Used Dry Ice Cleaning Machines
Are you looking to buy a used dry ice cleaning machine but you dont know the first thing about them? Well let us help! In this blog i will give you a little insight in to what to look out for. The main pinch points of wear and tear. What you need for you application and, the main point, how much you should be paying!
Is there Damage
When looking for you ultimate used dry ice cleaning machine, the first you should check is the dosing system. The dosing system is where dry ice pellets are dropped/administered into the air flow. Most systems use a disc set up. This is where a disc rotates to collect pellets at one end, before dropping them into the air flow at the opposite end.
The issue with this system is foreign objects can become lodged between the disc housing which causes grooves to scratch into the disc. These can become deep over time which will then result in air seepeage and lost air pressure.
Machine Air Side
Which brings us nicely to the second check. The dreaded sticking solenoid valve! These are tempremental at best, but, chuck in -79c and you have the perfect storm.You need to run a full test, under pressure, to make sure this valve is opening and shutting correctly. This can be tricky to test.
Machine Electrical Side
Another ‘tricky’ one to test as most machines have a complex set up of gun wiring, air/solenoid wiring/main power wiring to contend with. Then add an invertor and motor to the mix and you have a headache. Check that when you press the gun trigger, the dosing system disc spins. Change the dosing speed to see if the disc moves faster- slow. Check the internal cables for any splits.
Air Lines and Hoses
Blast hoses are expensive. Very expensive. And, they dont last forever. HSE rules indicate that you should be changing your blast hoses every 18 months or 1500hrs, whichever comes first. So, make sure you ask the seller how many hours they have done (each machine should have a counter, if not the seller should be making a note of the hours). Believe me, running these blast hoses until they bang is not a good idea. It is like an explosion when the finally ‘pop’ and you dont want this anywhere near you head!
Conclusion
There are lots of used dry ice cleaning machines currently on the market, its a case of buyer beware rules when purchasing any used machinery. The old rule of ‘if it looks too good to be true’ applies here. If you would like some more advice, please dont hesitate to contact us. We are more than willing to offer advice.