, approx. 1 spoon per cup of water.
I`d checked this solution by taste (never try to check essence taste - it can kill you).
If you can taste the taste of liquid - you can add some more water. If it seems too acidic for you - it is enough. (Taste - do not mean "drink", just taste a little, and spit out)
In my opinion it is something between 5 and 9%

One important notice! if you have steel (stainless steel too) parts - place it in to separated cup, because in one box with brass (even chromed) - you will have galvanical pair, and you can loose chromium layer from regulator parts :)

But best vinegar usage way - is to use citric acid :)
Much more safe (also for parts), easy to use, easy to buy, can check by taste in any condition.
And works very well!
 
I use Heinz distilled white vinegar in 1:1 dilution with water
what does "distilled vinegar" mean? 100% vinegar solution?
 
I often see advices like "soak your gear in vinegar to remove the corrosion", but never saw which exactly vinegar should be used, I assume it is because there is only one type of vinegar solution sold in the US.

In the US I mostly see vinegar already diluted to 5%, but even that seems to be too strong, so an additional dilution by 50% brings it to 2.5%

Having said that, I've found phosphoric acid diluted to 8.5% by weight (it comes pre-diluted to 85% phosphoric | Duda Diesel Alternative Energy, Chemicals & Industrial Supply Store) plus a little liquid dish soap, more effective and not as insulting to my olfactory system. Cheers to @rsingler for that tip.

Others have found products such as Salt-X = The best salt and salt corrosion fighter! effective, but I've not tried it.

BTW: Heating a cleaning solution increases it's effectiveness.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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