CREWORKS Ultrasonic Cleaner with Digital Timer & Heater

I enjoy repairing small engines. This usually involves cleaning a carburetor, and the traditional way to do this at home is with carburetor aerosol spray or dunk. That stuff is nasty, it melts rubber gloves and causes all kinds of cancer. Not usually a big concern if you only use it occasionally but I found myself going through 2-3 cans of spray a month and wanting a better option. Enter the ultrasonic cleaner. I’d seen them on YouTube before but normally only used by professionals. I decided the investment was worthwhile so went ahead an ordered one and have been very happy. It was a fairly big expense for a hobby but I end up using it very regularly and finding lots of other uses for it in the workshop so I’ve been happy with my decision. It is truly an industrial grade tool which is fantastic to have in a small workshop like mine.

It cleans carburetors very well – I often throw the whole thing in still assembled for 5 minutes or so, then disassemble it entirely and run it again for 10 minutes. Bigger parts fit in the basket but with little parts like carb needles and jets I put them in a ziplock bag, fill the bag with same solution from the ultrasonic cleaner, then just put the closed bag in the basket. The ultrasonic action can travel right through the bag so it still works well that way. I keep a 5gal bucket of water under the workbench so I can rinse parts off right after they come out of the cleaner then I dry with compressed air and/or a heat gun.

Right now I use standard Simple Green and water mixed 50/50 and that works pretty well. Most parts are clean after 10 minutes. I might try the purple heavy-duty Simple Green when I decide the tank is nasty enough to drain (I’m still on the same tank after a couple months). I’ve also used it to clean spark plugs, intake and exhaust manifolds, gears, suspension end-links, cylinder heads and anything else that fits. It is very convenient to be able to put rubber parts in without worrying about damaging them. Of course you should wipe off anything loose on the parts beforehand and for really plugged jets I sometimes still have to run a tip cleaner through them after running them in the cleaner but that’s okay.

I originally ordered a 3L model. As soon as I opened it I realized it was too small, even for my small-engine parts. I returned it for a 6L model which is about the minimum size I’d want for my application. The 6L model is big enough for engine carbs off riding mowers and snowmobiles. It might not be big enough for automotive carbs but you do have the option to turn a part and run it in the cleaner again if part is sticking out of the fluid.

My only complaints are the heater and the noise. The heater doesn’t seem powerful enough, it takes a long time to reach the operating temperature. Especially on cold days starting at 5-10 degrees Celsius it takes a few hours to reach 50 degrees. If I remember I’ll turn on the heater ahead of time but if I don’t plan my day I often end up running the heater with cold fluid. Still works just not as well. Sometimes I leave it on overnight to save time in the morning but I don’t like wasting energy. The noise is also annoying. It isn’t deafening, just not a nice thing to listen to. Having the fluid filled up to the top of the tank makes it a lot quieter. Luckily 10 minutes is usually all it needs so I’ll go grab a coffee or something.