PBW & the Chemistry of Clean

[Caligula]

Ya, I've had an RO setup for years that I use for a Fish Tank and general drinking water. Open a tap in the kitchen vs. carry bottles from store... I'll go with my kitchen . The only thing I don't like is my setup is an older style. For every gallon of 'product water' I get four gallons down the drain. Just feels wasteful, but not sure it's any worse than the energy needed to create distilled. Newer RO systems are MUCH more efficient.

If you don't have an RO setup then totally agree Distilled bottles from store is the way to go.

edit: fixed formatting error

http://www.solaqua.com/solstils1.html

Or one of the many almost free DIY jobs available online. Also IIRC there is a major manufacturer (by major I mean more than some dude in his back yard) that produces 100% solar distilled water and associated products. Saw it on Historys Modern Marvels or some such shit.

 

[wisherly]

I just got my PBW in the mail and cleaned my $40 infamous bubbler. Wow! I had forgotten what clean glass looked like. It's a similar piece to the D020 which someone had trouble cleaning, but after two soaks and shaking it around I had no trouble getting everything off. Thanks t-dub for another great thread.

 

[t-dub]

I just got my PBW in the mail and cleaned my $40 infamous bubbler. Wow! I had forgotten what clean glass looked like. It's a similar piece to the D020 which someone had trouble cleaning, but after two soaks and shaking it around I had no trouble getting everything off. Thanks t-dub for another great thread.

You sir, are welcome. Thanks for reporting in with your results . . .

 

[Enchantre]

PBW and almost boiling water has made my ELBs all look like new!

 

[xRUFUSx]

PBW and almost boiling water has made my ELBs all look like new!

Since my PBW arrived, my electric tea kettle has been getting a lot more use I place my bubbler in a bowl and fill it with the remaining hot water to keep the glass warm during the next session.

 

[wisherly]

PBW and almost boiling water has made my ELBs all look like new!

Are you just soaking the ELBs in PBW dissolved in hot water and all the gunk comes off? I'm cleaning some ELBs right now in ISO and I still have to scrub them with a wire brush to get the stuff off.

 

[Frederick McGuire]

I've cleaned my Elbs a few times with pbw.

Jut filled a cup with hot tap water and some pbw, and threw in the Elbs (and the caps, separately).

It was kinda gross seeing how quick the water went from opaque white to a very dirty looking brown

Give them a 15-20 minute soak, with a quick stir or 2 (not really necessary) and they're pretty much clean.

There were a few stubborn spots that would've needed a 2nd wash, but I just ignored them, wasnt really worth the effort...

I was cleaning 7 heavily used Elbs, in a 250ml cup, seemed to be the perfect sized cup for the job

 

[SD_haze]

Are you just soaking the ELBs in PBW dissolved in hot water and all the gunk comes off? I'm cleaning some ELBs right now in ISO and I still have to scrub them with a wire brush to get the stuff off.

If the water is hot enough, and the PBW concentration is high enough,
then yes I just soak them in the PBW and they clean right up. Functionally new in my opinion.

BHO residue is another story though...

 

[t-dub]

I'm getting good results floating jars of ELBs containing either ISO or PBW solution in my ultrasonic cleaner. PBW is, of course, safer in this application.

 

[wisherly]

How about this: Is there any reason I should keep a bottle of ISO around any more? Have you all just replaced that with PBW solution?

 

[SSVUN~YAH]

How about this: Is there any reason I should keep a bottle of ISO around any more? Have you all just replaced that with PBW solution?

Sure, you can reclaim or get that shiny new look. I use it before and after PBW...

 

[Mrmrmrmr]

It's that time again.. Placing another order for pbw. ISo just doesn't work as well it. Sure it costs less ( depending on how much you use of each product ) , I have always liked the new from the shop look pbw gives all my glass I have used it with. White vinegar definitely works as mix in between pbw soaks for me anyway. The ion deserves to be clean!

 

[herbivore21]

Just used PBW for the first time today, mixed in about 1tbsp with warm (but not too hot) tap water to clean my Luke Wilson piece. Left it for 15 mins, shook it a bit to get some stubborn bits off the centre stem above the tree and it is looking amazing!

Now to find somewhere I can buy this stuff that is a physical shop, I am pretty sure there are a bunch of brewers supply stores around where I live

 

[Frederick McGuire]

Let us know if ya find anywhere, the closest place I could find to buy it online was in another state (SA IIRC )
It always impresses me that perfect sparkle pieces get after a thorough PBW wash

 

[Herr_Dampf]

Maybe relevant to EU vapers: http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/5starspbw1lb.html

 

[b0]

Maybe relevant to EU vapers: http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/5starspbw1lb.html

Thanks for that! I'm going to order some right now

 

[vakedcow]

Maybe relevant to EU vapers: http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/5starspbw1lb.html

also ordered from there, thanks again @Herr_Dampf

looking forward to try the real PBW.
For me OxyClean and VanishOxy worked OK but often left white marks and had problems with stronger residue, requiring multiple hot soak and shakes

 

[Herr_Dampf]

The shipping cost gets kinda insane once you go over 1kg (at least for most country) so 2 containers à 450g should work best for most of us. For me it was cheaper than ordering from the U.S. sellers I found on ebay (who carged shipping up to 45 USD).

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

also ordered from there, thanks again @Herr_Dampf

looking forward to try the real PBW.
For me OxyClean and VanishOxy worked OK but often left white marks and had problems with stronger residue, requiring multiple hot soak and shakes

The white stuff I believe is from hard water, washing off with white vinegar takes care of it. I like distilled water to rinse after ISO

 

[vakedcow]

The white stuff I believe is from hard water, washing off with white vinegar takes care of it. I like distilled water to rinse after ISO

that's what I thought too because we got such hard water in my area but even warm vinegar didn't really help and I read elswhere that this can happen with cheap sodium percarbonate (or what was the vanishoxy ingridient again) ?
I am by no means an expert on that matter tough

 

[Zangano Cruel]

Waffle SGW:
"What's that silly smile in you face, Clear???"

Clear M.M:
"Our daddy gave me a PBW bath
Don't be jealous, Waffle... Look, look, here it comes with more for you!!!!

WSGW: "Yeeeeaaaaaa "

Cheers @t-dub

Stay vaped....

 

[LazyIdol]

Came here to ask about hard water stains but it looks like I am going to have to try the white vinegar. My M&M tech has a bent neck and all the hard water stains love to accumulate above the splash guard. The splash guard on my M&M Tech is surprisingly low quality too, which is a bummer. But that is neither here nor there. I will have to stock up some distilled H20

 

[aj0125]

So I just tried PBW for the 1st time today on a little DG. The glass came out incredibly clean but there is now little white streaks of residue on the outside and a ring of residue on the inside of the piece where the joint curves. I have tried hot water rinsing and ISO rinsing and neither is getting rid of the internal or external residue. What should I do?

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

So I just tried PBW for the 1st time today on a little DG. The glass came out incredibly clean but there is now little white streaks of residue on the outside and a ring of residue on the inside of the piece where the joint curves. I have tried hot water rinsing and ISO rinsing and neither is getting rid of the internal or external residue. What should I do?

White vinegar. The stains are from hard water.

 

[aj0125]

But the stains were not there before I used the PBW? The streaks on the outside are where the PBW water mixture hit the outside of the glass. Does the PBW cause hard water stains? It really looks like residue. I only use distilled water...