Ultrasonic Do's, Don'ts and care

Hi Ken!

  1. In your instructive article Maintenance Do’s and Don’ts and Other
    Notes for your Ultrasonic Cleaner" you say: “An ultrasonic should be
    wiped down with a water-moistened cloth each day to remove the soap
    that has been splashed and dripped”. Do you mean to wipe down the
    outside of the machine or the inside (the tank)? Since you say:
    “Most soaps are caustic and if left on the unit will start to eat
    away the metal parts”, it sounds like we really ought to empty and
    clean out the tank every day so it won’t get eaten away over time,
    but I imagine none of us are used to doing that…Is that what you
    are advising us to do? Suppose we are using just a small amount of
    dishwashing liquid?

  2. A second question: If you use a 110V 60 cycle ultrasonic in a
    220V 50 cycle country, does that affect the efficiency?

Thanks for your guidance!
Janet in Jerusalem

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Ken Kotoski
MPG Repair
www.mpgrepair.com
1-877-262-2185

Hi Janet, Good to hear from you again.

First, use a water dampened cloth to wipe down the outside of the
sonic. The tank isn’t a problem.

What happens is the soaps used in the sonic will not evaporate like
the water. In fact not all the moisture will evaporate from the soap.
Over time if the soap is allowed to build-up on the outside and
bottom of the sonic it will work it’s way inside the machine where it
will start to creep up to the circuit and short the circuit board.

Also, once inside the machine the circuit is made to run hot and this
heat will ‘steam’ some of the moisture out of the soap and it can
condense on the circuit board or tank/transducers. Any moisture can
cause a short and a short will destroy several electrical components.
Which can include the transducer(s).

Second, when I refer to the caustic nature of the soap and eating
away the parts I am talking about the cabinet. Most cabinets are made
of aluminium or painted steel. If the cabinet is made of stainless
steel the bottom is usually aluminium. The soap will attack and eat
the aluminium and painted steel if left on for a period of time.

By wiping the sonic down with a water moistened cloth you will remove
the soap that will attack the cabinet and eventually creep inside
your sonic.

Soaps with ammonia will attack stainless steel after a period of
time.

Other harsh chemicals will attack the metals as well and if anyone
wants to or needs to use harsh chemicals including ammonia in the
sonic be sure you buy one specially made for the chemical or use
Pyrex beakers.

Even your dishwashing soap is caustic. Get an MSDS for it and look at
the chemicals in it. Almost every cleaner you buy in the store for
home use is considered hazardous when used everyday and/or in large
quantities and/or for extended periods of time.

To get an MSDS look for the manufacturers’ phone number on the
package. Here in the US it’s law that the phone number be put on the
package. I don’t know if the same holds true for other countries.

Next, Your question about using a piece of equipment rated for 110V
60Hz on 220V 50 Hz. There is no problem as long as you have the
proper transformer to change the voltage to 110V. As for the 50/60
Hz, most quality equipment is made so it can handle either frequency.
This really isn’t a big difference. However there are always those
companies making equipment as cheap as they possibly can and even if
the equipment is run at the rated power the cheap equipment will not
last very long.

Here in the US power companies are horrible about regulating the
power they put out. If you were to take a chart recorder to an outlet
you would find it varies so much it would be hard to call the rated
power what they call it. For instance, do your 110 or 115 or 120 or
125V light bulbs burn out quickly? It’s because the power is not
regulated as it should be. Try light bulbs rated for 130V. More
expensive and harder to find but will outlast all the others by at
least 3 times. This same power fluctuation can be a problem for some
machinery.

So you may want to get a line conditioner on your incoming power so
your power is steady. Or just buy quality equipment made for the
power that is supplied to you. Line conditioners are not inexpensive.

I am not familiar with power in foreign countries but here in the US
220 can be broken down to 110 in the breaker box. You would need to
talk to an electrician in your country to know if this is possible
for you.

I also don’t recommend buying equipment based on the lowest price.
Most times it is easy to tell if what you are looking at is a quality
piece of equipment. Sometimes it is not. Always ask as many people as
you can about their experiences with whatever brand and model you are
looking at.

For instance if you buy a sonic for $50 and it lasts a year or two
you may think you got a good deal but if you had bought a sonic for
$150 and it lasts 10 years which is really the best deal?

Hope this helps.
Ken Kotoski
MPG Repair
www.mpgrepair.com
1-877-262-2185