Cleaning the Helmer Plasma Thawer

[PMcPeek]

What works to get those Helmer plasma thawers clean?  We have mineral deposit scale that's pretty stubborn.  Let me know of your remedies!

 

[LIMPER55]

regular maintenance-drain weekly

 

[MOBB]

Are you using tap water? You could switch to distilled water.

 

[David Saikin]

11 hours ago, MOBB said:

Are you using tap water? You could switch to distilled water.

 

i believe the instructions specifically say not to use deionized/distilled water.

[David Saikin]

I've had these at 2 institutions:  at one place, we used plasma constantly - we cleaned the bath weekly.  However it did pick up mineral stains on the inside of the bath.  Could not remove these with usual cleaners.  At the other place, plasma was ordered infrequently.  We would leave the bath empty and only fill it when there were orders.  We also immediately drained it.  Did not have to clean weekly.

[R1R2]

You could use bottled water (gallon size).  Did you try vinegar?   Not sure if that is kosher for plasma thawers but it works in my dishwasher. 

[SMILLER]

CLR is a product that almost certainly will get rid of scale build up.  I am a bit surprised that distilled or deionized water is not recommended by the manufacturer.  It seems more likely that is what they would recommend using.

Scott

[AMcCord]

Deionized water is not recommended because it is potentially corrosive to the chamber and baskets. Distilled or tap water is OK. We have very 'hard' water in our area, so we use distilled in ours with CleanBath. We drain weekly and have never had to clean up mineral stains.

The manual suggests using "stain, scale, or rust remover suitable for stainless steel" to remove stains and discoloration - can't recommend a specific product since I haven't needed one. As Scott says, CLR is good stuff - I use it at home. Just make sure you get the chamber well rinsed to remove chemical traces before you put your thawer back into service.

[MAGNUM]

1 hour ago, David Saikin said:

i believe the instructions specifically say not to use deionized/distilled water.

I have had mine for about 6 or 7 years, and have always used deionized water. Plus I drain and refill monthly unless it needs to be done more often.

[exlimey]

1 hour ago, MAGNUM said:

I have had mine for about 6 or 7 years, and have always used deionized water.

Contrary to the manufacturer's instructions ? That's really living on the edge. ☺

[mollyredone]

35 minutes ago, exlimey said:

Contrary to the manufacturer's instructions ? That's really living on the edge.

My Helmer Quick Thaw manual says you can use tap, distilled or deionized water and gives the advantages and disadvantages for each.  We have used deionized water for years.  The disadvantage in the manual states that it can cause pitting but we haven't had that problem.  We drain weekly and add CleanBath.

[macarton]

Our Helmer bath is around 15 yrs old.  The times we've needed a cleaner, we used vinegar.  Since our water is limestone here, we switched to DI several yrs back. 

[SMILLER]

On 5/5/2017 at 0:06 PM, mollyredone said:

My Helmer Quick Thaw manual says you can use tap, distilled or deionized water and gives the advantages and disadvantages for each.  We have used deionized water for years.  The disadvantage in the manual states that it can cause pitting but we haven't had that problem.  We drain weekly and add CleanBath.

Come to think of it, there may be a problem with using CLR or other de-scalers with water baths.  You definitely want to check with the manufacturer as has been suggested!

Scott

[mollyredone]

On 5/8/2017 at 5:56 AM, SMILLER said:

Come to think of it, there may be a problem with using CLR or other de-scalers with water baths.  You definitely want to check with the manufacturer as has been suggested!

You probably didn't mean me in your reply for CLR.  We use CleanBath which is recommended by Helmer for its antibacterial properties.

[TreeMoss]

On ‎5‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 10:06 AM, mollyredone said:

My Helmer Quick Thaw manual says you can use tap, distilled or deionized water and gives the advantages and disadvantages for each.  We have used deionized water for years.  The disadvantage in the manual states that it can cause pitting but we haven't had that problem.  We drain weekly and add CleanBath.

This is also what we do and it works well for us.

[SbbPerson ★]

We drain ours weekly and then wipe it out clean. Then there is this clean bath "shampoo" we use. to clean and rinse it out with.   Then we squirt like 3 mLs of the shampoo into the refilled thawer and run it for through an 18 minute cycle.  This usually keeps it nice and clean. 

Edited September 19, 2022 by SbbPerson

[jshepherd]

For several years, Helmer suggested either tap, DI or distilled water. Then they switched their manual to say only tap water. I've seen both at two different places in my career! They have recommended either their proprietary CleanBath or any "waterbed conditioner" to help keep things nice. I haven't seen scale deposits before, but I would think if you're draining it weekly as instructed and cleaning it after a unit breaks in it, that would prevent most issues. Helmer technical service has always been great, and can likely give you a quick answer on the CLR question.  

[jayinsat]

On 5/5/2017 at 11:06 AM, mollyredone said:

My Helmer Quick Thaw manual says you can use tap, distilled or deionized water and gives the advantages and disadvantages for each.  We have used deionized water for years.  The disadvantage in the manual states that it can cause pitting but we haven't had that problem.  We drain weekly and add CleanBath.

I just replaced mine last month. I used to use deionized water on the old one until I read this (taken directly from the Helmer manual):

[Ensis01]

How is the tap water? You could get a water filter to remove any/most of the mineral content

[RRay]

I think this depends on the version you're dealing with.  I've used DI after there was a problem getting distilled water at my current facility and one of my previous  jobs used DI for 10 years and it never had deposits or issue.  BUT, I worked at a place briefly that used tap water and it was the nastiest plasma thawers I've seen, even with weekly cleaning and CleanBath addition.  My helmer model maintenance manual says this: