Fun Fact re: Harbor Freight Ultra Sonic Cleaners

Tim

Tim

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The heating element does NOT turn off when the timer stops! I cleaned a couple BCGs last night, when the timer stopped I pulled them out of the soup, wiped them down, used the compressor to dry them, got them oiled, etc all while the US cleaner was right next to me. Never even thought that the heating element would stay on after the timer.

This was fun to come home to today.

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That’s very interesting. I’ve never used one, but I’ve always warned people looking for an US cleaner (to clean baffles) that the HF one had a short timer based on what I’d read. Guess if the heating element doesn’t turn off, it doesn’t matter if the timer is short. :D
 
Man that has gotta be faulty! What would the purpose of a timer be if it stays on? Glad it didn't hurt anything.
 
CZfool68 said:
Wait! You mean Harbor Freight products suck?

Who knew? ;)
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I mean, you won't find a compatibly priced ultrasonic cleaner that isn't made in the same factory with a different name stamped on it. It works great, you just need to turn the heater off when you're done (like every other heating appliance I've ever owned), or even better, unplug it, which is what I do with all infrequent use electrical items.
 
Infamous1 said:
Man that has gotta be faulty! What would the purpose of a timer be if it stays on? Glad it didn't hurt anything.
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Well, to be fair, my oven doesn’t turn off when the timer runs out. :p
 
This is actually good to know. I usually ran empty cycles to get the solution up to temp before cleaning my baffles but I guess I can just plug it in an hour ahead of time.
 
I have one of those. Didn't come from Harbor Freight, but...most of these come from the same Chinese factory, and get different labels slapped on them. I don't trust the electronics in them, and I'm an EE.

Never leave one of these plugged in. If you need to, I'd use an external plug-in timer. My MO is to yank the cord if I have to leave the garage. Sadly, this just-in-case mentality is applicable to LOTS of things we buy these days...
 
CZfool68 said:
Wait! You mean Harbor Freight products suck?

Who knew? ;)
Click to expand...

Mine has worked fine for years. And the heating element should be thermostatically controlled and cuts off after it hits a certain temp. It doesn't cut itself back on. And there is a minimum liquid fill line. I use mine and have left it on without worry.
PS the water is the heatsink


I bought this one for $59 when I determined that Lyman had rebranded the same item and had it painted with their logo. Guess Lyman sucks too.

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Leadchunker said:
That could have ended bad for sure. Is there a switch for just the element?
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Yes but it's a 'Cut on and it cuts off thermostatically' sounds like the sensor failed or got wet or a wire broke. I bet HFT will swap it out for you if you bought their 2 year no question ask warranty for $9 lol
 
premise said:
or even better, unplug it, which is what I do with all infrequent use electrical items.
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My example: Roughly ten years ago, smelled something burning while in the back of the house away from the kitchen. Walked into the kitchen to find the toaster oven on fire. Completely turned off but plugged in the outlet. Every appliance in my house that is used occasionally and/or bought fairly cheaply is unplugged until used. When a toaster oven runs 40 bucks at Wal-Mart, there can't be much in the way of quality to it.

Lastly, I always turn off ceiling fans when leaving the house. My mother had one start pouring smoke out when no one was in the room. It may have eventually kicked the breaker and cooled.....maybe.

Electrical demons exist...
 
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Lots of used GraLab 60 min. lab / darkroom timers on eBay.
 
Ikarus1 said:
Mine has worked fine for years. And the heating element should be thermostatically controlled and cuts off after it hits a certain temp. It doesn't cut itself back on. And there is a minimum liquid fill line. I use mine and have left it on without worry.
PS the water is the heatsink


I bought this one for $59 when I determined that Lyman had rebranded the same item and had it painted with their logo. Guess Lyman sucks too.

ultrasonic_new_basket.jpg


image_6014.jpg
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Just because they look the same does not mean they are the same. Lyman could easily have asked for different specs in their design that we don’t see. That’s pretty common when you use an offshore manufacturer. But buy what you’d like. Not my problem.
 
CZfool68 said:
Just because they look the same does not mean they are the same. Lyman could easily have asked for different specs in their design that we don’t see. That’s pretty common when you use an offshore manufacturer. But buy what you’d like. Not my problem.
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My buddy has the Lyman and we compared them. Functionally they are the same with 8 minute cycle times and thernostatic heat control
 
Smart money is on "yes" despite the sarcasm.
 
CZfool68 said:
Then surely they are exactly the same, and you are a genius purchaser. Congratulations.
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I'll send it to RFMan when it catches on fire and see if he can do an autopsy. Until then I'll just keep it full of water and cross my fingers.

FWIW OP glad it didn't burn the house down. My upstairs HVAC air handler burned up a disconnect box that was made in the US. 220V melted the aluminum wiring into tiny aluminum stalagmites, and burned the studs it was attached to during a winter Florida trip we were on. My mom complained of a burning smell. Damn Chinese and the UL listed crap they pawn off on us as made in the US (during 1990s) trying to kill us all!

 
I just tried mine.......no issues with the heat off.........but the same as others mentioned.......with the heat on, the heating elements didnt cut off after the timed cycle. Thanks for posting this thread.
 
My question is does the Harbor Freight unit work well when and do you use the HF brand powder. I wouldn't use it for brass, mostly to clean stripped down guns
 
zuerjoha said:
Gotta rub more Chinesium on it.
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Clearly he did not have enough schmoo in the pan as well!! Tim I am very happy this fine product from the peoples republic did not burn your domicile to the ground. Thank you for sharing your experience and possibly keeping one of us from burning down a house or shop.
 
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Etruett said:
My question is does the Harbor Freight unit work well when and do you use the HF brand powder. I wouldn't use it for brass, mostly to clean stripped down guns
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I use it for cleaning various tools and knives I restore and it works great. The cleaning powder is bogus, I just use various cleaning solutions like baking soda, alconox, IPA, Balistol, or the like mixed with water.
 
Think the heater not turning off is pretty common. My 1k crest doesn’t turn off when the timer ends. But then again if you leave the lid on it won’t boil water either. About 195* is the max unless the room is hot then might hit 198
 
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