PARTS WASHER FLUID

[zulu]

After years of washing parts in old ice cream containers, cake pans etc ::) I have finally got around to assembling a Parts Washer I got as a gift a few years ago.

So, I need to know what everyone else uses to fill it with, I use petrol at the moment but I don't like the idea of it sitting around the shed & possible sparks when switching it on :o

The instructions say to use water & detergent, but will that do the job?

Ta, Gary

[CraigA]

Kero works well and is cheap.

You can also buy degreaser in drums.

[Maco]

Hi Gary,

We use Turps in our one at work, as it air drys and leaves no residue as with Kero, sorry Craig.

Cheers
John

[FC427]

I went and  bought Kero  last week try 4 liters $16. I don't know about cheep .....FC427.......

[FX1975]

You need to find a servo with a kero bowser.  Caltex at corner of coreen ave at penrith has it if you are in the area about a 1.60 a litre.  about 18 months ago

[FC427]

We had a local Servo selling kero till last year and then no more :( :( I guess not many people use kero heaters any more ......The good old day's getting a gut full of fumes trying to get warm......FC427.......

[zulu]

Thanks for the input you blokes, I already had 4 lts of Kero left over from the last time we used the caravan so decided to go that way, but it barley covered the bottom, so I went to the servo that FX1975 went to.

Took a 25 lt drum :o $2.09 cents a lt :o so it's gone up a bit, but not as bad as what you paid Mark.

Maybe I should have priced the Turps or Degreaser 1st like John & Craig suggested, anyway, I'll see how it goes.

Cheers, Gary

[GMB-58FC]

We use a 50/50 mix of kero & diesel which is 20L of each.

[stapla]

i was looking at one from supercheap and it had a big warning about not using flammable liquids. 

Is this an issue ?  kero / diesel safe to use ?

[GMB-58FC]

i was looking at one from supercheap and it had a big warning about not using flammable liquids. 

Is this an issue ?  kero / diesel safe to use ?

They have to put the warning on and its also a way for them to sell other cleaning products to use in it.  Plenty of people across different industries have been using kero/diesel for years with no drama's and up until a few years ago kero was the only thing they used in the washed bays in the army etc

[Fc1958]

Have you tryed buying 15ltrs concentrated from your local Bunnings store, they are heaps cheaper and "concentrated" should fill it up :)

[GMB-58FC]

Have you tryed buying 15ltrs concentrated from your local Bunnings store, they are heaps cheaper and "concentrated" should fill it up :)

Have tried a couple of different cleaning agents from auto wholesalers and found that they dont work as well as kero/diesel.  They also dont have the same repeat life so in the long run works out more expensive IMO

[fc2360]

castrol sell parts washer fluid for arround $100 20lts last along time in parts washer

[Stash]

Gary

How did you go with your parts washer.
Just got one from SuperCheap.. And states water-based only.
Prefer to use Kero, but worried I will get a fire or electrocute myself.

John

[zulu]

Stash, I've had no probs with the kero, and have used it a lot since my post, it's due for a changeover clean out so I may try the mixture of kero / diesel this time round

Cheers, Gary

[fcwrangler]

The reason most use the kero/diesel combo is because they both have a low flash point which means it would take a solid flame and heat source to make it combust. There is little or no risk involved in a parts washer as there is no naked flame and a spark from the pump would just drown. I learnt all about flamable liquids when I was with the SES.
Hope this helps you all, Jim  

[Stash]

Jim, helpful as usual !  :)

Why kero/Diesel mix  and not just straight Kero ?

[Harv]

Kero has been used for a long, long time as parts washer fluid, but it needs due care.

Most of the time a spark dropped into kero will go out, as the flashpoint of kero is around 39 Celcius. On a bloody hot day, out in the sun or locked up in a hot tin shed, the parts washer can readily go above 39C (...maybe not in Hobart  ;D). In that case, a spark will easily ignite the kero. Splashing kero around can generate a kero/air aerosol which can also ignite. Kero wicked up in old rags can also ignite much more readily than straight kero. I would not be too comfortable with kero sitting around in the shed in an open parts washer - needs a lid with a decent seal. Diesel has a much higher flashpoint (minimum of 60C) which makes it harder to ignite (unless you live in the Pilbarra, where it seems to be constantly hotter than that  ;D).

Some insurance companies also limit the amount of hydrocarbon you can store (often to 20L) - worth checking your policy.

Keros does have an aromatic content that can be absorbed through the skin. Hobby use may well be OK, but a lot of labelling on parts washers also takes into account long term use.

Cheers,
Harv.

[Rummy]

G'day Forum, A bit more info,petrol has an extremely low flashpoint(0.2dc-2.0dc)this is why it will ignite from static electricity!+can disolve glues & perish rubbers. Diesel on the other hand has a flashpoint of somewhere between (60dc-79dc)so a lot safer to use & a very good & cheap PARTS WASHER FLUID.that want harm glues etc.Kero lies in between but closer to the diesel side. Hope this helps a bit.cheers Rummy

[Stash]

thanks Guys..

I suppose my question was around why go a mix versus a straight solution..?  ???
is it because of price, odour or something i missed?