White Vinegar

[SteveK]

I had an inverter/charger sitting on the bench for lack of parts to replace the circuit board. Tested myself and it did not work. Took it to repair shop and circuit boards have been on back order for a year now, maybe never to appear again. I took it home for safe keeping.
About two months ago I took it apart and brushed the circuit boards and anything else with lots of white vinegar. Why not it has so many uses around a boat.

Well cleaning up garage today and time to take to recycle. First, lets check it again.
Hooked up a battery, made a 110V input extension cord connection, added a 150W bulb, volt meters and amp meters in place.

It works again!
110v off, inverter ran bulb brightly. (OK, light load). Car battery volts dropping to near 10v, applied 110v and charging started. Volts and amps increased to 14.6v & 11A and held. did this cycle a few times to make sure.

White vinegar, try some.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. SK. Ah. My "secret" is out. I have found that cleaning vinegar (10%) is the best, by far, rust remover going IF you can submerge your rusty parts in it. A 24 hour soak has saved numerous bits, pieces and tools from an untimely death.
Also good for non ferrous metals as well.

 

[Bendit]

Greetings,
Mr. SK. Ah. My "secret" is out. I have found that cleaning vinegar (10%) is the best, by far, rust remover going IF you can submerge your rusty parts in it. A 24 hour soak has saved numerous bits, pieces and tools from an untimely death.
Also good for non ferrous metals as well.

Have used white vinegar for cleaning the HE for 20 years.
Turn the raw water sea-cock off. Fill the HE and leave it for a week.
Turn the water back on and off you go. No need to drain the vinegar.

 

[Portage_Bay]

I use white vinegar for many cleaning and maintenance chores home and boat. The 5% grocery story vinegar is often not strong enough. I've been able to find 30% at farm stores and rural hardware stores.



Be careful with 30% it will damage many things including your skin. But when you need a strong solution, you need it. And it can be diluted to the desired strength for the work at hand.

 

[soin2la]

About this time every year, I attack my acrylic headlight lenses with a pasty mix of 10% vinegar and baking powder. They look like new for another year.

It's surprising how many cars are wandering around with cloudy lenses and the owners are oblivious to it.

 

[O C Diver]

For decades I've used white vinegar in an ultrasonic cleaner to dissolve mineral and calcium deposits in scuba regulators. As mentioned above, when the heat exchanger on my generator was coated on the freshwater side, the ultrasonic and vinegar were the solution.

Ted

 

[SteveK]

About this time every year, I attack my acrylic headlight lenses with a pasty mix of 10% vinegar and baking powder. They look like new for another year.

It's surprising how many cars are wandering around with cloudy lenses and the owners are oblivious to it.

Is that on the inside? I have only read that on motorcycle headlights before

 

[kthoennes]

About this time every year, I attack my acrylic headlight lenses with a pasty mix of 10% vinegar and baking powder. They look like new for another year.

It's surprising how many cars are wandering around with cloudy lenses and the owners are oblivious to it.

That's a good tip, I'll have to try it. My Escalade headlights are a cloudy mess but new ones are a million bucks. I've tried some kits from the auto parts stores but the results have never been great.

 

[soin2la]

Is that on the inside? I have only read that on motorcycle headlights before

Outside UV damage.
https://blog.mccarthychevyls.com/20...da and Vinegar,clean with water when finished.

I’ve used toothpaste as well but it doesn’t last as long as the baking soda and vinegar.

Also had some Barkeepers Helper that I had bought for cleaning a burned pot. It worked ok too but still not as good as the soda.

The Barkeepers Helper is a great SS cleaner.
https://barkeepersfriend.com/products/cookware-cleanser-polish/

 

[CaptTom]

I noticed Walmart auto center had a deal on headlight restoration. I forget what it cost, but I thought it was very reasonable, compared to doing the job myself. I got the distinct impression that the staff there didn't think they were charging enough, given how much work it was for them.

As for heat exchangers, I just use food-grade phosphoric acid you can buy on Amazon. That's the main ingredient in Barnacle Buster. A good product to have on hand, and I don't usually go to too many farm supply stores.

Finally, for effortless cleaning of stainless, I use "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner. The one with the oddly angled nozzle cap. I forget what acid it contains, but just squirt it on, wait a couple of minutes and gently wipe away the rust. I've never found anything which works better on SS railings and such.

I also agree with the recommendation for Barkeeper's Friend, which works almost as well. I like the liquid, which comes out thicker than The Works. I use that on sinks and such inside, where you don't want to splash the thin liquid acid around.

 

[Max Simmons]

Used vinegar for a soak to clean up the props a few years ago. Worked well.

 

[Barrie]

White vinegar mixed with hair shampoo works great for removing water marks on the hull. for washing your car use hair shampoo ( the best is the little bottles you get in a hotel). You don't have to shame and the glass is left spot less. Magic!
Barrie

 

[soin2la]

Another proven vinegar trick, if you have a hand held shower.

Once a week I spray my glossy white tub and tile with a mix of extra strength (cleaning) vinegar and Dawn detergent. The recipe doesn’t call for extra strength, that’s just what I have on hand.

1/2 inch each in the bottom of a spray bottle, fill with water. Spray it on, leave it for however long it takes to put both legs in your pants and rinse off. Bottle lasts a couple of months.

 

[huruta]

About this time every year, I attack my acrylic headlight lenses with a pasty mix of 10% vinegar and baking powder. They look like new for another year.

It's surprising how many cars are wandering around with cloudy lenses and the owners are oblivious to it.

This is THE combination for cleaning a crusty oven on a boat or in the home. Turn on oven just until warm and let sit. A pot of boiling water also helps to descrust.