masi61

I accidentally ran my 3.5 gallon "Prosonix" heated ultrasonic cleaner with less than a full tank. I bought this about 2 years ago and I was real excited when I got it to see what it could do in the realm of cleaning chains, cassettes, and chain-rings. Man was it powerful when I first got it. The one I have has 5 ultrasonic transducers under the tank. That and a heater that really would make the water almost steamy when you left the lid on for any amount of time.

It came with a drain hose with a ball valve on it. I accidentally left the ball valve in the "open" position and I filled the tank, turned it on and went to take a shower or do something else. I came back to find water on the floor and the tank nearly empty with the high frequency sound of the ultrasonics still buzzing away.

Well now, I am only getting a fraction of the original cleaning power. I might be lucky to have just one ultrasonic transducer still functional. The heating element seems damaged too since the water only gets warm now, never hot.

The Prosonix company was located in Santa Ana, CA. When I tried to contact them it appears the company is either out of business or moth balled due to COVID. I am trying to not knock myself for allowing this unit to become nearly useless. I have learned a great deal about using ultrasonics to clean my parts.

But now I wonder if the unit is repairable. Does any one know of an ultrasonic repair service where they would work on other brands? I have since learned that one should never, ever run a quality ultrasonic cleaner below the fill line. Or can I get parts for it and repair it myself? With the Prosonix company being out of business, I've either got to learn to fix it myself or maybe re-purpose it as a low powered, mostly useless stainless parts cleaning tank.

GlennR

I buy 2L ones on bay from China, they cost about $60. I sue them for cleaning small automotive parts and bicycle parts and they work pretty well. But they are disposable and if I get 2 years out of a unit, I got my money's worth.

The instructions tell you not to run it below a certain level.

Not sure what you paid for it but it might be better to just replace it than to try to get it repaired.

masi61

This unit was ~$450 and made in USA. A comparable Bransonic unit retails for $1,200. They make these things not user seviceable. I accidentally took the clear anodizing off of an Ultegra 6503 crankarm while submerged in a dilute Simple Green solution.

masi61

Also, I think a more powerful unit that has a warranty and comes from a reputable company that services what they sell - is of value. So if I do get another one, it won’t be a throwaway.

GlennR

I use some Dawn dish washing liquid and hot water.
That's a Sram Red cassette with 24,000 miles on it.

unterhausen

They are very simple. You may be able to replace the actuator.

masi61

I wouldn't know an actuator from a "transducer". I wish there were some online resources for lay people to obtain parts for and get tutorials on how to service ultrasonics. They are pretty cool but I have learned that they have to be handled correctly and can fail quite easily if allowed to overheat.

unterhausen

calling the actuator in an ultrasonic cleaner a "transducer" is just habit left over from non-destructive ultrasonic testing. It's a lot closer to being a big piezo buzzer.
On edit: yes, if you find the part number you will be looking for something called a "transducer."
If you can dissemble it, you might be able to get a part number.

Eric S.

This is actually a useful piece of information.

unterhausen

I agree with Glenn, you want to use dish soap. And probably not leave it in too long either. I have used acetone for special purposes, I'm always glad it didn't catch on fire

masi61

The stainless inner tank is attached to the base cabinet without visible fasters. It might be epoxied in. I really don't know. My buddy seemed to think that if I got the inner tank out I could free up the "big piezo buzzer" thingies by taking a heat gun to the adhesive. I don't know how to test them though. My owners manual talked about the "aluminum foil test". A square piece of aluminum foil with the edges rolled over to strengthen it a bit is submerged in the ultrasonic solution for a minute or two. A properly functioning unit is supposed to have even stippling all over it and if left in a bit longer it should be riddled with tiny holes. I may try this test just to see what happens. But I am pretty sure that most of the "cavitation" power of this unit is no more.

Ogsarg

I would not waste your time. I work with ultrasonics as well as higher frequency megasonics.

