Like it says, I need a parts washer for the shop. I would like to hear your experiences.

I'd like go with something water-based.

Manufacturers make washers specifically for water-based solutions, but can you simply use water-based solutions in regular parts washers?

Any experience with the different solutions?

How about disposal?


Thanks.

Water based cleaners will eat the paint off the parts cleaner in a few months and all the hinges handles and metal parts show rust - ask me I know. Go plastic or stainless

That helps. Thanks.

Get a System One from Safety Kleen.

Bought a cheepie off the internet a few years ago (Chinese)...worked for several days!
Now just a tub.

I don't have $6k in the budget for a parts washer.

check your 914rs.com email.
i sent you a message.

are you looking for a washing machine or just a sink looking thing with a brush and a fluid pump? I have a parts washing cabinet. I can put an engien or trans on the turntable, close the door, flip a switch and in 30 min its clean. the fluid is water based and self contained. i have it drained once a yr for 50 bucks

I bought the cabinet used in LA for 50 bucks, pool pump $50, 220 v heaters HD racing $50, timers, relays, switches...industrial liquidators $75, spray novels Hotsey $50, prochem special bio-oil eater powdered soap(3 yr supply) 50lbs $85

I see complete machines go for as little as $500 but be prepareed to travel to get the good deal.

I promise you will fall in love the first time you use it

mine is old and home-brew and I love it but the modern machines like an EMC are really good...better than mine with oil separators and skimmers and sludge separators and...a $6000 price tag new

that head and gear box were in for less than 10 min

sorry joe, I forgot you were in FL now...

whatever you get: IT MUST HAVE HEAT. HOT IS KING.

From lots of repair on parts cleaners here..

Water based needs heat. You must keep the heat on all the time, otherwise the enzymes go bad. Greymills plastic parts tanks seem to hold up the best. The Ozzy juice tanks have caught fire from bad electronics in the heater controls, we use the ozzy juice in the greymills now.

I worked at a huck fasteners plant 10 yrs ago. Huck closed a plant in Branford Conn. and moved everything to TX. Some of it never got set up. I bought a heated blue plastic parts washer for 50.00. I first used kerosene in it. I put 25 gallons in it with 10 gallons of water in the bottom. It evaporated after awhile. I then decided to see if the heater works and it does. I haven't found a really good water based chemical for it but something my friend gave me, a purple powder worked pretty good. It has a skimmer and all but I havent used the skimmer. We used a lot of cleaners at huck but everybody really liked the safety kleen big circulating cleaners and the fact that safety clean came by weekly and maintained them. This cleaner may be the best buy I ever got. The only thing is if the power goes off it doesn't come back on and it takes several hours to get back up to temp and it's a pain to clean out. The sink part lifts off the base where the cleaner is but I usually got so much crap in it, it takes awhile to get the sink off.

Nice results out of that ugly beast.

Thanks for the tips. I'm looking.

Pardon my ignorance, (I'm not in the business, and am not aware of any EPA or other regulations), but are you no longer able to get shop solvent (I knew it as Stoddard solvent)? I used to buy it at the local fuel supplier in central Illinois, and kept 20 gallons or so for use in my garage projects. A simple Harbor Freight parts cleaner with a pump and a few baskets (or my wife's old pasta strainer) let me clean parts just great for not much money.

I assume that the EPA is probably cracking down on this type of stuff, so it's no longer an option?

It's not that I can't get it, it's that I want to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Solvents require eventual disposal.

Steve Herman sent me a nice lead on a used System One solvent washer. It's a solvent washer, but it fully recycles the solvent, so I might be okay with that arrangement. We'll see.

I had a System One for awhile. It was pretty nice. I wouldn't buy one new, but if it's cheap enough, jump on it.

How about $750?

from an environmental standpoint, i really like my machine. it separates everything. the oil gets skimmed off the top and sent to recycle, the sludge on teh bottom is mostly dirt and water. the water lasts over a year of heavy use. the Pro Chem soap in non hazardous.
post a link to system one. I dont know about that one yet.

As was already stated....the simple low cost tub style part cleaners with the submersible pumps alast about one day if you use the water based cleaners.
They wreck the pump and they peal all the paint from inside the tub.
Good cleaner, not sure what is in there...

I use kerosene now and it does a great job.
If I was in production, I would sure get one of those heated units to save time and money...looks like the ticket.
I dont do enough to make it worth the money...I just leave the head in the kerosene for a week...sat-sat and then when I get more private time a week later...all the stuff falls off pretty easy.

Rich

http://www.onepartswashersystem.com/howitworks.shtml

Got it for $650.