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Cleaning

Ephraim

Bronze Contributor
Member For 1 Year
My vape store said boil some water and soak ur rda every so often to get rid of gunk. I just soaked mine in alcohol about 10 minutes and rinsed it off and dried it. Do any of u have a special way u clean ur rdas to make them last longer? There was no alcohol aftertaste cause alcohol evaporates quickly. I waited 10 minutes after I rinsed it off to cotton it and use it. I want that rda to last forever.
 

KingPin!

In my defence, I was left unsupervised ^^
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Indeed it is ...vibration at high frequency causes micro bubbles to explode and they get in all the places you can’t reach by conventional means

...they range in price massively but even a shitty starter one like I’ve got do the job ok just need more 3 minute cycles to do the trick

Have to be careful on some tanks though cause it will chew through crappy applied paintwork or transfers on glass on those I’ll use water and brush instead ...so little bit of common sense is needed
 

Ephraim

Bronze Contributor
Member For 1 Year
Indeed it is ...vibration at high frequency causes micro bubbles to explode and they get in all the places you can’t reach by conventional means

...they range in price massively but even a shitty starter one like I’ve got do the job ok just need more 3 minute cycles to do the trick

Have to be careful on some tanks though cause it will chew through crappy applied paintwork or transfers on glass on those I’ll use water and brush instead ...so little bit of common sense is needed
Alcohol seemed to work fine for me. U dont have to scrub. Alcohol cleans it spotless. I just soak it. It gets in all the milks and crannies. And its cheap.
 

KingPin!

In my defence, I was left unsupervised ^^
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Alcohol seemed to work fine for me. U dont have to scrub. Alcohol cleans it spotless. I just soak it. It gets in all the milks and crannies. And its cheap.

No harm in that either if it works it works :)

I use alcohol to clean my squonk bottles
 

entropy1049

Bronze Contributor
Member For 1 Year
I’d be sure to remove o-rings and insulators prior to an alcohol soak. And I’d use ethanol as opposed to isopropyl.
 

Raymcconn

Silver Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
I used Alcohol for a long time, I just decided as my inventory increased to get a ultrasonic cleaner. More for the convenience and it does get into the tiniest of spaces. I didn't go all out a get a expensive one, I think it was $20 or $25 from Amazon.
 

KingPin!

In my defence, I was left unsupervised ^^
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I used Alcohol for a long time, I just decided as my inventory increased to get a ultrasonic cleaner. More for the convenience and it does get into the tiniest of spaces. I didn't go all out a get a expensive one, I think it was $20 or $25 from Amazon.

Same as what I got by the sounds of it ...there was one being sold by coil master for £10 more it was exactly the same one as the one on amazon without the brand on think it was about £20
 

bobnat

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Member For 4 Years
I got one a few months ago. One day I put a bunch of RDAs in it and ran it for awhile. Almost all of the o-rings expanded and I had to replace them all. Has this happened to anyone else?
 

r055co

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Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I got one a few months ago. One day I put a bunch of RDAs in it and ran it for awhile. Almost all of the o-rings expanded and I had to replace them all. Has this happened to anyone else?
I had a few come off but not expanded to the point they needed to be replaced.
Never had that problem, I also have one with a separate heater that is independent from the on switch (which I highly recommend). Problem I've had with o-rings completely unrelated to the ultrasonic is that after sitting around unused for a while they dry out and break. I've since started using food grade lube and that works very well.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
 

Droogbc

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I got one a few months ago. One day I put a bunch of RDAs in it and ran it for awhile. Almost all of the o-rings expanded and I had to replace them all. Has this happened to anyone else?
I've had orings expand and get gummy after long periods of alcohol exposure. Wouldn't expect an ultrasonic to have any negative effect on them, but the chosen solvent might.
 

jwill

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I got one a few months ago. One day I put a bunch of RDAs in it and ran it for awhile. Almost all of the o-rings expanded and I had to replace them all. Has this happened to anyone else?

I have always taken the o rings off for the ultrasonic cleaner. If I don't with mine, I always have troubles.
 

jwill

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Never had that problem, I also have one with a separate heater that is independent from the on switch (which I highly recommend). Problem I've had with o-rings completely unrelated to the ultrasonic is that after sitting around unused for a while they dry out and break. I've since started using food grade lube and that works very well.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

What kind of food grade lube? I suspect I have some similar issues.
 

Letitia9

Citrus Junkie
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I just hot faucet rinse every week or two and use UC every few weeks with a drop or two of dawn. orks pretty well but getting dark rings on the chimney's of a couple Nanos so might try a boil next time for those.
 
