home made parts washer

504

Well-known Member
I have wondered if anyone has tried a dish washer as a parts cleaner? And I do not mean the one in your wife's kitchen! (I have been married long enough to not do that.)A used on can be bought for less than $20.00,free on CL.
 
A friend did and discovered that unless used with the dish waser soap it would ruin the seals and gaskets in about 20 minutes. Jim
 
My friend made a parts washer from a 20 gallon oil can and a stainless steel sink . The pump was in the bottom of the oil can and the stainless steel sink sat on top. The flex line ran from the pump to a nozzle on the sink, fluid drained back down the sink drain into the drum. Every couple of weeks we had to clean the sludge out of the bottom. He had a light mounted over the sink that came on when the switch for the pump was flicked on. It was made from recycled stuff and it worked really well. You can use whatever cleaning solvent you want, this one was distillate based
 
I picked one up from a buddy to try it out, but have yet to have the time. I figured hot, soapy water would be good for some cleaning, and the dish soap is pretty caustic, like the old machine shop parts cleaners.
 
Have read on the internet of people doing it so it must be true, grins. For 20 bucks what are you out to try it? Just a hint, I have a hot water spray parts washing cabinet and the trick to them working well is not what type or how much detergent you add but keeping the water HOT. AT 170 degrees it will clean all but the heaviest baked on grease and carbon with very little soap in the water. Most newer dish washers have a built in water heater for same reason.
 

They would probably work well for a short time but in a little while the grit will ruin the seal and the pump motor will fail soon after. I sullied detergent once to a fellow who had a commercial unit that he was washing truck air cleaners in. It worked because the pump and motor are horizontal on most commercial machines.
 
The answers are just about what I expected. I have a salvaged DW in the shop somewhere,cold water only but the DW has it s on heater. I will try plain water, and I can borrow DW soap from the kitchen. I will try it in the spring,no heat in the shop.
 
I don't believe I would try that. A dishwasher isn't designed for flammable solvents. You might use a fuel transfer pump as long as it was filtered good. Harbor Freight has a parts washer you could get for around 75 bucks with a coupon. Nothing to build, just put in the cleaning solvent and go.
 
I used a KITCHEN AID diswasher (residential type portable as a parts cleaner for quite of few years. Not every day, of course.

Liquid dish detergerent along with OXYDOLE soap powder, and hot water will do a pretty good job for the cleaning solution.

Most of the parts that I was cleaning were aircraft parts and engine parts.

Saved a lotta of money not buying varsol, the normal cleaner solution.

HTH

John,PA
 

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