Warning : Do NOT use Simple Green in parts washers

[wrenchin883]

so after reading about how some members had issues with using simple green in their parts washers I decided to take a look into my washer , I bought my washer 12-02-12 and since my work has 55 gallon drums of simple green I ended up using that in my parts washer , well I was pretty surprised to find out yesterday that my paint started to be eaten away from the Simple Green , but since my younger brother works at Tractor Supply where I got it from he was able to return it saying it was defective since the directions state to use a water based cleaner , so I picked up my new 20 gallon parts washer yesterday

so in conclusion DO NOT use simple green in parts washers

thanks for reading



I tired to upload all the pictures but it would not let me , I will try again later

 

[schwalby]

So you had read that people were having problems with using Simple Green in their parts washer so you decided to try it yourself? And then you were surprised that there was a problem?

 

[Jay Sco]

Who'd a thunk it?

 

[lisiecki1]

so after reading about how some members had issues with using simple green in their parts washers I decided to take a look into my washer , I bought my washer 12-02-12 and since my work has 55 gallon drums of simple green I ended up using that in my parts washer , well I was pretty surprised to find out yesterday that my paint started to be eaten away from the Simple Green , but since my younger brother works at Tractor Supply where I got it from he was able to return it saying it was defective since the directions state to use a water based cleaner , so I picked up my new 20 gallon parts washer yesterday

so in conclusion DO NOT use simple green in parts washers

thanks for reading



I tired to upload all the pictures but it would not let me , I will try again later

A comma between the two statements would've helped. Reading comprehension helps more.

 

[hoffman912]

question - about to get a parts washer, and my dad always used soilent green.. i mean simple green when i was growing up. so.. what should i use instead?

 

[Carbine]

My parts washer (from Tractor Supply) had in the owners manual a recommendation for Simple Green. I haven't had any issues ... yet.
The manual also said do NOT use a petroleum based solvent, as this might cause problems with the pump.

 

[kmacht]

There are different types of simple green. Some are corrosive and some are not. I don't know the specifics but I do know that there is a version that you can use on aluminum airplane skins and one that you can't. Google Extreme Simple Green - Aircraft.

Keith

 

[James E]

Soylent Green is PEOPLE! And it messes up PARTS WASHERS!

 

[Smoky14]

Thanks for the info; gee I wish I could think of a reason to join the bashing.

 

[A_Pmech]

Mine lost it's paint a decade ago using straight Purple Power.

I don't see the issue. If it worries you that much, buy a plastic parts washer.

 

[bgarrett]

The first time I ever saw Simple Green, the demonstrator was drinking it to prove that its safe

 

[wrenchin883]

So you had read that people were having problems with using Simple Green in their parts washer so you decided to try it yourself? And then you were surprised that there was a problem?

no I had it in the parts washer for over 7 months, I apologize for not having the proper grammar or whatever, I am a worker not a scholar, my surprise was to see that simple green , a water-based solvent could do this to a parts washer

 

[wrenchin883]

Mine lost it's paint a decade ago using straight Purple Power.

I don't see the issue. If it worries you that much, buy a plastic parts washer.

my issue would be what it is doing to the pump

 

[wrenchin883]

all I am trying to do is pass along my experiences so other people don't have the same issue. Thank you everyone for the bashing though, I am new to this site and I am learning lots just like this

 

[lisiecki1]

all I am trying to do is pass along my experiences so other people don't have the same issue. Thank you everyone for the bashing though, I am new to this site and I am learning lots just like this

If it's any consolation, I understood the thought you were trying to convey. So either I have above par reading comprehension, or you and I are both idiots and we can understand our own.

Either way, I'm good with it.

And welcome to The Garage Journal!

 

[wrenchin883]

The best part is I know the manager at my local Tractor Supply because my younger brother works there. He said that he knows that the Tractor Supply solvent they sell cant be used in the 20 gallon parts washer that I have because of safety reasons (splashing out when being moved around in a garage - heck the warning label on the lid say no flammable liquids) , and I showed him in the book where it says to only use water based cleaners , he laughed and said this is not the first one to come back for this reason but since he know me I ended up getting a new one. He now has a sign hanging above the parts cleaners stating not to use Simple Green.

Guess its good my brother works there or I wouldn't have been able to get a new one.

This one I am gonna put a filter kit on it and add a drain valve where the drain plug was to make draining even easier , im also gonna run their parts cleaner that they sell since I hear lots of good stuff about it , that or mineral spirits with one quart of ATF. Since he wont let me return it again.....haha

 

[James E]

all I am trying to do is pass along my experiences so other people don't have the same issue. Thank you everyone for the bashing though, I am new to this site and I am learning lots just like this

We kid to show our love. Don't get bent out of shape, it's all in fun and we appreciate the input. Like every forum, there are some creeps...like me.

