APC in Steamer?

LeMarque

LeMarque

New member
Thinking of quick details. I know some folks feel steaming vents just pushes the dust and dirt down into the ducts.



So my McCulloch, which costs $120 +/- is going to be the guinea pig. Thought is, APC would help to breakup/dissolve the grime and , hopefully drastically reduce or eliminate the need to use a MF wrapped popsicle stick to clean each and every vane. Again, aiming for efficiency and time reduction to be able to offer a mini detail. If it boosts the cleaning power of the steamer it would help in cup holders, etc.



Thoughts?
 
The APC might not volatilize at the same temperature as the water so you might end up with some of the components coming out first then others later. I think I'd spray my cleaner on the vents then hit with steam.



I use a paint brush but the cars I do aren't typically bad.



Robert
 
Hmmm.... wonder how it'll work out :think:



I've never run anything through the chemical injection of my Daimer as I somehow felt leery about it, like I might use the wrong stuff and crud up the machine or something.
 
WhyteWizard said:
The APC might not volatilize at the same temperature as the water so you might end up with some of the components coming out first then others later. I think I'd spray my cleaner on the vents then hit with steam.



I use a paint brush but the cars I do aren't typically bad.



Robert
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Bang on. Worse still, many ingredients will be almost totally non-volatile. For instance, the alkalinity providers (unless it is ammonia) will basically salt out. Think about salt water and what happens if you let it dry on your skin - a salty residue will remain. As such, you do run the risk that this occurs in the system somewhere and can lead to a blockage.



Most importantly, as WhyteWizard says, you will get an effect where the solvents will evaporate away quickly leaving the non-volatiles getting more and more concentrated in the tank - so the benefit from doing this is not certain. If you want to boost the power of a steamer, pre-spray the area with an appropriate APC. I do warn the use of the right APC, spraying high foam APCs or caustic APCs (there are many) is not wise on fabrics as foamy surfactants can be difficult to remove whilst caustics are well known to result in slow degradation (i.e. you won't see it for maybe months or years) and compromise colour fastness.
 
I run nothing but distilled water in my vx5000. This week I was at a remote location and ran out of dw and had to use well water. I'm now running a little vinegar through it to be on the safe side. The great advantage is using little or no chemicals w/steam. I never put cleaners in the steamer itself.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies.



Guess I'll pass on my bright idea. Did some research of the MDS of certain APC's and never thought of the chemistry. Seems the compounds do contain 'salts' in one form or another, Even tho I was prepared to flush the tanks with vinegar or the like, if the product breaks down because of the heat or pressure, it's not worth experimenting.



Reluctant to give up on the idea of even saving a few steps in detailing vents, etc. would a product like this be suitable. Or would the enzymes also there cleaning ability under heat and pressure.
 
Biologicals and enzymes are probably not ideal because they will be denatured (deactivated permanently) by excessive heat. Of course that heat is exactly what happens in a steamer....
 
LeMarque- I'd use one of the aerosol products made for vents/ductwork..for those cases where you really need to do it.
 
PiPUK said:
Biologicals and enzymes are probably not ideal because they will be denatured (deactivated permanently) by excessive heat. Of course that heat is exactly what happens in a steamer....
Click to expand...



Some days it's just not worth chewing thru the restraints :wall
 
Accumulator said:
LeMarque- I'd use one of the aerosol products made for vents/ductwork..for those cases where you really need to do it.
Click to expand...



You mean like Stoner's? I use that after it's clean.



I did try spraying the vent's with APC, gave it a bit of dwell time then hit it with the steamer. Helped some but still had areas that needed a MF wrapped popsicle stick.



Here in NM many of the roads, even in the very upscale areas, are dirt. Lots of sand in most of the daily drivers.
 
LeMarque- Eh, been so long since I used either of them that I can't say just *why* I liked the Wurth better :confused: :nixweiss Probably just liked its smell better.



Certainly no huge diff, could just be a case of me being me :o You won't go wrong with either one.
 
Anyway, thanks for all the info. This is generally what 'my' vents look like:



P1010061_zps1dc36887.jpg
 
LeMarque- The Wurth/1Z stuff is primarily to keep off stinky-nasties in the ductwork. For what your pic shows, I'd be all about swabs/etc. to clean what you can get to. If it were *my* car, I'd take the ductwork apart and clean it out.



Many would use a steamer to blast the dirt away, but IMO that merely forces it deep down into the ductwork...out of sight/out of mind. Well, not out of *my* mind though ;) The more [crap] you have in the ductwork, the more likely it is to cause problems, including harboring moisture which will lead to the "stinky car" problem.
 
I would agree with Accumulator in that the last thing you want to do, mini-detail or not, is force a bunch of gunk down into the vent areas. All of that gunk serves as food on which bacteria can grow, and that leads to nasty odors later on down the road.



My thought would be that you should simply tell customers that their vents will be wiped down, but not made perfect if they come in looking as nasty as the pic you posted above. An MF towel wrapped around a credit card/paint stir stick/etc. run along each slat of the vent will make for a huge improvement without investing a ton of time chasing after the mess with Q-Tips or some other means of deep cleaning.
 
Bdaaa... Everybody agrees with Accumulator :bow



What this leads to then is an additional cost option. Many, many of our details come in looking like that pic. So, Clean as best we can (as suggested) without steaming/blowing. Steam the little that remains, then use something like Klima-Cleaner?



Would that be the way to go if the customer wants the vents clean as new?
 
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