Parts Washer - Detergent or Solvent?

I'm going to buy a cheapo 20 gal parts washer. It has a 28"WX19L"X10"D tank with a shelf about 1/3 up from the bottom of the tank. It has a circulating pump and flex hose off the pump to flush a stream of fluid over your work. Plus you can soak parts in the bottom below the shelf.

WASHER FOR PARTS 20 GALLONS

Item No: B2109
20 Gallon Parts Washer
With a 28" x 19" x 10[" tank capacity, this heavy-duty welded steel unit offers
plenty of room for big, tough cleaning chores. Features a .7 Amp self-contained
motor that's capable of pumping 50 gallons of solvent per hour.
A chromed steel gooseneck spigot and fitted steel lid has a fusible link that
automatically drops the lid in case of fire.
The pump of the part washer may be damaged if the wrong solvents are used.
Proper solvents include the following:
Approved cleaning solutions (non-volatile solvents)
Water/household detergents (PH6 - B)
Non volatile solvents

Click to expand...

I want to use detergent to avoid the hazards of solvent ie:
the fumes;
the fire hazard;
the harm to the environment;
and lastly the legalities and hassles of accounting for the fumes with city bylaws.

I've been unable to get much info from the local sales places that sell these. It seems all the info on detergents comes with the big $1000.00 and up parts washers from those suppliers.

1) Has anyone got experience running detergents in these cheapo parts cleaners?
2) Will detergent cleaners work as good or nearly as good as solvent?
3) Can anyone recommend a source for detergent cleaners compatible with aluminum for this type of unit?
4) Does anyone care to comment on this unit ie: cleaning it, pump life, etc., anything appreciated.

It can hurt us all...

If you figure out what you do with the used-up filter media, please let me know. I'd love to run such an operation, but fear the EPA consequences. Currently I wipe clean all surfaces, disposing of them separately(landfill), then go for a "Simple Green" cleaning of the rest of the part, with rinses into my septic system, followed by doses of Rid-X to refresh the bacteria levels. I do not think I am doing the environment any favors.

This is a major issue for all of us.

What do you do to insure little to no environmental impact when parts cleaning?

RS

I haven't wrenched for 25 years so I'm in the preliminary set-up stage. 25 years ago I poured gas in a tray and washed parts with a paint brush (after scraping off the heavy stuff). When my gas was too thick with sludge I'd pour it on the driveway to keep the dust down.

Yes it is time we all started concerning ourselves with the issue. After seeing what a local auto transmission shop did twice a week to clean the shop floor and then hose it all down the drain I understood why we have those dead zones in the oceans. As individuals we can at least contain our own waste and keep it out of the run off.

I'm planning on filtering my spoils to a creamy sludge which I'm going to put in 2 oz. tins and sell it to Japanese bike owners so they can rub it on their bikes. I'll call it "A Touch of Class." It should really sell!

W.W. Grainger carries a 5-gallon bucket of bio-d stuff called "Agitene".

I have used both solvent and detergent solutions and find that solvents work much better than any of the detergents that I have come across. In terms of disposal, periodically I buy a case of beer for the lads at my local service centre and they let me pour my sludge into their oil disposal tank which is then taken away by the oil company for recycling.

I like RennieK's idea of selling it to the Japanese we could market his creamy sludge and my black sludge under the 'Ebony and Ivory essence of Norton' brand name and use the Michael Jackson/Paul Mcartney song of the same title as our marketing ditty!

The Agitene sounds great for a solvent based solution, thanks for that.... now to find a Canadian distributer.

I came across an interesting thread at:

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/ar ... 76308.html

There are 2 or 3 posts referring to some detergent based cleaners that sound promising. I think I'll dig into those 1st to give them a try as I like the -no smell; easy on the hands; non flammable aspect.

dave M said:

I like RennieK's idea of selling it to the Japanese we could market his creamy sludge and my black sludge

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What's this WE business Dave? Sorry to say but I applied for a patent already on this get rich scheme before I posted!

Although how's this Mcartney/Jackson marketing scheme work? Maybe we should talk.

