Industrial degreasing operations can be separated into two groups based on the temperature of the degreaser during application: hot water degreasing and cold water degreasing.
Determining which process to use involves three considerations: the soil(s) that must be removed, the material from which they must be removed, and the active ingredient that removes them. When you evaluate these factors and determine that a cold water degreaser should be used, you receive three benefits that result from the cool temperature of the degreaser.
- No Temperature Burns
Depending on the formulation of a cold water degreaser, you may receive chemical burns if the cleaner touches your skin, but burns from high degreaser temperature aren’t a part of the equation.
Chemical burns can largely be avoided by using a degreaser with no toxic ingredients. Combining a non-toxic degreaser formulation with a cold water degreaser formulation can eliminate the possibility of burns, potentially allowing you to use a lower, less expensive level of personal protective equipment (PPE) for degreasing operations.
- Degreasing Running Equipment
To avoid electrical shock, degreasing is ideally performed when equipment is powered off, but this isn’t always possible. For instance, airliner engines are often degreased while running in order to achieve a quick turnaround, and get the planes back on the runway.
When cleaning energized equipment, you need a degreaser that contains a dielectric — a substance that blocks the flow of electricity through the solvent. In addition to increasing worker safety, Using a dielectric cold water degreaser can also help keep an engine from overheating as it idles. However, a hot engine should never be sprayed with ice cold water, and it could cause metal and plastic parts to crack.
For reference, a cold water degreaser is generally defined as a “non-boiling solvent degreaser”, not a degreaser that feels like it’s just been removed from an icy storage container.
- Lower Evaporation Rate
The hotter a liquid cleaning solution gets, the faster its molecules move, and the more readily its evaporative ingredients fill the air. In most industrial work environments, a small volume of evaporated water isn’t a big concern (except for the corrosion potential it poses to iron alloys), but the evaporation of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) presents a health risk.
Most VOCs vaporize at room temperature and don’t require a heating process to make them highly volatile. However, the temperature at which a degreaser that contains VOCs is used can impact airborne VOC density, and thus affect the type of VOC mitigation strategies you must use.
Need Help Selecting a Degreaser?
Whether you need a hot water degreaser, a cold water degreaser, or the temperature of the cleaner isn’t a factor, Ecolink offers solutions. If you can’t seem to find what you need mong stock products, we can even produce a custom degreaser that’s tailored to your requirements, and supply it in various quantities, on a schedule or as needed.
To get started on selecting an industrial degreaser, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use our contact form. We look forward to hearing from you!
Industrial Degreasing: 4 Benefits of Cold Water Degreaser
/in Degreasing Agents/by Industrial DegreasersIndustrial degreasing operations can be separated into two groups based on the temperature of the degreaser during application: hot water degreasing and cold water degreasing.
Determining which process to use involves three considerations: the soil(s) that must be removed, the material from which they must be removed, and the active ingredient that removes them. When you evaluate these factors and determine that a cold water degreaser should be used, you receive three benefits that result from the cool temperature of the degreaser.
Depending on the formulation of a cold water degreaser, you may receive chemical burns if the cleaner touches your skin, but burns from high degreaser temperature aren’t a part of the equation.
Chemical burns can largely be avoided by using a degreaser with no toxic ingredients. Combining a non-toxic degreaser formulation with a cold water degreaser formulation can eliminate the possibility of burns, potentially allowing you to use a lower, less expensive level of personal protective equipment (PPE) for degreasing operations.
To avoid electrical shock, degreasing is ideally performed when equipment is powered off, but this isn’t always possible. For instance, airliner engines are often degreased while running in order to achieve a quick turnaround, and get the planes back on the runway.
When cleaning energized equipment, you need a degreaser that contains a dielectric — a substance that blocks the flow of electricity through the solvent. In addition to increasing worker safety, Using a dielectric cold water degreaser can also help keep an engine from overheating as it idles. However, a hot engine should never be sprayed with ice cold water, and it could cause metal and plastic parts to crack.
For reference, a cold water degreaser is generally defined as a “non-boiling solvent degreaser”, not a degreaser that feels like it’s just been removed from an icy storage container.
The hotter a liquid cleaning solution gets, the faster its molecules move, and the more readily its evaporative ingredients fill the air. In most industrial work environments, a small volume of evaporated water isn’t a big concern (except for the corrosion potential it poses to iron alloys), but the evaporation of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) presents a health risk.
Most VOCs vaporize at room temperature and don’t require a heating process to make them highly volatile. However, the temperature at which a degreaser that contains VOCs is used can impact airborne VOC density, and thus affect the type of VOC mitigation strategies you must use.
Need Help Selecting a Degreaser?
Whether you need a hot water degreaser, a cold water degreaser, or the temperature of the cleaner isn’t a factor, Ecolink offers solutions. If you can’t seem to find what you need mong stock products, we can even produce a custom degreaser that’s tailored to your requirements, and supply it in various quantities, on a schedule or as needed.
