OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Tech Talk Cheap ultrasonic cleaners, any good?

I'm thinking of buying an ultrasonic cleaner to clean out carbys. There are some cheap ones that start out at $30 or so. Anyone know if they're any good for small engine stuff?

Well don't what your looking and pricing is different over there too.

I do know you will need at least 1.5 liter or larger tank and that tank dimensions is important too as want to be able to fit in your carbs. I used a Kendall unit which was very the similar one that Harbor Freight sales. You will at least 60 watts transducer and heating would nice addition. You might say I fought with mine for two years in one sense. The timer was limited to 8 minutes cycles which made doing multiple cycles necessary. I was only able to clean small two cycle carburetors (chainsaws and string trimmers) and some larger mower engine carbs with limitations. It served its design purpose well but my needs quickly out grew it. I actually sold it to purchase my 6 liter replacement.

Currently I using a 180 watt (3 transducers) commercial model with a 6 liter tank 200 watt heater and a 99 minute timer. And believe it or not it looks like I might out grow it too as I take on larger equipment.

Your cleaning solutions will depend on what your cleaning and not all commercial cleaning solutions will not work equally well. This is something that fellow forums members should be able help with as they will know what is available in your area. I usually fall back to my Dawn Ultra dish soap here for cleaning as I can change out the solution more often as it gets dirty without great expense.

Thanks AVB, I would only use sparingly and most probably one carby at a time. Have you been happy with the job the ultrasonic cleaner has done or do you find you go back to the traditional carb cleaner and compressed air.

I have been overall please with the ultrasonic cleaner. If I weren't I would have not spent the 200 USD on the upgrade I did last year. The next step which I have considered is about 300 USD and may need to go to that level in a few years as the business grows. I have already meet my last gross sale figures.

I still got a can of the dip style carburetor cleaner sitting on the shelf that I haven't even open in two years. I still use some compressed air mostly to dry the carbs after cleaning to remove the excess water, just a personally preference from experience.

There is times that a little extra cleaning is needed on some openings that ultrasonic can't get grip on due to clog being so smooth but once the clog itself rough up a little the ultrasonic gets in a does its job. I disassembly as I would if dip cleaning just to make cleaning easier. Now there will be time just like with the dip cleaner that some carburetors will harder to clean than others; just the nature of things.

Also forget to mention that if a plastic basket is used you will lose about 20% of the unit's cleaning power. Even with metal baskets cleaning power drops some. There are times I use my cleaner without basket on some especially dirty carbs.

My Mrs used to work in CSSD which is where they clean and sterilise the equipment for the operating theatres and they used ultrasonic cleaners. From time to time if they were in early they would put their jewellery in them and it would come out all shiny and new. Something that might be worth remembering if your looking to get in the Mrs good books or persuade her to let you get one.

Just wondering if there were any updates on cheap Ultrasonic Cleaners? I'm considering getting one as they seem to do a good job on carbs and other parts. I usually use carb cleaning spray and toothbrush but results aren't always the best, especially in hard-to-reach places.

Yep, they do work. Altronics and Jaycar are good for mid-range priced units.

At the moment, I'm just using a $30 Aldi unit which is OK for small stuff, but I've also used lab grade units in the past.

I have a small Aldi unit I got years ago but haven't used it in years. Is it safe to use water with carby jets? I would have thought water contamination of the fine jet holes is a no no.
Do people commonly add detergent or other chemicals or do they leave the water and fine pulses alone to do the work?

From what i'v come across, you can use either a specific solution designed for ultrasonic cleaners or use a mixture of a cleaner:water ratio. Afterwards, I read people just spray out the hole with carb cleaner.

Or maybe WD-40 (WD= Water Displacement)