Another parts washer question

[330Scott]

First of all, I did end up purchasing an exact replacement pump that I was looking for in an earlier post. So far I have $53 in this free 20 gallon parts washer. And I still haven't bought the solvent.

Now this may be a simple question, but I need a short piece of rubber tubing that will run between the pump & flex tube. I will be running mineral spirits in the washer and am wondering if 1/2" gas line will fit the bill. Or will I need a more durable type of hose.

I really don't want to use the wrong type of hose only to replace it in a few months.

Thanks,

Scott

 

[sberry]

gas line will work fine,,, and,,, just how serious would it be if you did have to replace it?

 

[330Scott]

gas line will work fine,,, and,,, just how serious would it be if you did have to replace it?

Thanks sberry. That's what I was thinking also.

Not too serious, except that I despise rework.

 

[iiibdsiil]

The solvant is usually expensive, I think we may have discussed it here before though, so you may want to try a search. I know some people just run gas, some people run paint thinner, some people run the solvent, everyone claims theirs works fine, so you might to think about it a little before you go waste $25 a jug on the solvent.

 

[330Scott]

Yeah, the solvent is expensive. Northern Tool's mineral spirits is $30 for a 5 gallon can, $25 when on sale. I already have ~8 gallons of mineral spirits, so I will pick up a couple more cans when it goes on sale, or when I need it, whichever comes first.

Btw, locating 1/2" fuel line is a bear. None of the parts stores or Northern carry it. The truck stop that I went to was out of it. Think I'll hit up the maintenance guys at work.

 

[Luckydevil]

Couldn't you just use something like undiluted simple green so it isn't flammable?

 

[330Scott]

Couldn't you just use something like undiluted simple green so it isn't flammable?

How is cleaning ability of Simple Green compared to Mineral Spirits? If it is comparable, then it definitely is something to consider. A quick internet check shows that it costs ~$10 a concentrated gallon plus shipping. Which is about twice the price per gallon that I pay for mineral spirits. So it will be roughly $100 more to fill up my parts washer & go with a safer, green-friendly product. I see that some of the national auto parts stores & Lowe's are supposed to carry the Simple Green line, so maybe I can get a better, case price locally.

Thanks for making me think about this.

 

[Luckydevil]

Simple Green is very powerful stuff. I have used it to clean oil spots in my driveway and it does a better job than anything else I have found. You could also dilute it if you wanted to make it more economical, but for heavy duty parts washing I would use it at full strength. My local Lowe's and Home Depot both carry it.

 

[iiibdsiil]

The simple green idea might work great. That stuff works miracles. There might be a reason why people don't use it for this though. I have no idea why, but who knows. Maybe someone should do a hands on test, two equal parts dipped in the different things.

 

[Wile1Coyote]

Aco puts simple green on sale regularly! Great Stuff!

 

[krooser]

I paid $3.00 per gallon for Stoddard solvent (15 gallons at a time....before oil prices went nuts!)....works great..

 

[NITRO-BTU]

Hello Folks, Are There Any Testimonials Out There To Par-take Of ....
Comparing ... Simple Green To Mineral Spirits ? I Have The 3.5 Gallon Parts Washer, And I Am Debating Which To Use. Thank You, Jim.

 

[Vicegrip]

The only problem with simple green is using water based degreaser in a machine that is made for solvent base. It might rust the tank or pump out.

I have found that water based degreasers with sodium metasilicate in them work the best. some mixtures hafe rust preventers in them that stiop flash rust and they ALL work better when heated. the hotter the solution the better they work. A good water based solution at 140 deg works as well as solvent and no stink. Water based solutions might be harder to dispose of than solvent based as many local recycling centers are not set up for it but can handle solvent based stuff.

Using gas in a parts washer to save money is nuts unless the building the parts wahers costs less than a jug of safer solvent.

 

[rsanter]

we used to use thinner/mineral sperits in the shop

one thing I found is that is you take toe old/contaminated/discolored stuff and put it in another container for a while is will seperate out. the heavier contaminated liquid will drop to the bottom and you can take the clear liquid off the top and reuse it

bob

 

[TheToolMan]

Our parts washers at work run simple green, We actually have 3 simple green parts washers called "The Simple Green Machine". They work GREAT. OK, Here is the thing about simple green, If you buy the commertial products you can run it in any parts washer but not with a heater, It has birtch root in it for covering up sents and stuff and when heated it releases the birtch fume **** and the smell just stinks, So we buy the industrial version in 55gal drums that has no birtch root and is actually clear in color, We had a bunch of cry babys in our shop that couldnt stand the smell of the solvents and had to switch, It is not as good at removing caked up grease and oil but it does work good and is just as good for everything else, So if you have cry babys in your shop or want to save $$$ on cleaning solutuin i would buy the simple green

 

[russlaferrera]

My hose is made of clear pvc. You can get it at HD or Lowes.

 

[M3Pilot]

I like Simple Green & use it frequently. Seems to be sorta tough on alunimum tho.

 

[Northstar9126]

I live in the frozen far north. My as yet unused parts washer is in an unheated building. I think that the mineral spirits wouldn't freeze out there but what about the Simple Green? Do you think that it would be O.K. at -30 degrees?

 

[TheToolMan]

I live in the frozen far north. My as yet unused parts washer is in an unheated building. I think that the mineral spirits wouldn't freeze out there but what about the Simple Green? Do you think that it would be O.K. at -30 degrees?

I will out a cup in the freezer for ya tommorow and post the resilts

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

I prefer a cuda machine

 

[NITRO-BTU]

Hey Folks, What About "purple Power," Is It Any Better Than Simple Green ?? Jim.