Meaning to say - I mixed up a batch of Tergitol a couple of months ago in anticipation of the upcoming purchase of a bunch of records. Time kind of delayed that, and between then and now I've only been able to clean about 12 records. Not enough to cause any weird growths to develop in the tank (indeed, it looks as fresh as when I made it), but is there any risk to losing the concentration of the Tergitol over so long a time? I'm wondering if I should dump it and start over since there's no way to measure the concentration. The tank has been covered when not in use.
How long will a Tergitol mix "hold" in a UCM tank?
- Thread starter tony22
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Tony,
Tergitol 15-S-9 is non-volatile, so it's not going to evaporate from the water, in fact, if the water evaporates, the Tergitol 15-S-9 concentration increases. So long as the bath is clear, and has no objectionable odor, its fine.
However, if the bath 'had' IPA, that could be a different story. Did you ever buy an IPA hydrometer? and if so, have you measured the bath over time to determine the decrease in the IPA concentration?
Take care,
Neil
Yes Neil I did buy an IPA hydrometer and I do check its concentration regularly. And you’re right of course - that does evaporate.
But hmm, I hadn’t thought about the water evaporation (if of any significance) increasing the concentration of the Tergitol.
Tony,Yes Neil I did buy an IPA hydrometer and I do check its concentration regularly. And you’re right of course - that does evaporate.
How often do you top-off the IPA? How many days before you have to add IPA?
Take care,
Neil
Oh, @Neil.Antin, one other thing.
). So I just started up another batch and went on my way.
It depends. If I do a lot of cleaning in sequence over a matter of several or weeks - IOW with the cover off the tank for very long periods, then I’ll have to top off the IPA after maybe a week or so. But some factors - I have a top off jug of pre-mixed solution that I use to keep the tank level up, so I get the IPA refreshed along with the Tegitol when I do that. Plus I will refresh when I see that the hydrometer tells me the IPA has gone below 2% (temperature corrected of course). So it varies. To counter all that, the cover on my tank seems to provide a very good seal. I did a cleaning with a fresh batch on April 8. Then I put the cover on and went to AXPONA. I just checked this morning to do more records and saw no change from the hydrometer (yes it does show when there is a change
). So I just started up another batch and went on my way.
Tony,Oh, @Neil.Antin, one other thing.
It depends. If I do a lot of cleaning in sequence over a matter of several or weeks - IOW with the cover off the tank for very long periods, then I’ll have to top off the IPA after maybe a week or so. But some factors - I have a top off jug of pre-mixed solution that I use to keep the tank level up, so I get the IPA refreshed along with the Tegitol when I do that. Plus I will refresh when I see that the hydrometer tells me the IPA has gone below 2% (temperature corrected of course). So it varies. To counter all that, the cover on my tank seems to provide a very good seal. I did a cleaning with a fresh batch on April 8. Then I put the cover on and went to AXPONA. I just checked this morning to do more records and saw no change from the hydrometer (yes it does show when there is a change
Thanks for the detailed response - its good info.
Neil
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