sempervirens
New Member
It can only fade your label if it actually gets on it. Many cleaning agents will fade/eat your label, but by being conscious of that in your cleaning process it's not too hard to keep cleaner off of label.
PBW & the Chemistry of Clean
- Thread starter t-dub
- Start date
It can only fade your label if it actually gets on it. Many cleaning agents will fade/eat your label, but by being conscious of that in your cleaning process it's not too hard to keep cleaner off of label.
Ethnobotanist
........始解........
Interesting read 
Nice find as long as you don't need the antibacterial/antimicrobial/antiviral properties of ISO Alcohol when cleaning your glass vaporiser.
Nice find as long as you don't need the antibacterial/antimicrobial/antiviral properties of ISO Alcohol when cleaning your glass vaporiser.
t-dub
Vapor Sloth
Update on using PBW for ELB cleaning, its working fantastic. Pretty much have my ISO use down to about nothing in my lab now. When I initially put hot water and PBW in with the ELBs this reacted ABV scum forms. Its better to pour this off and refill, so you have clean solution. Leaving the scum in there just complicates things so pour it off and reload
Also, the new RezBlock concentrate is so effective that I am just able to rinse with hot water on some days now and skip the PBW all together . . .
Also, the new RezBlock concentrate is so effective that I am just able to rinse with hot water on some days now and skip the PBW all together . . .
Roger D
Vapor Wizard
Thanks again for the inspiration man ! I now use my bicarb/percarbonate/calgon mix to clean almost everything : toilets, shower, bath tub, sinks, silicone pieces, all my glass (not only vapor related), its also cleaning metal stuff like the plumbing. I even use it in the washing machine for stain removal (white cotton only)
For really tough shit I put the powder on a hot sponge and this gets almost everything nasty you can think about. No odors, no foam, easy rinse..
That's like a crap magnet seriously. And it is working fast !
I tried to contact the PACs manufacturer but they're still closed for 3 days ! I can't wait for the hands-on, so I can make my own anti stick solution, everything will be perfect and really cheap. I like to use raw ingredients.
For really tough shit I put the powder on a hot sponge and this gets almost everything nasty you can think about. No odors, no foam, easy rinse..
That's like a crap magnet seriously. And it is working fast !
I tried to contact the PACs manufacturer but they're still closed for 3 days ! I can't wait for the hands-on, so I can make my own anti stick solution, everything will be perfect and really cheap. I like to use raw ingredients.
Interesting read
After a hot water flush, I don't think it really matters. I have just used PBW today for the first time and it's incredible. My hydratube is looking exactly like new thanks to it. ISO couldn't get it this clean, and I think the PBW cuts through the hard water deposits.
I echo what t-dub says about the ELBs coming super clean, this has made my life much easier. It's true that a "scum" forms, although I personally just leave it (in a 1 gallon tub). I drop in my glass/ elbs as needed followed by a hot water flush and it's sparkling.
LOVE PBW!!!
It said 2-4oz per gallon so I used about 4 heaping tbspn's...I was more on the liberal side. I added hot water, and cleaned my hydratube and a few elbs...all came out spotless without even a soak, just shake and rinse. I'm hoping next time that soaking will be adequate since i'm going to reuse and it won't be hot anymore.
noserub
The Earl of Indica
I think 4oz / gallon may be overkill and could possibly be a waste of the PBW...unless the glass has been neglected and has ash and resin building up for a long time. Perhaps if you don't wish to take the time to soak or intend on reusing it for a long time it would be beneficial to have a stronger solution. A lower concentration of PBW + soaking time means you won't have to use as much in the long run, but I go through a lot of PBW since I'm working on a nano brewing operation...so it financially makes sense for me.
When I am brewing (which generates gnarly build up on boil kettles and glass fermenters) I only use between 1-2 oz / gallon and that works excellent with a soak. Wort build up is definitely stronger than typical vapor build up. If the glass has been smoked out of (ie. with fire) more PBW will be required vs glass that just has vapor build up. My glass has all been smoked out of (waiting for my cloud and lsv and the cano doesn't do hash well), so it has more build up than a pure vapor rig would. 2oz worked beautifully with a soak. One of my pieces had crazy water spots from when I was living in San Diego (which has water with really high PPMs of TDS), so the glass was not even see through from all of the calcium build up. Problem solved after an 8 hour soak in PBW...I only left it in there that long because I forgot about it.
2clicker
Observer
So would I use less PBW with a longer cold water soak than I would with a quicker hot water soak?
Sorry for the dumb question, but please remember that we're on a pot forum, so I may be stoned.
i think the water needs to be at least warm for the PBW to do its thing, but i could be mistaken. luke tap water may take an overnight soak...?
im stoned also
BigDaddyVapor
@BigDogJunction
What's this talk of stoned? 
Frederick McGuire
Aggressively Loungey
You jammed 2 questions into 1 Stu 
(Assuming the same amount of PBW)
A hot water soak should lead to faster results than a cold water soak
(Assuming the same temp of water)
More PBW in the solution could speed up the process, but there's gonna be a point where more PBW won't do anything extra...
I personally would use the same amount of PBW whether hot or cold water is used, but someone else may be able to give you better info than me, I've only just started using this wonderful stuff.
Also, I can confirm that PBW will work wonders on combustion resin.
I took it over to my buddies place, and basically commandeered his bong (technically its mine, but its lived at his place ever since I got it)
I believe my exact words were "This thing is getting a proper clean god-fucking-dammit"
I emptied out the gross brown water, and it took a good 4-5 water rinses just to get the ash and crap out of it before the water would come out clean
Then I threw a few tablespoons of PBW in there, filled with hot water, and left it to soak for 20ish mins.
When I came to check on it, there was a whole lot of scum on the top of the water, so I poured it out and re filled with hot water. I had put too much PBW in for the first run, and it was sitting on the bottom of the piece, so the new hot water already had PBW in there.
15-20 minutes later it was just as clean as the pics I posted of my matrix...
(Assuming the same amount of PBW)
A hot water soak should lead to faster results than a cold water soak
(Assuming the same temp of water)
More PBW in the solution could speed up the process, but there's gonna be a point where more PBW won't do anything extra...
I personally would use the same amount of PBW whether hot or cold water is used, but someone else may be able to give you better info than me, I've only just started using this wonderful stuff.
Also, I can confirm that PBW will work wonders on combustion resin.
I took it over to my buddies place, and basically commandeered his bong (technically its mine, but its lived at his place ever since I got it)
I believe my exact words were "This thing is getting a proper clean god-fucking-dammit"
I emptied out the gross brown water, and it took a good 4-5 water rinses just to get the ash and crap out of it before the water would come out clean
Then I threw a few tablespoons of PBW in there, filled with hot water, and left it to soak for 20ish mins.
When I came to check on it, there was a whole lot of scum on the top of the water, so I poured it out and re filled with hot water. I had put too much PBW in for the first run, and it was sitting on the bottom of the piece, so the new hot water already had PBW in there.
15-20 minutes later it was just as clean as the pics I posted of my matrix...
t-dub
Vapor Sloth
im stoned also
This is a pot forum?What's this talk of stoned?
Am I stoned? 
2clicker
Observer
here is a link i found pretty quick when searching PBW on the web. its a beer forum and they are talking about how to make your own PBW. also looks like some of the beer guys are using Cascade (w/out crystals).
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/fo...sid=e278e0490aa41c82c6a78ce6add71ecf&start=16
thought it was worth sharing.
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/fo...sid=e278e0490aa41c82c6a78ce6add71ecf&start=16
thought it was worth sharing.
noserub
The Earl of Indica
You jammed 2 questions into 1 Stu
Then I threw a few tablespoons of PBW in there, filled with hot water, and left it to soak for 20ish mins.
When I came to check on it, there was a whole lot of scum on the top of the water, so I poured it out and re filled with hot water. I had put too much PBW in for the first run, and it was sitting on the bottom of the piece, so the new hot water already had PBW in there.
15-20 minutes later it was just as clean as the pics I posted of my matrix...
I usually mix the PBW with hot water in a separate container (stirring vigorously) before I add it to the glass to make sure that it gets mixed into the water, resulting in less (or no) excess at the bottom.
@Stu...I always start with hot water, even if I intend to keep the solution around for a while where it would become cool. Hot water is best to ensure that the full potency of the chemical is absorbed into the solution and to ensure it is in it's most active state for cleaning. A cool solution will work, but not as effectively and will degrade over time.
Thanks, noserub.
That was the information that I was attempting to ascertain in my own clumsy way.@Fred: Thanks for the info. I hope to share my results soon. Did you ever see that pic I sent you btw?
@t-dub: Yes, this is a pot forum. You should stop using your kid's PCs.
BTW, congrats on the big win last night. I crushed my bookie on that one and actually thought about how you were celebrating after the win!I used my 1tbspn/1 litre solution cold this morning with my glass gummed up from last night. I like to do a hot water flush initially which gets it pretty damn good already (I clean daily) and then did a 5 min. soak, shake shake shake! then another hot water flush followed by luke/cold and it was 99% awesome, just 2 tiny spots didn't come clean but it was a fast quick and dirty get 'er done job.
PBW has totally been a massive improvement in the way I get my glass and ELBs clean!
I'm actually all out of ISO...can I carefully use a PBW dipped q-tip to clean the inside of my Cloud joint? Or not a good idea because it doesn't evaporate like ISO?
PBW has totally been a massive improvement in the way I get my glass and ELBs clean!
I'm actually all out of ISO...can I carefully use a PBW dipped q-tip to clean the inside of my Cloud joint? Or not a good idea because it doesn't evaporate like ISO?
StickyShisha2
Well-Known Member
i used PBW to clean a smokers bubbler that he wants to sell. The glass now looks clean and new for the first time in years, but still has a bit of a combustion smell to me.
i'm going to do a second soak today to see/smell if it gone. I want the piece as my new oil rig but not if it smells like burning.
edited to add: i may not have used a strong enough mixture, as this was my first time using it.
i'm going to do a second soak today to see/smell if it gone. I want the piece as my new oil rig but not if it smells like burning.
edited to add: i may not have used a strong enough mixture, as this was my first time using it.
noserub
The Earl of Indica
Yes...totally safe with a hot water rinse...remember its designed for cleaning vessels used for beer making ... which require very clean environments for long term storage.
I clean kegs with it and age my brews for long periods of time, so its gotta be spic and span.
noserub
The Earl of Indica
Yes, the cloud joint should be fine to clean since it is glass. I haven't had a working cloud long enough to clean it, but to rinse/wipe the PBW away I'd probably lightly wet a paper towel, twist it and run it through the joint / bamboo, then do the same with a dry paper towel (with the unit unplugged, of course).
I would not leave an acrylic grinder in PBW for any length of time...you may get away with doing a 5min soak and hot water rinse, but don't leave it in there... T-Dub ruined his anodized SC by soaking in PBW, so be careful. However, stainless steel is not a problem with PBW (most of my brewing vessels are stainless).