PBW & the Chemistry of Clean
- Thread starter t-dub
- Start date
Can someone help tell me what I'm doing wrong?
I'm not very happy with the performance of the PBW so far. Didn't seem effective at cleaning, and I found it leaves a noticible white mark on some apparent scratch inside the can (invisible normally, but PBW revealed this scratch I hadn't known about - runs almost the whole height of the can!)
I've tried both prolonged soaks fully immersed in PBW (in a 5 gallon bucket), and I've tried running hot water through the piece, then adding some PBW, letting it soak for a few minutes, then flushing with hot water (hot as my faucet can get).
I have given up on PBW because RezBlock and cotton have been extremely effective with my new daily driver - the D020-W. But my D020 is still quite nasty from my first few months vaping without any cotton and BCCE.
I've been trying to do Salt+ISO scrubs (not enough space between showerhead and inner walls of the can to get a lot of velocity in those salt crystals!). Even tried a long multi-day soak with ISO to clean it. Yesterday I tried a long soak with diluted washing detergent as I've read this works. Of course it didn't.
So now I'm back to PBW - my last hope for getting my D020 spotless again.
Any advice on why that white scratch is showing up and how to prevent it? Do I need to use less PBW in the mix?
I'm not very happy with the performance of the PBW so far. Didn't seem effective at cleaning, and I found it leaves a noticible white mark on some apparent scratch inside the can (invisible normally, but PBW revealed this scratch I hadn't known about - runs almost the whole height of the can!)
I've tried both prolonged soaks fully immersed in PBW (in a 5 gallon bucket), and I've tried running hot water through the piece, then adding some PBW, letting it soak for a few minutes, then flushing with hot water (hot as my faucet can get).
I have given up on PBW because RezBlock and cotton have been extremely effective with my new daily driver - the D020-W. But my D020 is still quite nasty from my first few months vaping without any cotton and BCCE.
I've been trying to do Salt+ISO scrubs (not enough space between showerhead and inner walls of the can to get a lot of velocity in those salt crystals!). Even tried a long multi-day soak with ISO to clean it. Yesterday I tried a long soak with diluted washing detergent as I've read this works. Of course it didn't.
So now I'm back to PBW - my last hope for getting my D020 spotless again.
Any advice on why that white scratch is showing up and how to prevent it? Do I need to use less PBW in the mix?
syrupy
Authorized Buyer
Yeah I got white rings with PBW that stopped when I cut the amount of powder I was adding by 1/2. I also will do 2 small PBW washes instead of a longer one, because the long washes were making the white residue worse. For some reason I didn't have luck getting the white rings out with ISO, but PBW itself ended up getting them after 3 or 4 washes. It sounds like a tough situation if it gets in a scratch. I might consider only using ISO on a piece like that?
I do have one bubbler that I was neglectful on keeping clean. That one was resistant to both ISO and PBW. Took maybe 8 washes to get that one clean, alternating between warm ISO and PBW. I used distilled water for that cleaning, not sure if it helped much. Patience will win the race, that piece will come clean eventually. And once clean, keeping it that way will be a breeze.
I do have one bubbler that I was neglectful on keeping clean. That one was resistant to both ISO and PBW. Took maybe 8 washes to get that one clean, alternating between warm ISO and PBW. I used distilled water for that cleaning, not sure if it helped much. Patience will win the race, that piece will come clean eventually. And once clean, keeping it that way will be a breeze.
But you don't shake the PBW, correct?
I should add a very little bit to the piece itself and fill with warm water and that's it, right?
I should add a very little bit to the piece itself and fill with warm water and that's it, right?
olivianewtonjohn
Well-Known Member
Shaking PBW and hot water does seem alot more effective in my experience
syrupy
Authorized Buyer
Yup. I don't shake it, it seems to have its own fizzing power, and I just lost another piece to the 'shake-n-break' method so never again! I drop some PBW in the bottom of the piece and fill with warm/hot water. I might try that submerging method posted earlier.
That reminds me there's a cleaner I think it's called Oxy-Clean that fizzles like crazy and I've cleaned stubborn pieces with that successfully. Might give that a try.
Edit: @olivianewtonjohn must have steadier hands than I.
pigfoot
Dabs are vapor too!
I think you nailed it right away - the PBW revealed the scratch. It was there all along. That's the price we pay for insanely cheap glass, there are imperfections. My D020 has a scratch, some bubbles, a dark spot and a fracture in the joint - I just live with it.
Interesting. I use less than a teaspoon on a midsize piece like the D020, try using the recommended amount?
I do shake mine a little, at first, it seems to help break up the PBW, probably not necessary.
Yup. I don't shake it, it seems to have its own fizzing power, and I just lost another piece to the 'shake-n-break' method so never again! I drop some PBW in the bottom of the piece and fill with warm/hot water. I might try that submerging method posted earlier.
