Welding Tips and Tricks

Hi Everyone

Received my second hand Coolermate 3 today from the eBay seller.
Looks like they ran river water through the thing! Blech! Rust everywhere! Sludge too.

I am going to order a couple of fresh filters, and some other smaller pieces that seem to have seen better days regarding corrosion. What is the best fluid to run through the machine to flush it?
I will go down to the local hydraulic shop and pick up fittings on Friday; in the mean time what chemical is best to clean it with before it sees fresh coolant?

Adam

If there is scale,rust and sludge, ordinary detergents won't clean it up. CLR won't work as there could be some plating as well due to galvanic action. Sounds like the same sort of gunk we get in cooling tower sumps and heat exchangers.
Under advisement from water treatment companies, we use a product called "sulphamic acid". Sounds bad but is actually quite safe to use, it comes in crystals, some versions have detergent crystals added as well. Not to be used against iron and carbon steel surfaces. Good for plastics, stainless steels, copper and alloys, aluminum and alloys, titanium. Does not hurt skin, but with all chemicals, use pvc gloves as a precaution.

You will need a bucket, a pump (even a small one that drives off a power drill works good) connecting hoses and pH strips. Dissolve crystals in bucket til pH2 is reached. Pump through cooler for about an hour. Drain, rinse. Test pH. Keep draining and rinsing until pH7 is reached. Job done.

You can get the crystals from air conditioning water treatment companies. Don't buy a whole bag, just asked for a pound of it, should only cost a couple of bux.

Other here may know of other stuff to use.

I have not tried Coldman's solution, but I'd certainly consider it. Since I'm not familiar with the product he recommends, here's my thoughts:

If you have a mix of metals in the system, my preference would be a series of flushes, using white vinegar solution (acetic acid), rinse, follow with baking soda, under (mild) pressure, alternating until the residue is clear, then rinse with distilled or de-ionized water, blow the lines clear with compressed air, and fill with an appropriate low-conductivity coolant (available from your LWS).

Steve S

Evening Gentleman!

I did pick up the three gallons of fresh coolant tonight from the local welding store, at $ 27 / gallon.
Thank you all of the suggestions - I will start with the vinegar as I have some right here in the kitchen, and then move forward from there after I see what that does.

I think I will snap some before and after photos as well; may give you all some ideas as to what it is that I am dealing with.

Who runs muddy river water through their TIG torch cooler? OUCH!

Adam

Adam, If you'd seen what I had to flush from a cooler after thoroughly smoking a water-cooled torch...

That muddy river water would look pretty good!

In that case, though, it was just soot and residue to simply flush out with several cycles of fresh water and several filter cleanings.

I did (on a job where someone else was buying equipment) smoke three torches before I realized the coolant in the rental welders was automotive antifreeze and local (very hard) tap water...

Steve S

Hey Steve

Well, I am on the way to the local supermarket to get some grub as well as some more Vinegar, the Vinegar seems to do a marvelous job if you don't let it sit too long. I plan on filling it up with vinegar and then running the machine a while with vinegar and then deonized water to try and flush the oxidation out.

I can understand about the people using car antifreeze; the car antifreeze is about 35% the price of the good stuff!

Ok, off to swoop up Pizza and Groceries, be back in a few

Adam

Have no experience with this at all.
So learn me something. Lol
What would be wrong with automotive coolant and distilled water?

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Ours got algae in it that looks like mud. The plastic tanks are worse for algae growth than the SS tanks on the Bernards are. The Bernard coolers have never had coolant in them and just tap water and have been going for 15 years or so, even though they should have coolant in them too. We were supposed to add coolant but forgot. We ended up buying the demo machine they set up at our shop so just kept using it as they set it up.

79jasper wrote:Have no experience with this at all.
So learn me something. Lol
What would be wrong with automotive coolant and distilled water?

Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk

Depends on the coolant - good discussion on this thread: http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?41 ... at-Coolant

Does anyone know where I can find a water cooler hose that has the 5/8" left hand thread connectors on both sides? I think I need one to connect my coolmate 3 to my power block on the Syncro 250 machine; I seem to be devoid of this jumper.
Searching around the web I see a few of these cables that have a connector on one side and nothing on the other, but this won't work for my set up.

Let me know what you all think,

Adam

Adam Mc Laughlin wrote:Hey Steve

... I plan on filling it up with vinegar and then running the machine a while with vinegar and then deonized water...

Adam

I hope "run" it means the pump... Don't weld with vinegar in it, it makes the water an excellent conductor...

Steve S

TamJeff wrote:Ours got algae in it that looks like mud. The plastic tanks are worse for algae growth than the SS tanks on the Bernards are. The Bernard coolers have never had coolant in them and just tap water and have been going for 15 years or so, even though they should have coolant in them too. We were supposed to add coolant but forgot. We ended up buying the demo machine they set up at our shop so just kept using it as they set it up.

Yep, straight tap water is far less harmfull, especially if the system is tight and you're not adding regularly. The stuff in tap-water that will react with the metals will do so only until equilibrium. The auto antifreeze adds a whole new component, with additives to prevent galvanic corrosion between iron blocks and aluminum heads, for example.

Steve S

Adam Mc Laughlin wrote:Does anyone know where I can find a water cooler hose that has the 5/8" left hand thread connectors on both sides? I think I need one to connect my coolmate 3 to my power block on the Syncro 250 machine; I seem to be devoid of this jumper.
Searching around the web I see a few of these cables that have a connector on one side and nothing on the other, but this won't work for my set up.

Let me know what you all think,

Adam

Call Usa Weld 1-800-872-9353 talk to Paul or Diane they have all those fittings in stock to build any hose you need. might want to consider converting everything to quick disconnects also. I went with quick disconnects was cheap in price for a very nice convenience.

Forgot to put there web address in www.usaweld.com lot of stuff they carry not on website so far what your looking for call guarantee they can hook you up with that hose.

Back in the '60s, I would use distilled water with a water pump lubricant... amazing how clean the engine stayed! In SoCal didn't really need freeze protection. IIRC, plain water conducts heat better than "antifreeze".... not sure about the welding coolants...

Tap water has way too many minerals in it!