Parts washer smell and ventilation???

Like nearly everyone else, I recently picked up the China made 20 gallon parts washer. Mine was not the HF $79 special, but rather a black "Speedway Series" from Craigslist, but it is the same girl in a different dress (better looking in all black than the red and blue outfit...). It was used twice, the pump is good, no rust, clean and was $40. I could not pass it up. I did much research on this forum and decided to go with either mineral spirits or the cleaning fluid from Tractor Supply Store (Crown PSC1000). I am worried either fluid will smell too strong to me, my shop mates and neighbor as well as the adverse health effects to solvent exposure and possible combustion in an enclosed space.


My questions are which solvent smells the strongest and how much ventilation will I need when it is in use? Our workspace (the Winona Riders) is 612 square feet, 5500 cubic feet and being winter in Minnesota, the doors and windows are closed. Since I am renting, I cannot simply start hammer drilling in to the cement block walls to install a air vent to the outdoors, so I plan to run a squirrel fan blower mounted to a board in a window directly above the parts washer while in use. What is the minimum cubic feet per minute (CFM) of venting needed ?

In the warmer months I can open the doors and windows, use a fan or simply roll the cabinet outside. We do grinding, welding and blasting in the basement, away from where the parts washer is installed

I removed the flimsy stock legs and bent up and welded some scrap 11 gauge diamond plate last night, welded plates to their bottoms, added caster wheels, an expanded mesh shelf and plumbed in a Fram HPK2 remote oil filter. The lid was fitted with a continuous strip of rubber weather striping to seal the tank, minimize evaporation and mitigate odor. All new parts will be painted with two-part black automotive paint. I also ordered an Enco flow through brush which should arrive in a few days and added another fire extinguisher to the shop. I have several motorcycle engines ready to be broken down and cleaned, but I want to have my parts cleaner running safely and my space properly ventilated before I proceed.


Thanks all!

I use the TSC slovent. The only time I smell it is when I am right over the top of it cleaning parts. I could leave the lid open for days and not probably only get a small scent.

OMS(odorless mineral spirits) here.Same thing,lid down dont even know its there.I use the top as a bench extension(**** catcher) all the time.

You can find MSDS...Material Safety Data Sheets on line to read what is more or less toxic. It looks like you did good on the 'tank' for $40!

$40 is a deal. I have a couple of issues with that sized and type of tank. The first is that they are to low. If I spend any time cleaning parts I get a crick in my back. I hope you raised it up a bit when you made the new legs. Second is the accumulation of solids that build up on the bottom over time. I prefer a parts washer that drains into a barrel. Those types sell new for big bucks and hold their value. I'd like to find one at a good price but I'd snap up the 20 gallon HF type for $40 in a heart beat.

I know a guy who has a similer HF unit. He has used mineral spirits, diesel, for 15 years, with no odor problems.

Thanks all. I am leaning toward the TSC solvent, I have MSDS sheets on both, I know what "odorless" mineral spirits smells like but have never used the TSC solvent and was unsure of its odor. The only drawback is the nearest TSC store is 50 minutes away in Rochester, MN but I need to go there this week for other business so I will buy some solvent. With an inline filter installed I should not need to change the solution very often.

Bib Overalls, I did make the legs a bit longer and with the casters the tub is 5 inches higher than stock. The low height of the original legs is a common complaint on this and other forums. Yes, $40 I could not pass it up. The remote filter kit was $27, hardware and fuel hose $30, $25 for casters, the scrap steel was $10 and a six pack for my welder and $80 for 10 gallons of solvent. Approximately $220 total for a nice set up to clean motorcycle parts. Not bad.

My 5" diameter squirrel fan works well but I cannot calculate the CFM because it does not have any model number or information on it. I can only estimate the its rpm's and blade angle and I believe it will move 1000-1200 CFM and thus refreshing the air in our space once every six minutes. Will this be good enough?

