Vapor Hone Deep Clean Status Report
We’re gonna claim a successful Deep Clean on the Vapor Hone last weekend.
Feels like the Vapor Hone is now running “like new”.
Improvement benchmark -
Time to remove rust from identical vintage auto brake cylinders
(Cast Iron - rusting in storage for 60 years)
Both looked like this Before Blasting
They both looked like this After Blasting
Blasted one just BEFORE the Deep Clean
→ 100psi at regulator dropped to 90 psi while running
→ 6.5 minutes
→ required “burping” the system every 20 or 30 seconds
→ painfully slow and ineffective / was worried I’d never finish
Blasted the other just AFTER the Deep Clean
→ 100psi at regulator dropped to 90 psi while running
→ only took 1.5 minutes
→ did not require a single burping
→ fun to use / was worried about gouging the metal
We think the improvements were from a combination of several things, including
1. higher flow air connection
– 100psi at regulator now only drops to 90psi while blasting,
– vs. before supply line upgrade pressure dropped to 70psi while blasting
Lessons
→ keep an eye on the drop / VHT said shouldn’t drop more than 5 or 10 psi while blasting
→ the old regulator leaks and loses ~ 5 psi → project in queue to replace the regulator
→ air supply valve in queue to facilitate maintenance
→ regulator handle in queue to allow better control of blasting pressure, e.g. for softer metals like Aluminum
2. the abrasive media and water was in a very bad state
– there was waaaaay too much media / there should only be 25 pounds, added only after old water is drained and after all old media is removed
– the media was old, dirty and clumpy
– what media was in the machine was packed in the corners away from the sump pump
– a huge amount of media was in the closed-cycle sediment basin (upper one) AND window wash basin (lower one)
– the water was so dirty that contimanates may have been ‘cushioning’ the media and reducing its effectiveness
– media clumping in bottom was bad
Lessons
→ “drive-by maintenance” → let’s find a way to run the pump 20 or 30 seconds every couple days (ie. VHT recommendation for non-daily users / keeps the media stirred / helps prevent clumping)
→ do NOT add media in between deep cleans
→ let’s try water changes if/ when we find degraded blasting or frequent need to burp the system to bring up media
→ test for water/media condition and proper ratio 80/20 water/media (simple test - needs it’s own post to explain)
→ we’re going to track hours of use (timer in control box). Goal: learn needed cleaning frequency based on DMS usage patterns.
→ be sure to spray the inside walls / the media won’t help if it’s stuck on the walls or cleaning grate
3. the abrasive stirring jets were partly clogged with debris, and may not have been aimed properly
Lesson → disassemble & clean the stirring jets during Deep Clean. Reassemble by pointing at the bottom of the machine to better lift media towards the pump intake. (stirring jets are the gray tubes on either side of the pump output)
4. the T3 timer gets set too low → VHT recommends 180~210 seconds
→ long enough time for most media to settle so that media does not get into the closed-cycle water basins
→ short enough time to maintain enough water available for the washing jets
Lessons
→ something is wrong if you keep finding lots of media in the closed-cycle water basins
→ please don’t change the T3 timer
5. About concern for nozzle wear
→ the inner metal part of the nozzle is the one that “matters” for blasting
→ it’s a boron-carbide tip
→ the inner diameter looks quite round / per VHT - if we ran the most abrasive media 24x7, we might ‘waller it out’ to an oblong shape. But that hasn’t happened. So we deep cleaners think the tip is OK.
→ the boron-carbide tip is held in place and protected by a plastic cap. That cap is visibly worn.
Lessons
→ might want to call and ask if they’ll source a new cap without having to buy an entire gun ($85)
Special Thanks & Many Thanks to @rlisbona and @ozindfw for your Outstanding Support and Help!