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St.Roostifer

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I just pour hot tap water into a coffee cup and let the attys soak for 20-30 minutes. There's enough fluoride in the tap water to clean anything, lol. Then dry off what I can with a towel and set them in the sun for bit. Comes out spotless everytime.
 

Rex EvErything

Member For 1 Year
I just pour hot tap water into a coffee cup and let the attys soak for 20-30 minutes. There's enough fluoride in the tap water to clean anything, lol. Then dry off what I can with a towel and set them in the sun for bit. Comes out spotless everytime.
Hydrofluosilicic Acid which is typicall
I just pour hot tap water into a coffee cup and let the attys soak for 20-30 minutes. There's enough fluoride in the tap water to clean anything, lol. Then dry off what I can with a towel and set them in the sun for bit. Comes out spotless everytime.
Hydrofluosilicic Acid will pit Stainless steel and eat holes in concrete
 

St.Roostifer

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Hydrofluosilicic Acid which is typicall

Hydrofluosilicic Acid will pit Stainless steel and eat holes in concrete
I'm not worried about it. Been doing it for a while now with no problems. Besides, last time I tested our tap water the PH came in at 8.5. Ha ha there's alot of stuff in my tap water.
 

MacTechVpr

Bronze Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Baking soda toothpaste and a toothbrush for an oxidizing removal of typical residual flavor, tarnish or oxidation. The most benign approach short of Brasso or more aggressive vinegar/salt solutions. Follow up all these with some common liquid soap particularly with a percentage of alcohol to bring things back to a brilliant shine and remove any residue if you don't have an ultrasonic.

Good luck. :)
 

Rooster Cogburn

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I use everclear, when I need to clean something I just put it in my mouth before I swig. Swoosh it around before I swallow and the rda/rta/tank/etc. comes out clean as a whistle. Nah I just put some in a shot glass and use my syringe to jet it into the nooks and crannies(or milks&crannies) and let it sit for a few minutes and it comes out clean
 

Grandpa

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I use Dawn and warm water in a bowl. Don't scrub anything either, just soak and rinse. I hardly ever need to clean anything so I'm lucky if I do one a month. I don't use flavors so that helps greatly and my stuff just doesn't gunk up. My coils and wicking last a long time too. I'm thinking of getting a ultrasonic rig some day but it's not a high priority.

Ethanol and buna-n o-rings do not mix, and I would be hesitant to use alcohol either. The o-rings and seals in your car that burns any ethanol are not buna-n because ethanol eats that type of rubber; they are at the very least made of viton, and probably some even fancier stuff. I don't think all o-rings and seals in vape products are buna-n, but I know SOME of them are, so I would just avoid ethanol or alcohol solvents on any soft seal. I have yet to unwrap any packaging and read what any particular seals included are made of. Your glass and metal - go ahead and knock yourself out; those solvents will work just fine on that stuff.

I'm thinking any personal lubricant that is water soluble would work fine for lube. Get out yer Astro-glide boys and girls!:D
 

eStorm

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Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
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I take all o-rings out of my tanks/rda/rtas and then fill my UC with distilled white vinegar and hot water. Mostly at a 1:2 solution, if it's extreme dirty I use a 1:1 ratio and if it's more delicate items I use a 1:3 solution. My uc has a heater, but I don't turn it on, that's why I use hot water. The moment the water is cold it's done, mostly 25 minutes.

I then take my o-rings, drip tips and put them in luke warm water with 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. Put them in my 250ml beakers (f ill with water) and run them 10 minutes on my magnetic stirrer with the heater off. Rinse in cold water and that's it.

As I had only a couple items I would just do the toothbrush method, but by now this is too tedious for the amount of stuff I wash at times. As I had a medium collection, and no uc I placed all decks without o rings in the dishwasher, the thing that's normally for utensils lol and then fill a plastic container with vinegar and place it on the top (glasscrack) let it run and it worked as well. But without the dry/heater function. I let them sit dry. Sometimes you gotta be creative and let items work for you ;)
 

Pony Tail

Bronze Contributor
Bronze Contributor
Member For 1 Year
I have an HTD Ultrasonic Cleaner model 113htd. All the bells and whistles. Around $55-$60 at Walmart or on Ebay. Basket, lid, heater, stainless, 1.3 liter, good timer (1-99 minutes), really good deal.

If you can't justify an ultrasonic cleaner then I highly suggest lemon juice. Remove all the o-rings and clean them in mild soapy water. Soak all the hardware in lemon juice for 15-30 minutes depending on how dirty it is. You can pick it up out of the lemon juice to check if your hardware is clean or not. Rinse the lemon juice off with hot water and wipe the water off as best as you can then set it aside to finish drying. Does wonders on brass, copper and stainless. Keep in mind nothing brings back that brand new shine except for actually polishing. You can use hot sauce too but it's a good bit messier and lemon juice is cheaper. You can even store the lemon juice in a plastic container in the refrigerator and use it again later. You'll know when to replace the lemon juice.
 

