PBW & the Chemistry of Clean

[Kief]

Do I mix the PBW with water?

HOT water.

My hydratube is so white from stains, want to try PBW but my tap water is NASTY.

Like @MinnBobber said, hard water stains are not PBW's greatest strength... but it does work with hard water. I would do a long soak with distilled white vinegar or a citric acid solution for hard water stains, works better than anything marketed for the task IME.

 

[Mrmrmrmr]

And honestly I find a five minute soak is more then adequate. Much longer and the pbw leaves it's own personal mark,this white swirl on your glass that you will NOT like.

 

[aj0125]

And honestly I find a five minute soak is more then adequate. Much longer and the pbw leaves it's own personal mark,this white swirl on your glass that you will NOT like.

I really wish I had known this before I used PBW. I still have an expensive piece that has the PBW marks on it and NOTHING will get them off. It is a GREAT cleaner, but user beware.

 

[CrimsonKing]

I really wish I had known this before I used PBW. I still have an expensive piece that has the PBW marks on it and NOTHING will get them off. It is a GREAT cleaner, but user beware.

Vinegar plain old distilled white vinegar soak, or anything mildly acidic really that's not going to hurt you or damage anything if it should spill or splash, I use starsan most of the time since I brew beer and it's always right next to the pbw but vinegar works about as well (a little elbow grease might help to scrub a bit).
You may have to repeat the process a time or two but it will take the pbw stains off in a hurry.
Protip: when using pbw to clean glass try not to leave any air bubbles or air pockets in the piece, this can cause the stains, plugs can help here, and rinse off any spilled pbw immediately from the outside if you spill to prevent staining. I've found 5-8 mins to be the sweet spot if it's not clean enough rinse and repeat.

 

[aj0125]

Soaked for 2 weeks in vinegar then 2 weeks in citric acid and other things and it is still stained inside and out. It happened quite some time ago and honestly I have given up and just accepted it. I really like PBW and use it to clean some things all the time but I will not use it on my other expensive pieces, of course YMMV.

 

[Been Vapin]

Any type of rubber stopper is OK? I have a bunch from the hardware store already.

 

[CrimsonKing]

Soaked for 2 weeks in vinegar then 2 weeks in citric acid and other things and it is still stained inside and out. It happened quite some time ago and honestly I have given up and just accepted it. I really like PBW and use it to clean some things all the time but I will not use it on my other expensive pieces, of course YMMV.

That is unfortunate... you might want to give starsan a try its gotten PBW stains out of glass carboys that sat around with PBW solution in them for months. You can pick it up at any homebrew store and a few hardware stores, and here's an amazon link http://www.amazon.com/Star-San-Sani...=UTF8&qid=1428776017&sr=8-4&keywords=star+san

Any type of rubber stopper is OK? I have a bunch from the hardware store already.

Yeah should be fine (provided they fit what you are trying to plug up nicely) the worst thing that could happen is the PBW solution could start to eat away at the stopper depending on the type of rubber it's made of, so you might end up with a few rubber flecks in the piece that need to be washed out, no biggie IMO. I have used wine stoppers and various silicone stoppers and plugs, and never had issues with the materials reacting with the PBW.

 

[DreamHaze]

soooo.... can anyone point me to the cheapest place to get this online???
just a pound

 

[MinnBobber]

I don't know about online, sorry.
Is there a home beer brewing supply shop near you? That's where I got my PBW.
I got a pound pkg and it goes a looong way.
I just use a pinch for my bubbler.

 

[t-dub]

soooo.... can anyone point me to the cheapest place to get this online???
just a pound

I think Amazon would be your best bet.

 

[CrimsonKing]

soooo.... can anyone point me to the cheapest place to get this online???
just a pound

I think Amazon would be your best bet.

Yup, Yup http://www.amazon.com/PBW-Five-Star-1-lb/dp/B0064O7XBA

and a link to northern brewer http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...m6K49JY894RU_jAVXu6OxQECIG4DthbmBGBoCKH7w_wcB if you're in need of tubing, stoppers / bungs ect as well as the PBW, northern brewer will have it. Plus stuff to make beer if you're like me and like doing that kind of thing.

 

[Delta3DStudios]

soooo.... can anyone point me to the cheapest place to get this online???
just a pound

If you have a brewing supply store local to you, go check them out. Might be a dollar or two more expensive, but you can get it right away. My local beer brewing store only had small bags. But for $2.59, it was more than enough for at least 10 cleanings

Recently, I've been doing things a bit different. In addition to using Cranberry Extract all the time, I am now doing a single "maintenance" PBW soak every 2-3 months. I use a moderately high concentration of PBW and cap both ends of my bubblers with my tapered rubber plugs. I then remove all bubbles from the perc and main can. leaving only a tiny bubble of air near the mouthpiece (if there are any bubbles, I try to burp out as much as possible).

I let it soak for 12 hours (usually overnight) and then do my hot-water rinse in the morning (slowly rising temperature to not thermally shock the glass! natch).

So far I haven't had any problem with white rings on the glass. Works great for the minor grime buildup I have on my pieces (I can usually remove 90% of the grime with hot water and a bit of shaking action, but my PBW maintenance soaks ensure I don't need any extended deep cleaning sessions to get it back crystal clear)

 

[Been Vapin]

Is PBW safe to use on Ti nails?

 

[t-dub]

Is PBW safe to use on Ti nails?

Should be fine since its safe for softer metals like stainless steel and aluminum, and it is also safe for polycarbonate or plastic.