I actually didn't know that Simple Green took off paint but I don't pay that much attention to the surface of the inside of my parts washer. I guess it could be an issue if the paint started coming off alot and gummed up the pump or pump filter.

And Purple Power--be careful around that stuff. A buddy of mine was using it to clean parts on his '79 F150 and the stuff turned his fingernails brown and his hands a weird shade of yellow. He had cadaver hands for months until his nails grew back out.

 

[justanengineer]

my issue would be what it is doing to the pump

Personally, I wouldnt worry about it but to each their own. I cant recall the last time I saw a parts washer with paint inside, usually the solvent is caustic enough to remove it within a week or two. As for the pump, Id use it and if it fails then its time to step up to a quality pump. IMHO, a parts washer isnt worth the space if the solvent isnt plenty strong. Most of the solvents I use make Simple Green look like water. When I was a kid we had 5 gallons of sulfuric(?) acid that we used for cleaning. Id soak mostly complete (minus just the bowl and floats usually) motorcycle carbs in it a few hours and it would dissolve every spec of gasket, paint, and anything else non-metal. After a quick rinse of water + drying, every screw and jet came out easily and spotlessly clean inside and out.

 

[bullnerd]

One of the welders a machine shop I worked at used, swore by simple green for cleaning aluminium before tig welding it. Said it etched the surface with a just a quick wipe. This guy worked for the guy that designed the titanium buckets the top fuel guys now have behind thier heads to keep from getting them knocked off by a tire blowout.

I've had the same OMS in my washer for at least 15 yrs, no idea what the paint looks like inside.OMS does ok,not great but good enough for me.

 

[NUTTSGT]

The paint has been gone out of the inside of mine for a few years. I put Simple Green in it and drained it out after it took the paint off. I never refilled it and it sits in the garage unused.

 

[wjamyers]

all I am trying to do is pass along my experiences so other people don't have the same issue. Thank you everyone for the bashing though, I am new to this site and I am learning lots just like this

HTFU, francis.

it's the internet, a billion sad, powerless little souls dying to share their misery with anyone else.

don't let them.





Thanks for posting, I had no clue about any of this. Now I do.

 

[TheClaw]

Used simple green as a floor cleaner in the garage with a rented electric scrubber. Was getting the spins by the time I was done. Fumes were pretty strong.

 

[Larwyn]

I used Purple Power in mine because it is cheaper than simple green. The purple power removed the paint within the first few weeks but it works just fine that way. It has not dissolve the pump or the heating element. Everything was still working fine last time I checked. To me paint is not a very important part of a parts washer.

 

[crepr12]

its just amazing that people will post online...

 

[RocketTR]

Also don't use Simple Green as an engine degreaser, at least not if you're trying to clean an engine installed in a car. Why? Well, that stuff turns all the black rubber hoses/belts white. Made that mistake once and will never make that mistake again.

 

[Worldpowerlabs]

I used Purple Power in mine because it is cheaper than simple green. The purple power removed the paint within the first few weeks but it works just fine that way. It has not dissolve the pump or the heating element. Everything was still working fine last time I checked. To me paint is not a very important part of a parts washer.

I was helping a guy clean the engine bay of his jeep to prepare it for sale. He told me to use straight Purple Power for cleaning everything under the hood, including painted surfaces. I was amazed at the speed with which it ate into the paint! Didn't take it to bare metal, but it definitely dulled it. I believe it was OEM, single-stage acrylic paint based on how it reacted (didn't seem to be clear-coated).

I use Purple Power for my own projects, even on painted surfaces -- but I make sure to dilute it first... and rinse it soon.

 

[fflintstone]

Soylent Green is PEOPLE! And it messes up PARTS WASHERS!

IT"S PEOPLE!

 

[Drunken Yak inc]

I recently did a test for a different forum that involved leaving Chemical Guy's Citrus Wash (concentrate), Simple Green (concentrate) and Palmolive Dish Soap (concentrate) on the surface of a spare OEM Honda spoiler for 4 days. There was no damage to the paint what so ever from any of the chemicals.

