Too Much Coffee

Anyone here have any experience using an ultrasonic cleaning machine? I'm looking at these, with particular interest in the cheapest ones.

When using with solvent do you have to submerge the whole piece or apply topically?

Will it be useful with citric acid for descaling?

Do you reckon you could fit a hefty big lever group in a 1.4l basket? I doubt it, so that's probably the cheapest one gone from the list.

Any help appreciated.

Ta.

Bombcup wrote:Anyone here have any experience using an ultrasonic cleaning machine? I'm looking at these, with particular interest in the cheapest ones.

When using with solvent do you have to submerge the whole piece or apply topically?

Will it be useful with citric acid for descaling?

Do you reckon you could fit a hefty big lever group in a 1.4l basket? I doubt it, so that's probably the cheapest one gone from the list.

Any help appreciated.

Ta.

Hi Bombie
I've only got experience of using one of the little Aldi ones. It's very useful for cavitating portafilter baskets clean, quickly (verges on the magical) and was really useful when I gutted the Bezzera during its refurb: especially for the components of the vibe pump, valves and jets.
You immerse the bit to be cleaned in the solvent. If you immerse part of the group, the immersed part will be cleaned, the rest untouched. So you could manage with the small bath iff by manipulating the group you can immerse all of it over a few passes, IYSWIM.

For descaling (ie removing calcium spp rather than oily crud) I found warm (40-60C) citrate very effective (even on the HX, which I removed, filled with citrate and heated in a water bath for a few hours, changing the citrate when the effervescence slowed, dangling a LED thro 1 hole and peering thro' the other to inspect progress occasionally). The US cleaner will help, sure, but insignificantly cf citrate, in my experience.

There's a post on here with some horror pix of the scaling.
HTH

PS Allendale are cheaper.

I have used various ultrasonic cleaners over the years. We use them to remove the polishing compound from gold, chrome and steel parts when servicing electron microscopes. I used to use one on baskets and other parts of the espresso machine, but found it to be quite unnecessary as the chemical cleaner used is so aggressive that no mechanical help is required. It can't hurt, but in my opinion it's quite unnecessary. In order to really have an effect on anything as large as a group head you would need a big cleaner with a high power output. In any case you will need to use a strong descaling compound with or without the ultrasonic cleaner and a strong machine cleaner in order to remove scale and coffee oil.

Gotta have a SEM image in every decent report

TEM only here.

Thanks folks, great info. See what you're saying about descalers and degreasers doing a good job as they are, but I'm looking for time saving measures as I've been doing a few refurbs for paying customers in my spare time. Spare time, however, is becoming an increasingly abstract concept.

Think I'll be investing shortly. `

Bombcup wrote:Thanks folks, great info. See what you're saying about descalers and degreasers doing a good job as they are, but I'm looking for time saving measures as I've been doing a few refurbs for paying customers in my spare time. Spare time, however, is becoming an increasingly abstract concept.

Think I'll be investing shortly. `

If you think it might pay you could get a larger one that may be of more use!

Here is one that I have used for parts with mass of as much as 1 kg. The heavier the part the more power you will need for the vibration to have any effect. I would say that 400 watt is the lowest power you should consider. It will be interesting to hear about your experience with this. I am not very optimistic that you will find it worth the bother, but who knows unless you try? Some have heaters, which might be a good idea.