To get started on selecting an industrial degreaser, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or use our contact form. We look forward to hearing from you!
Using Foamless Parts Washer Fluid: Pros and Cons
/in Ecolink News/by Industrial DegreasersThe term parts washing fluid applies to different yet similar industrial cleaning agents: cleaners used in enclosed parts washing systems, and cleaners used in open air work stations. In this entry, we look at the basic pros and cons of using foamless parts washer fluid for industrial parts cleaning, both for enclosed parts washer cleaning and open air operations.
Pro: No Foaminess in the Parts Washer
If you’ve ever overfilled a dishwasher with foaming detergent, you have may have encountered a flow of suds that required multiple mopping sessions to remove all of the soap residue from the floor — residue that attracts dirt faster than a clean floor would.
A similar event can happen with parts washers that aren’t designed for foaming action solvents. If you use an industrial model parts washer, it may be sealed tight enough to contain the foam. The question is whether the washing cycle is thorough enough to remove the foam. If it’s a quick washing cycle with no anti-foaming agent, you could open the machine and find suds on work pieces and throughout the wash chamber, necessitating at least one more rinse cycle.
Con: No Cleaning From Foaming Action
Sometimes, foaming action is more than a byproduct from a cleaner. The foam is designed to encapsulate a workpiece, slowly cleaning away tough accumulations from any number of substances — from grease, to bitumen, to tar — to leave the piece looking as clean as new.
Letting the foam work its magic can result in using less solvent, while still powering away thick coatings of gunk (often making the gunk easier to remove using moderate water pressure).
Pro: Not Always Good for Fast Cleaning
Whether you use it in a parts washer or an open air cleaning station, a parts washing fluid that has foaming action can require a longer cleaning operation than using a foamless parts washer fluid.
If you’re treating a limited number of parts that must be treated quickly to get them back in action, a slow foaming cleaner often isn’t your friend. A better option is choosing a foamless parts washer fluid you can use in a parts washer or workstation to consistently achieve the quick turnround you need.
Con: Can End Up Consuming More Fluid
If properly formulated, a small reservoir of parts cleaning fluid can produce a significant amount of cleansing foam. If you have the flexibility to use a foaming cleaner that has a long turnround time, your solvent expenditures could be lower than if you used a foamless parts washing fluid that requires using more solvent to perform the same cleaning operation.
Conclusion
Foamless parts washer fluid and foaming parts washing fluid both have a place in industrial cleaning. Some organizations need one, some need the other, and still other organizations need both.
For assistance selecting a foaming or foamless parts washer fluid for industrial cleaning, contact Ecolink today at (800) 563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to helping you make the right selection!
Corrosion Removal Solvents for Rust: Introducing Rust Rip
/in Ecolink News/by Industrial DegreasersRust occurs in metal that contains iron. When iron alloys are exposed to moisture or water in the presence of oxygen — and no protective barrier prevents the metal from oxidizing on the surface — unsightly rust begins to form and proliferates until rust removal is performed.
The scientific name for rust is iron oxide — a substance that eventually corrodes an entire piece of metal unless removed from the surface. Rust removal can be performed manually through heavy brushing, grinding, or sandblasting, but using a chemical rust remover is usually the most efficient option.
Corrosion Removal Solvents for Rust
Rust is generally considered an eyesore that doesn’t impact the strength of metal. For example, a rusty iron chain may pull as much weight as the same type of chain that has no rust. If so, it’s indicative that oxidation is limited to the surface of the rusty chain. If the chain rusts for a significant period of time, its microstructure grows progressively weaker as rust penetrates deeper. Eventually, the chain becomes nothing but a pile of rust.
This is why it’s important to attack rust with corrosion removal solvents when the oxidation process is first noticed, especially when the appearance and/or dimensional stability of the object is essential to its function. If you’re shopping for corrosion removal solvents for rust, Rust Rip — a rust remover and phosphatizer from Ecolink — offers the following advantages, among others:
Rust Rip is useful for removing rust from any type of metal, but it also has an important niche application: removing rust from metal that will subsequently be painted. Rust flows away, leaving the metal with a surface that bonds well with paint and helps prevent paint from peeling.
Applications where these traits come in handy include: auto body restoration, restoring rusty metal ceilings, repainting rusted industrial equipment, and preparing rusty metal for marine applications that require waterproof paint sealer. Any application that involves removing rust from the surface metal — and then painting the metal, or not — is fair game. The biggest key to success is removing rust before it progresses past the surface and causes pitting.
Considering Your Supply Options
One of the most diverse corrosion removal solvents for rust, Rust Rip is available in 55 gallon drums, 5 gallon pails, and four 1 gallon containers. Have the product delivered on a schedule or order it as needed. We ship orders of all sizes, from bulk supply to small box orders.