I use mineral spirits in mine. There's a local oil company that has it in bulk storage. I just go to their place and pump it into my containers , just like you would getting gas for your lawn mower. Cheaper that way.

I usually were rubber gloves. The fluid irritates the back side of my hands.

As for the smell, you're serious about that being a concern!!!??? Why don't ya' get some of that scented spray stuff that my wife uses after a take a dump in her bathroom. This parts cleaner is in your workshop or your living room???

Also, keep the lid down when not in use to prevent solvent evaporation, but I doubt you'll have it open much.

I use the tractor supply stuff. Smells like lighter fluid. I noticed the smell for the first week or so when standing near the parts washer, but don't notice the smell anymore unless I'm using the parts washer.

Chris

Swan I would look in Fleet Farm I bet they have some of the same solvent. As for me I just use Diesel in mine and never really smell it.

I've been using regular mineral spirits for over 20yrs, and no issues. It's not like lacquer thinner and doesn't have a very high evaporation rate. I maybe add a gallon a year and it gets used a lot. As said keep the lid down when not in use, and use gloves. I'm not very happy with the price of mineral spirits, seems it was $2 forever and all of a sudden it's $15. Seems like the normal corporate gouging, but it sure gets old. Remember all the "drill baby drill" and the prices will plummet ********. Well they sure have been drilling, but were not seeing any difference at the pump are we. Mike

I had the exact same quandry. I have had one of these parts washers in my garage for over a year with a 5-gallon can of the TSC solvent setting on the floor beside it. I never put it into service for this very same concern. Just over a week ago, I decided to give it a try as I am going to need it soon. I dumped the solvent in, and shut the lid. The next day, I came out in my garage with my "sniffer" at full alert and could not detect any odor at all. My garage is heated and is only 24'x28'. I assumed with the heat on and all the doors shut, I would smell it but it was just fine. Actually, when the top is open and the pump running, the odor is not bad at all (no exaggeration). Unless, you have an overly sensitive nose, I think you would be very happy with the TSC solvent. It also has a much higher flash point than other solvents I investigated. Good Luck!

I use mineral spirits I dont even notice the smell (I had used gas in a pan for years as a cleaning solvent; back when all cars had bearings that needed to be repacked)
If occasionally having my hands soaked in mineral spirits while washing parts has any bad health effects, I think i would have noticed them long ago as I have been working on things mechanical since before i was 10 and I am 40 something now....

Thanks all for chiming in, this helps ease my fears. It is not just a question of odor, but the health effects of what you cannot smell when breathing aerated mineral spirits or TSC Crown PSC 1000 solvent (naptha) as well as their flashpoints. Warnings like "respiratory irritation","acute and long term neurological effects" and "serious nervous system depression" have my attention. If I want to damage my health, my preferred poison are pints of hoppy India pale ales. Cancer has hit my family hard and I avoid toxins and carcinogens in my food, home and workspace. I am fit, active, healthy and want to remain so for a long time. This is why I want to properly ventilate my workspace.

Travo131, my local Fleet Farm carries only "Extreme Green" water based parts cleaner which works well on aluminum and alloys but causes ferrous metals to flash rust. I suspect it will eat the paint of the parts washer like Simple Green does.

PSC 1000 here - no smell unless the lid is up. My wife can smell a cigar in a cattle truck on the highway 1/2 mile ahead at 80 MPH and she hasn't said a single thing since I filled the parts washer.

Falcon67 said:

PSC 1000 here - no smell unless the lid is up. My wife can smell a cigar in a cattle truck on the highway 1/2 mile ahead at 80 MPH and she hasn't said a single thing since I filled the parts washer.

Click to expand...

She wouldn't EVER want to share living space with me

I've used stoddard solvent (safety clean), for years. It does cause issues as to health as does regular machinsts oil for that matter. But I've never heard of anyone dying from being around it. If you are looking for a world in which chemicals don't harm you, better get of all the plastic and nylon in the house. Be sure to stay out of the sun for more than a couple minutes a day (you do need sunshine to make vitamins).