 

[Episode666]

No amount of Iso + salt soaking and shaking would get the inside of the coil clean on this piece. I had to wash it in the bathtub, and the process would leave me sweating in a cloud of hot water and iso vapors, so much that I'd hit the shower right after.

That was before !!! Now, this 30 inch beast can get as much use as anyone likes, maintenance afterthoughts left my mind! BTW, the faucet to garden hose adapter is a MOEN M3766 in case anyone needs it.

 

[Been Vapin]

PBW worked wonders on the Sublimator atomizer and an universal Ti nail that may have never been cleaned. The stuff was just wiping off.

Also have been putting PBW in the dishwasher and it's doing its thing.

 

[Traaaaan]

Any type of rubber stopper is OK? I have a bunch from the hardware store already.

if anyone drinks wine I found that wine cork works just as well as a rubber stopper and is readily available... For me at least.

 

[t-dub]

If you are making a flush hose device then you need a #2 rubber stopper with a hole drilled through the middle for the tubing.

See my thread here: http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/hydratube-flush-device.7263/

---

 

[Traaaaan]

I'm not running a hose, I think a quick soak in pbw for 10ish minutes once a week or so does a good enough job. if I were cleaning a dirty combustion piece (like my roommates bong) then I'd probably get a stopper with a hole in it.

 

[SeanFloyd]

*****WARNING: SOAKING YOUR PIECE IN PBW CAN PERMANENTLY STAIN IT*****

Just like another member on here, I soaked a piece of mine overnight in PBW (to remove hard water stains). When I awoke it had long white streaks all over it from the PBW.

This was over a $2,000 piece. I tried everything I could think of to remove it with zero luck, vinegar, grunge off, acetone, isopropyl. Nothing helped, I think the acetone made it worse.

Word to the wise, please do not soak your glass in this for any extended period of time, I'm sticking with vinegar.

 

[Delta3DStudios]

*****WARNING: SOAKING YOUR PIECE IN PBW CAN PERMANENTLY STAIN IT*****

Just like another member on here, I soaked a piece of mine overnight in PBW (to remove hard water stains). When I awoke it had long white streaks all over it from the PBW.

This was over a $2,000 piece. I tried everything I could think of to remove it with zero luck, vinegar, grunge off, acetone, isopropyl. Nothing helped, I think the acetone made it worse.

Word to the wise, please do not soak your glass in this for any extended period of time, I'm sticking with vinegar.

I think that happens when you use too much PBW

I've had PBW expose a scratch on the inside of a cheap Chinese glass piece (turned the scratch white). It was white for weeks, couldn't get it removed no matter how much ISO and scrubbing I tried. Finally did about 10 PBW rinses where I used VERY LITTLE PBW and it removed the white from the piece (just took a lot of rinses to get it fully clean again)

 

[t-dub]

I think that happens when you use too much PBW

I've had PBW expose a scratch on the inside of a cheap Chinese glass piece (turned the scratch white). It was white for weeks, couldn't get it removed no matter how much ISO and scrubbing I tried. Finally did about 10 PBW rinses where I used VERY LITTLE PBW and it removed the white from the piece (just took a lot of rinses to get it fully clean again)

@Ratchett - Excellent post that summarizes the situation well. This is why I stress SHORT DWELL TIMES with MULTIPLE WASHES until desired results are obtained as standard procedure. And yes, don't use too much product, it is strong like Russian tractor . . .

 

[mixchu69]

*****WARNING: SOAKING YOUR PIECE IN PBW CAN PERMANENTLY STAIN IT*****

Just like another member on here, I soaked a piece of mine overnight in PBW (to remove hard water stains). When I awoke it had long white streaks all over it from the PBW.

This was over a $2,000 piece. I tried everything I could think of to remove it with zero luck, vinegar, grunge off, acetone, isopropyl. Nothing helped, I think the acetone made it worse.

Word to the wise, please do not soak your glass in this for any extended period of time, I'm sticking with vinegar.

CLR cleaned my pieces with stains from PBW

 

[TheWhisper]

Anyone have a step-by-step guide on using PBW with glass? I looked through a few pages of this thread, and didn't see anything laid out nicely. And how much PBW should I use to clean a mildly dirty D020-D?

 

[Delta3DStudios]

Anyone have a step-by-step guide on using PBW with glass? I looked through a few pages of this thread, and didn't see anything laid out nicely. And how much PBW should I use to clean a mildly dirty D020-D?

Here's my process:

1) Flush piece with hot water (hot as you can get from your tap - you want to get your glass warmed up)
2) Drain water, quickly add 1 teaspoon of PBW
3) Add a bit of hot water (HOT as you can get) and swirl it around for a bit to disolve the PBW partially
4) Carefully add more hot water. Using Rubber plugs to cover the holes (Try to eliminate as much air as possible - you want water to cover 100% of the inside of your glass)
5) Let the piece sit for 5-15 minutes until the water goes clear again
6) Uncap plugs and drain piece ( CAREFULLY - PBW on the exterior will make the glass VERY slippery)
7) Quickly flush piece with more hot water (several good solid flushes with hot water).

Depending on the condition of the piece, I will repeat this process. For combustion pieces, it may take as many as 10-15 cycles to fully get the piece clear.

Nowadays thanks to cranberry extract, aside from a hot water rinse twice a month, I rarely need to do more than one PBW rinse every several months


Don't use too much PBW, and don't let air bubbles form inside the piece. You may encounter a ring of white buildup if you're not careful. Don't worry, if a white ring forms (or a scratch inside the glass is now white), simply do another 5 or 10 PBW rinses, but cut your PBW use in half