If you’d like to compare Rust Rip to other corrosion removal solvents, we’ll send you a free product sample so you can test its efficacy. To get your free sample, visit our Request a Product Sample page. To place a regular order or request information, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. Let us help you rip away rust the easy way!
Airplane Maintenance Cleaners: The Case for Aerokleen
/in Aerospace Cleaners/by Industrial DegreasersWhether you need to clean a space shuttle, a commercial airliner, or a military fighter jet, you need one or more airplane maintenance cleaners that are designed for aircraft cleaning needs. This is why Ecolink developed Aerokleen — an environmentally preferred aviation solvent that delivers the following important benefits over other, conventional aviation solvent solutions.
Now that we’ve laid out the major benefits of Aerokleen, let’s take a look at how they distinguish the solvent from competing airplane maintenance cleaners that you could use instead.
Breaking Down the Benefits
One of the most helpful benefits is the solvent’s compatibility with all metals. Your aircraft almost certainly contains different types of metal, especially in the engine compartment. Apply the solution without worrying about the corrosion or oxidation of metal components, then take advantage of the cleaner’s excellent solvency to wash it away with water, as needed.
Aerokleen is also a great choice because it contains no hazardous ingredients found on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) List of Lists, has no ingredients listed in the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) or the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and has a formulation that complies with aerospace National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS). This means Aerokleen can be used without extensive protect equipment. It also means that the EPA is highly unlikely to regulate or ban ingredients in the solvent.
Another major benefit of Aerokleen is its exceptionally high flashpoint that qualifies it as a non-flammable solvent. A high flashpoint doesn’t equate to a dielectric that impedes electricity, so Aerokleen should be used to clean motors that are in a non-energized state. However, the solvent’s high flashpoint allows you to use and store the solvent in most types of environments without worrying about fire hazard.
In addition, Aerokleen Conforms to McDonnell Douglas Corp. CSD#1, Type 3, Boeing Commercial Airplane BAC 5750, and DC 17487 specifications. This makes the solvent an excellent catch-all cleaner for organizations that share the same aircraft solvent specifications, and makes it a highly compatible solvent for airline solvent cleaning operations.
Need Airplane Maintenance Cleaners?
If so, Aerokleen is just one of the options you have through Ecolink. We also offer a variety of other environmentally preferred stock solvents that are suitable for cleaning aircraft. In addition, if one of our stock solvents doesn’t address your requirements, we can use toll blending to create a custom solution that’s tailored to your needs, and supply it on an ongoing basis.
To learn more about our airplane maintenance cleaners or other products, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to answering your questions!
Selecting an Electric Motor Cleaning Solvent: Important Questions
/in Ecolink News/by Industrial DegreasersIf electric motors play a crucial role in your company or organization’s operations, you can ill-afford for them to perform inefficiently or unreliably. Part of ensuring that your motors are efficient and reliable is using the right electric motor cleaning solvent. There are plenty of options on the table. If you need assistance with basic considerations, the questions below will guide you in the right direction.
If you need to clean specific parts, look for solvents that are meant for those parts. Common examples include: contacts, turbines, relays, etc. As you shop, you’ll find that an electric motor cleaning solvent is often formulated to clean more than one type of motor component.
Electric motors can contain various types of metal, from different grades of stainless steel, to different alloys of iron, to copper and aluminum assemblies. This is why it’s important to identify a solvent that doesn’t cause any type of metal in your motors to corrode or oxidize.
Whenever possible, most motor cleaning is performed while motors are powered off. However, in some situations (e.g. operating a 24-hour manufacturing line), motors must be cleaned while they are powered on. When this is the case, a solvent that contains a dielectric is required. Otherwise, electricity could travel through the solvent stream and shock the worker.
If so, you should ideally select an electric motor cleaning solvent that has no flashpoint. If this isn’t an option, selecting a compatible cleaner with the highest flashpoint possible should be the goal. No flashpoint solvents help prevent fires on the workfloor and in the solvent storage area.
If you need to clean parts inside the motor housing, the answer is probably yes. If so, using an aerosol solvent would be ideal. The particles in the spray stream disperse evenly across surfaces, and make their way into crevices and seams that can harbor accumulated soils.
This question deals with solvent cost. If you clean motors multiple times a week, ordering your electric motor cleaning solvent in bulk may be the most effective supply model. If you perform cleaning infrequently, ordering the solvent you require in small amounts on an as-needed basis may be most cost effective.
About Our Company
Ecolink is a trusted supplier of environmentally safe and environmentally preferred industrial cleaning solvents. Cleaning electric motors is a common need among our customers. This is why we offer a selection of solvents that are formulated for cleaning different types of motors and motor components. In addition to providing stock solvents, we also supply custom solvents for motor cleaning.
To inquire about our products and services, please contact us today at (800) 563-1305, or send us an email through the contact form on our website. We look forward to learning about your motor maintenance operations and proposing solvent solutions that can improve them.