Super cutter
Plastic
- Joined
- May 1, 2019
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coolant
- Thread starter Super cutter
- Start date
- Replies 12
- Views 2,549
Mike1974
Diamond
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2014
- Location
- Tampa area
Really? You think that cesspool you call coolant "might" be a problem?
Change coolant, skim it, clean (relatively speaking) your material before running it, filter paper, etc
mhajicek
Diamond
- Joined
- May 11, 2017
- Location
- Maple Grove, MN, USA
Woah, that's nasty! Throw out all that coolant, thoroughly clean that tank and all pumps and tubes, start with fresh coolant and put a tramp oil skimmer on it. Change out coolant every six months.
BoxcarPete
Stainless
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2018
- Location
- Michigan, USA
But before you start the job, you may want to consider doing so in style:
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DuPont Tychem 10000 Commander EX Level A Suit TK555T
Higgins909
Aluminum
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2018
Sadly my shop has only slightly better coolant quality... In some of the machines anyways. Some of the machines have skimmers but I looked and they can be $500+ (American here) I once had to pull out what was like animal fat/lard from a coolant tank once. Gloved up but that didn't last long. Some pieces were like taking a raw steak and then slapping it in this bucket I had.
The coolant we have is supposed to be white like paper, but it's somewhat green/yellow and or black. But it's usually a layer over the somewhat white coolant. You may have to hand skim what you can. Could take a shop vac and suck the top portion off... I've been wanting to try that on some of the machines with less then quality coolant. We normally use it to drain the tanks when it is deemed too far gone... I guess...
What Mike1974 and mhajicek said would be ideal, if you can do it.
The coolant we have is supposed to be white like paper, but it's somewhat green/yellow and or black. But it's usually a layer over the somewhat white coolant. You may have to hand skim what you can. Could take a shop vac and suck the top portion off... I've been wanting to try that on some of the machines with less then quality coolant. We normally use it to drain the tanks when it is deemed too far gone... I guess...
What Mike1974 and mhajicek said would be ideal, if you can do it.
Mike1974
Diamond
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2014
- Location
- Tampa area
I've done this. It is better than nothing/dealing with the stench and filth. I ran a grinder one time that no matter what after a week of non-use it was disgusting. I think the paint inside the tank (what was left anyhow) must have been infested with bacteria or something.
Coolant seems to be one of the most neglected aspects in a busy shop. Top it off forever, but never really deal with the problem.
Gobo
Titanium
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2013
- Location
- Oregon, USA
Holy crap! If you have not already developed it, you are in for a case of pneumocystitis. It should clear up once you remove the cause. Generally, grinding produces lots of mist. In essence, you are breathing that witches brew in your sump. Mold and mildew love warm dark areas to live, like your lungs. In addition to eukaryotic organisms such as fungi, old coolant can harbor fauna such as klebsiella and other nasties. CLEAN that tank! Flush it and refill with clean coolant. Most grinding coolants run pretty low concentrations, as you are looking for more cooling than lubrication. Low concentrations can contribute to accelerated growth of the microbes found everywhere. You may consider adding a biocide for control, even though that itself can bring its own health issues.
MC Parts Kid
Aluminum
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2014
- Location
- Hoboken NJ
Man, what a mess. I played with the crap for a while. Started out with a few cap full of bleach. This was good but not like the quarter of a biscuit of pool chlorine. I never seen that sump so clean. Not me, with the help of the trained professionals here. I'm running straight oil. No more coughing or hacking. Bob
Spinit
Titanium
- Joined
- May 13, 2007
- Location
- Central Texas
Yeah it is always a problem in a lot of places. No one wants to take the time. Best I have seen is when maintainence took on the job . They could come in whenever some machines were idle when that would occur.
James H Clark
Stainless
- Joined
- May 11, 2011
- Location
- southern in.
All of the above is good info, especially about cleaning the mess up. Another little trick we used was to lay cotton cloths across the return channel so the coolant would pass thru the cotton. It would do a pretty good job of soaking up the oil and still allow the coolant to pass thru to the filter system. We would change the cloths daily. Good luck.
JH
JH
Gobo
Titanium
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2013
- Location
- Oregon, USA
Stay away from adding chlorine. That makes disposing ( legally ) of your coolant much more problematical.
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