MWorthington

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I have an HTD Ultrasonic Cleaner model 113htd. All the bells and whistles. Around $55-$60 at Walmart or on Ebay. Basket, lid, heater, stainless, 1.3 liter, good timer (1-99 minutes), really good deal.

If you can't justify an ultrasonic cleaner then I highly suggest lemon juice. Remove all the o-rings and clean them in mild soapy water. Soak all the hardware in lemon juice for 15-30 minutes depending on how dirty it is. You can pick it up out of the lemon juice to check if your hardware is clean or not. Rinse the lemon juice off with hot water and wipe the water off as best as you can then set it aside to finish drying. Does wonders on brass, copper and stainless. Keep in mind nothing brings back that brand new shine except for actually polishing. You can use hot sauce too but it's a good bit messier and lemon juice is cheaper. You can even store the lemon juice in a plastic container in the refrigerator and use it again later. You'll know when to replace the lemon juice.

I gotta try that lemon juice trick! I've hesitated to use vinegar on account of the smell.
 

Pony Tail

Bronze Contributor
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Member For 1 Year
I gotta try that lemon juice trick! I've hesitated to use vinegar on account of the smell.

It works pretty well. I use the lemon juice undiluted in a plastic container. Maybe I did something wrong but my experience with vinegar wasn't as good as with lemon juice. It cleaned okay but it left a bit of patina I guess is what I'd have to call it.
The UC I have has a heater and a basket. I don't really care for the basket because the UC is noisy enough without it. I've used Dawn, vinegar, and lemon juice, all diluted of course in the UC. But I need to get a polishing attachment to get the shine. All 3 ways clean good but stainless seems to be more resilient than copper or brass in that aspect.
 

MWorthington

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
It works pretty well. I use the lemon juice undiluted in a plastic container. Maybe I did something wrong but my experience with vinegar wasn't as good as with lemon juice. It cleaned okay but it left a bit of patina I guess is what I'd have to call it.
The UC I have has a heater and a basket. I don't really care for the basket because the UC is noisy enough without it. I've used Dawn, vinegar, and lemon juice, all diluted of course in the UC. But I need to get a polishing attachment to get the shine. All 3 ways clean good but stainless seems to be more resilient than copper or brass in that aspect.

I imagine the vinegar has more acid than the lemon juice does. I remember from my truck driving days using acid to clean fuel tanks, acid actually etches the surface of softer metals causing dullness.

All my atomizers are black so all I need is help cleaning nasty coils. :)
 

Pony Tail

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I imagine the vinegar has more acid than the lemon juice does. I remember from my truck driving days using acid to clean fuel tanks, acid actually etches the surface of softer metals causing dullness.

All my atomizers are black so all I need is help cleaning nasty coils. :)

Really? I cleaned tankers for 6 years before I started driving. I've been driving for 13 years now and most of that has been flatbed. I know exactly what you mean about the brightener. It'll turn aluminium black. Burns it. It'll burn stainless and turn glass white too.
Mind you it can be cleaned to some extent to get the black out but the aluminum will be white and dull like you said.
 

MWorthington

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Really? I cleaned tankers for 6 years before I started driving. I've been driving for 13 years now and most of that has been flatbed. I know exactly what you mean about the brightener. It'll turn aluminium black. Burns it. It'll burn stainless and turn glass white too.
Mind you it can be cleaned to some extent to get the black out but the aluminum will be white and dull like you said.

I started out with a dry box then I pulled flatbed and drop deck for a while. I finally got tired of slinging tarps and pulled a reefer for the last 2 years I drove. I quit driving in '92 and went back into commercial building.
 

Pony Tail

Bronze Contributor
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Member For 1 Year
I started out with a dry box then I pulled flatbed and drop deck for a while. I finally got tired of slinging tarps and pulled a reefer for the last 2 years I drove. I quit driving in '92 and went back into commercial building.

Tee-pee tarps up north in the winter. I hated that part but I used to love flat bedding. I'm local now just slinging straps. No more chains and tarps. I know tankers inside and out that's why I won't pull them. I've seen some bad stuff on the chemical side of trucking. Reefer? Too much waiting and lumpers can be ... well ... you already know I'm sure.
 

mhask68

Member For 1 Year
I simply use hot tap water and dry. Never had an issue cleaning my attys. Coils? Now that’s a different thing. Burning them off, hot water. Ultrasonic cleaner they are clean but never shiny again.


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