I have a old automotive parts washing tank and use stoddard solvent, I have not seen any of the water based solvents that work as well as petrolem solvents. My tank has a lid so evaporation is slight.

When I change solvent I pump it onto 5 gal. containers and take it to a automotive repair shop an dispose of it in their oil drain tank.

The water based solvents will rust the inexpencive wash tanks, many of the water based solvents are caustic, damage the paint, then they rust.
If you must use water based solvent find a tank with a stainless tub.

Ken G.

Thanks for the comments so far everyone and keep them coming. I'm not rushing into it (it's snowing outside and my shops not heated.) I'm even considering making my own (just what I need, another project)

The 3 most encouraging posts from the earlier thread in defense of detergents are these:

07-22-2006, 03:37 PM
I dont know if its available where you are but i use Deb Jizer, and it does an awsome job, i have just finished using it during an engine strip. it has a high flashpoint so is suitable for storage in most situations.

07-23-2006, 02:03 AM
I use Ultrapak Renovate from ProChem, a carpet cleaning company. The solution is mixed with water and is used in clean ups for smoke, grease, etc left from fires. It works best with heat so I have a tub with a hot water tank heater in it and a submersible water pump that runs the solution through a faucet equipped with flexible coolant tubing. The faucet dumps into a plastic laundry tub that drains back into the tub through filter paper. The MSDS sheet suggests it is virtually hamless if swallowed in small amounts and it is not flammable so I'm happy with the tank in my basement. I got turned on to it by a guy that used to work for Prochem who said it comes closer than anything he's seen to disolving carbon.
http://www.prochem.com/DisasterRestor.shtm

07-26-2006, 03:36 AM
Electrosol electric dishwashing powder.It's 10.5Ph,has emulsifiers and rust inhibitors,antifoaming agents in it.Safe in California,it's sodium hydroxcide based.It's $4 a box.I use it in my jet spray tank also (big industrial dishwasher) and works great.Like most things,works better when heated.Safe on the tank and aluminum.The secret is out....Go to there web site and pull up the msds sheets on it and compare it to the one from safetyclean or whoever. Most all of the water based cleaners are sodium hydroxcide or sodium silicate based.

I can help but think of when Malcolm washed Ogri's bike parts in caustic LOL

Ooouuch! I saw a photo of a combat head that had gone into a parts washer not set up for aluminum and what a piece of art. Very sad.

So I’ve made a decision on a parts washer and picked up a used Snap=on PBC33 Thermal Acquious Parts Washer.



It operates with detergent. It has a heater, a pump, a skimmer and a work light each with off/on switches. It’s bigger than I was looking for but I’d rather it be too big than too small. I may keep a basin of some type on one side for soaking parts. The cleaning solution from Snap-on is $155.00 per correct amount to run the unit so I may use a cheaper type in the future. I salvaged the solution the PO was using as it seems to be “active” in that it seems to almost boil when stirred. Buying used, I didn’t get a manual so I don’t know everything about it yet.

Solution is kept in the base and heated there.
The pump feeds a nozzle and a brush which you can use both together or separately 1 at a time.
When the solution drains back it passes through a “sock” filter which is hose clamped to the bottom of the sink drain.

The Sock Filter


Any other dirt or grime that passes through that either sinks to the bottom of the base or is skimmed off the surface by the skimmer. I’m not sure how this works but gunk does seem to attract to it and is scraped off where it falls into some angle iron troughs and into a bucket. (this is the classic cream I talked about in the 1st post

The Skimmer:


There is a soapy odor lingering in my shop which I hope will fade away as I think most of this odor is from loading and filtering the used soap solution I salvaged from the PO. Already today it has gotten less noticeable.


I will scrape the thick grime off the parts first then do the brush routine. I’m thinking of adding a sandblaster lid with window and gloves so I can operate a compressed air siphon jet to it eventually.

Oh! ...did I mention, it has the words “Snap-on” printed on it in 3 places!



I’ll do a follow up once I’ve used it a bit. Hopefully it does a good job.

this is what I use



it uses mineral spirits and recycles the dirty by re distilling it. it has no filters to dispose of and you just drain off the sludge and it is disposed of with your wast oil. Ive had it for 20 years from my transmission shop.