 

[crerus75]

Washing the engine bay of a Mini Cooper with Simple Green removed the paint from the shock towers down to the primer. I suspect that they use a water-borne paint and do not spray clear on the underhood surfaces. Simple Green also stained an epoxied (but unsealed, unbeknownst to me) concrete floor a lovely shade of green that lasted a few months. BTW, it's one of the best cleaners made for anything stained with coffee residue-- it was originally developed as a non-toxic alternative to the chemicals used to remove tannic acid from coffee roasting machinery.

 

[Falcon67]

The best part is I know the manager at my local Tractor Supply because my younger brother works there. He said that he knows that the Tractor Supply solvent they sell cant be used in the 20 gallon parts washer that I have because of safety reasons (splashing out when being moved around in a garage - heck the warning label on the lid say no flammable liquids) ...

Bull. I use PSC1000 in my 20 gallon and its great stuff. Works fine, good degreaser, minimal smell, seems safe enough to me. And last I looked, unless you modify a 20 gallon parts washer they don't move.

Mine is on a home made stand that moves, and it doesn't spill - it's called "be careful".

 

[bobcatdan]

I put simple green in the 20 gallon parts washer you can buy anywhere. It ate the paint along with half the washer. It took it about a year to eat threw the bottom and leak 20 gallons on the floor. I knew it was going to happen and should have drained it sooner.

 

[ADSR]

i just use gas

 

[ringneck]

I use Agitene, only because Varsol is hard to get a hold of these days. I used to even smoke while cleaning parts, maybe that wasnt a good idea. Don't claim to be all that smart.

 

[Garage5.9]

I use Agitene, only because Varsol is hard to get a hold of these days. I used to even smoke while cleaning parts, maybe that wasnt a good idea. Don't claim to be all that smart.

yeah but remember its the vapor that's flammable not the liquid haha

 

[Kevin54]

We used to use Simple Green at work to clean the machinery down, but then they pulled it and went to some other cleaner. The Simple Green was slowly stripping the paint off of the machinery.

 

[Bkf350SD]

I use straight purple power, and have for a couple years. Took the paint right off where the purple power sits but as long as it still works i don't mind, I thought to switch to simple green but I run that in the ultrasonic instead... No problems.

 

[wrenchin883]

Bull. I use PSC1000 in my 20 gallon and its great stuff. Works fine, good degreaser, minimal smell, seems safe enough to me. And last I looked, unless you modify a 20 gallon parts washer they don't move.

Mine is on a home made stand that moves, and it doesn't spill - it's called "be careful".

my 20 gallon parts washer came mounted on wheels so I can easily roll it around my garage , so if someone had it in their garage the could easily be rolling it along and catch the wheel on a extension cord and the fluid can splash out due to the shallow washer bin and cause a fire by splashing onto a wood burner or whatever

the pictures are of the manual of the parts washer I am talking about

notice the warning about NOT using flammable liquids such as PSC1000 and also notice how it has wheels

 

[Bruce4310TX]

It also removes the clear coat on your car wheels and the clear lacquer used on Harley chrome eng covers really really fast if its not diluted first, dont ask me how i know.

 

[Rat Fink]

It's recommended by ford to flush cooling systems with simple green in the event of diesel oil coolers failing and filling the cooling system with oil. The oil/coolant mixture creates a white/yellow gooey slop that gets thicker as there is more oil contamination present and performing a coolant flush with simple green knocks it all out......but after you are done with that you need to pull the thermostat(s), the block drains, the rad drain, and pump fresh water through the cooling system while you leave the engine running several minutes until you are completely sure it is 100% removed. I have seen extreme oil contamination cases where the flushing procedure is basically a full day event. I can totally see how that stuff would eat through parts washers after prolonged exposure.

 

[Falcon67]

my 20 gallon parts washer came mounted on wheels so I can easily roll it around my garage , so if someone had it in their garage the could easily be rolling it along and catch the wheel on a extension cord and the fluid can splash out due to the shallow washer bin and cause a fire by splashing onto a wood burner or whatever

the pictures are of the manual of the parts washer I am talking about

notice the warning about NOT using flammable liquids such as PSC1000 and also notice how it has wheels

Mine is deeper and more robust looking than that one. And I don't use open flame heating systems, and if I did I would not have one lit up when using flamable fluids or sprays. Mine has a decent safety lid that I "enhanced" with heavy duty magnets to keep it closed when moving. Flash point is 143F so it's technically combustable, not flammable. Aboutn like diesel.

" Liquids with a flash point less than 60.5 or 37.8 °C (141 or 100 °F)—depending upon the standard being applied—are considered flammable, while liquids with a flash point above those temperatures are considered combustible<sup>."

</sup>
LOL - they guy that said "I use gas" is working with a flash point of -45F. Now THATS flammable.