Ultrasonic transducers are typically epoxy bonded so not all that easy to remove and you'd probably have to grind the tank surface after removal to bond new ones. The epoxy becomes part of the resonating surface so the hardness of that epoxy is important for proper functionality. They all have a certain resonant frequency and impedance so you need to get the right frequency and might need to modify whatever impedance matching components are in that particular system. Could you find someone that can do this? Plenty of places could but you would probably end up spending a lot more than picking up a small unit made in China or Turkey or any of a number of places that show up on ebay, ali express, bangood, etc.

Finding one with heaters may be a little more difficult but you really don't need heat for cleaning bike parts. What ultrasonics mainly do is enhance chemical reactivity, which is what adding heat does as well. Might need to increase the time a little without heat but not by much.

unterhausen

without seeing it, I would assume you need to come in from the bottom. Mine obviously comes apart by taking the bottom out. Nothing interesting is happening on the sides of the tank, I don't think. Do you have a picture? Google is being a little too helpful looking for prosonix

The transducer is going to look a lot like a metallic version of a hocky puck, 2 to 3" diameter and about an inch thick. It's attached to the bottom of the tank on almost all the cleaners I have seen.

masi61

Thanks for the reply. Any chance you could give a link for a 3.5 gallon unit with heat from China or Turkey?

Ogsarg

Here is a 10 liter model from Aliexpress. 40kHz, which i think is better than ones in the 20-26kHz range, which can damage parts easier. Comes with a basket, which is good cause you should not be putting anything on the vibrating surface. Been a while since I've looked at cheap ultrasonics and they are cheaper than ever. Don't know how they manage to make a profit.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3287...archweb201603_

There are plenty of others in that size range.

Hartmmike

A tip I got from youtube; don't fill your tank with solvent use plain water and put the part to be cleaned in a jar with your solvent of choice and put the jar in the water. It saves a lot of solvent and makes clean up a lot easier.

GlennR

I've done that with very small parts. And if i had a 3.5 gallon tank it's a great way to save on cost if only doing some small stuff.

spoofer

I put solvent in (Dawn) in a shakeable vat with some iso alcohol=clean n dandy

Phil_gretz

EDIT: Deleted. I just duplicated what another poster said above.

masi61

Thanks for the link. I have never ordered anything from Aliexpress, and the ad is a bit confusing not to mention the high shipping cost to the US. Can anybody refer me to an American maker of reasonably priced (powerful) heated ultrasonic cleaners that don't cost nearly $2,000 in the ~3.5 gallon size I am seeking. Does anyone know of a company that services ultrasonic devices?

blakcloud

Josh from Sica recommends DK Sonic cleaners in this video. He has links in the description to the models he prefers. Looks pretty good and I value his judgement.

masi61

Thanks for the link. I took down some notes. Due to cost reasons I will most likely keep using my (now) underpowered 3.5 gallon “Prosonix” unit. It no longer gets the water very hot and the ultrasonic power seems like is down like %80 from when it was new. Just taking off the chainrings and cassette periodically helps with bike cleaning. I have a utility sink nearby with various brushes and water based cleaners where I can loosen up grunge that the ultrasonic is not quite powerful enough to blast through.

It would be nice to just purchase on of the DK Sonic cleaners talked about in Josh from Silva’s video. It’s just that I have a made in USA model that might be worth fixing if I could find a company that does other brands of Ultrasonics not just the one they are a service center for such as Bransonic or Crest.

Outrider1

May I suggest changing the flux capacitor.

Troul 

fwiw, the harbor freight USC is not worth the hassle & price. Does it work, Yes, sorta... better pack a lunch & plan on changing out the fluid while getting it everywhere. It took 5+ heated cycles & a few spill N fills using purple power cleaner to get a dirty chain to "acceptable" clean. Overheated it twice during that time. An hour getting it decent when it should have been spotless or half that time for the outcome...