That reminds me there's a cleaner I think it's called Oxy-Clean that fizzles like crazy and I've cleaned stubborn pieces with that successfully. Might give that a try.
I am careful when I shake
Yup. I don't shake it, it seems to have its own fizzing power, and I just lost another piece to the 'shake-n-break' method so never again! I drop some PBW in the bottom of the piece and fill with warm/hot water. I might try that submerging method posted earlier.
That reminds me there's a cleaner I think it's called Oxy-Clean that fizzles like crazy and I've cleaned stubborn pieces with that successfully. Might give that a try.
Edit: @olivianewtonjohn must have steadier hands than I.
Thanks for that - yeah, I'm terrified of the Shake-n-break! Haven't lost anything major yet, but I'm sure my days are numbered, only a matter of time before I lose one!
FYI - OxyClean's main ingredient is hydrogen peroxide - HP is great for cleaning a lot of stuff, but I don't know how effective it'd be in a bubbler
olivianewtonjohn
Well-Known Member
I have tried oxyclean and think of it as a much weaker version of pbw. If you search I think their was discussion of it in this thread. I believe it shares the main ingredient with pbw but is missing some other key ingredients. I remember some of the home brew people making their own version of pbw
Enchantre
Oil Painter
I use extremely hot water... not quite boiling. Just a little PBW, (I use a half tsp in my huge HT) shake enough to distribute, then let it sit until the water clears ... then, dump and rinse like crazy.
I also wear rubber gloves, have padding in my sink, and rubber stoppers for the openings. Be safe, be careful.
I also wear rubber gloves, have padding in my sink, and rubber stoppers for the openings. Be safe, be careful.
Radio
stay true to yourselves
Having a bit of trouble finding an actual link of where to buy this stuff. VERY interested and have read up about this, looks like a great alternative to all of the other junk methods that i've tried before.
edit: found it. Will this do the trick?
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/review/product/list/id/3143/
and how much do I mix with enough water to fill a standard bong?
edit edit: and, would 8lbs of this stuff be considered a lifetime supply, or just overkill? I only have the one glass piece to clean and it is a relatively small bubbler
edit: found it. Will this do the trick?
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/review/product/list/id/3143/
and how much do I mix with enough water to fill a standard bong?
edit edit: and, would 8lbs of this stuff be considered a lifetime supply, or just overkill? I only have the one glass piece to clean and it is a relatively small bubbler
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olivianewtonjohn
Well-Known Member
If you have any home-brew stores you might even be able to get it intown
Yes. And your friends and neighbors' glass to boot.Would it last me 5 years worth of cleaning a small bubbler once a month?
HugieLewis
I'm not an expert but I have a strong opinion
Enchantre
Oil Painter
NEVER mix cleaning stuff with any other chemical without checking labels and the MSDS sheets. You could injure or kill yourself or others.
Use about a tsp per gallon of very hot water - roughly that much should work good for you. It will be VERY slippery!!!
ataxian
PALE BLUE DOT
Before I clean I rinse with RO water.
I table spoon Baking Soda (Super Cheap) 3/4 cup whitr vinegar wine stoppers. Shaking is optional.
5 minutes soak rinse with RO water.
Tea Spoon of PBW and fill with warm water from faucet.
5 minute soak!
Rinse with warm water.
Rinse with RO water.
Sqeeze citrus in piece.
Rinse with RO water.
Let dry on clean towel.
This is what I do with all my glass pieces, stems, GonG's, adapter's.
Right wrong or indifferent it works for me!
PBW is only a step in the process!
syrupy
Authorized Buyer
Would it last me 5 years worth of cleaning a small bubbler once a month?
Well let's try to do some fuzzy math. 8 pounds of PBW times 16 ounces/lb is 128ounces of PBW. A serving is 1 teaspoon/gal water. There are 6 teaspoons in an ounce, so it's like 768 servings of PBW in 768 gallons of water. If a rig holds 8 ounces of water, and a gallon is 128 ounces, there are 16 servings of PBW solution per gallon of the rig's water. Multiply that by the 768 gallons, and your investment should yield over 12,200 cleanings of our hypothetical rig. At a once a month cleaning, you get over 1000 years of a clean rig with PBW.
My math is probably off, but the point is you can afford to clean with PBW once a week. If you live over 100, a 2nd tub might be necessary.
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ataxian
PALE BLUE DOT
I have 1 pound! PBW
2 gallon container of white vinegar
1 COSTCO size box of baking soda.
1 gallon Denatured Alcohol (windows drying agent)
I clean my house with these items.
MinnBobber
Well-Known Member
My homebrew shop had it in 8 oz baggies for like $3.
Should last a long time
Should last a long time