All that said, my first concern is that most of the cheap Chinese units like HF sells carry warnings that you cannot under any circumstances use flammable solvents in them which is what you are doing if you use mineral spirits, naptha (stoddard solvent) etc. We decided to find a used safety clean unit which has served us well for years now. I don't subscribe to their services and it gets to complicated with the need for EPA registration etc. when it is used commercially. We use it only a few times a year these days but it beats a pan on the floor with solvent in it. When the solvent it old I just take it back to safety clean or Hazardous Waste for disposal.

I use high-flash mineral spirits that I bought from a local independent petroleum dealer (fuel, lubricants, solvents) here in San Antonio. Cost was nowhere near $15/gallon. Look for someone like that near you.

For protection, I wear gloves and a 3M respirator (VOC cartridge?) that I bought at ORielly's.

I doubt you will have a problem.
But a stove vent would be easy, cheap, and plenty of volume.

When I get one of these washers (standard HF will work fine for my needs), I'll follow some tips I've seen here and elsewhere.

Cut a hole in the bottom of the tank and add a standard kitchen sink drain. Remove the shelf leg stiffener below and replace with angle iron, leaving the front open.

Place a 5 gallon bucket with lid under the drain and cut a hole in the lid to accept the drain tube. Make it a loose fit to be removable.

Plumb your pickup from the pump to this bucket instead going through a filter.

Now you can have the solvent sit inside the five gallon bucket instead of in the tank, letting you stream clean fluid readily while still being able to see the part you're cleaning. If you need to soak parts, put a standard sink plug in place to seal up the drain.

Other improvements I'd like to try on such a configuration would be some sort of inline heater for the return feed. Failing that, maybe attach a magnetic engine block heater to the tank to heat up the fluid. Don't need it hot, but cleaning parts with 50F solvent really *****!

After a busy work week I finally got some shop time and finished modifying my parts washer last night. The legs and shelf are painted, casters are on, a rubber strip along the lid for a seal, new flow through brush and in line filter. The original filter was missing from this unit so I safety wired a 3M red scrub pad to keep out the bigger crud from entering the pump. The original lower shelf will but cut in half and one piece will be a side shelf on the left hand side of the tank. A cookie sheet beneath the steel mesh will collect drips as cleaned parts dry. Everything works very well. Here is a good link to a Popular Science article for the basics and a parts list:
http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2009-12/build-parts-washer-filter





For the solvent I chose Tractor Supply Company's Crown PSC 1000 parts cleaner solution (naptha) based on recommendations from GJ forum members. Thanks all, it really is low odor, has a higher flash point than mineral spirits and cost $80 for ten gallons. I also added 1 gallon of water to the tank and placed two bricks beneath the shelf to bring the fluid level to just beneath the shelf. Many people recommended adding water since the solvent has a lower density and will float on top of the water. Gunk and dirt will stay in lower part of the tank in the water, keeping the solvent cleaner.


I am venting with a small squirrel fan above the parts washer and though it works well I may need a larger fan for our space. I will try it for now and see how it goes.


Thanks again everyone for chiming in and now it is finally time to break down a few motorcycle engines and clean then.

Great article!

I've been looking for a smaller parts washer, but haven't found one I like as they all are poorly built!

So it looks like i'm going to have to move up to a larger one. However, I'm going to put it on a bench top!

You'll have to cut a hole in your bench because the 20 gallon units like above and the HV unit (almost the same except it's red/blue not black) have the drain in the middle of the bottom of the tub.

Thanks guys. Yup, it has a drain plug on the bottom.

The parts washer is working extremely well and I cannot smell it unless I stick my head under the lid. The squirrel fan is working well and I am happy with this set up. I cleaned up a Norton gearbox and a bunch of Honda CB750 parts with more to go. So much easier and convenient than using a bucket and brush.