Ultrasonic cleaners for steeping. Do you really need a heated one?

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So I have come to the conclusion that I can no longer wait 3 weeks to steep custards.

Is a heated one essential? Does anyone have any success with a non heated one?

I was thinking maybe crock pot for a hour and then ultrasonic for 2 hours after.

Would this work? Was thinking of getting the JPL 7000 as on a budget.

Cheers

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IMO , it doesn’t have to be heated but it is a convenience.The cleaner will generate heat on it’s own, most times I end up cutting the heat on mine off after it gets to 45 Degree’s Celsius.So I would think you could heat the water to your temp you desire and then start the USC cycles but you will have to keep an eye on it or it will get too hot.

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The one I use isn’t heated. I do start with warm tap water and it stay warm for 4x30 minute cycles.

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I dont use a heated one.

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You can preheat your water in the microwave. A real ultrasonic will keep the water hot as long as it stays on. I usually heat water over hot tap water temps only for cleaning problems. I think one of the conceptual differences between using an Ultrasonic over a crock pot is that the ultrasonic is performing some molecular curing not related only to temperature.

You need to get an Ultrasonic just to clean your glassware/syringes/pipettes etc. The only reason to maybe get a heater is if it’s a long way to a hot water source. If it’s a money issue, don’t wait till you can afford the heated one. Focus more on the size, more specifically the depth. Some models might be better to clean a pistol than cook e-juice. Can you stand a couple 120 ml bottles in there? You might get more use out of a bigger/deeper one, unheated, than a shallow one with heat (for the same $$)

Bo

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Good points @BoDarc ! I also use them to clean those tanks and rda’s , especially when they are new.Some of that machine oil is a major pain to remove and not to mention the health issues of vaping that nasty mess.
I have a three liter but I wish it was a tad deeper for doing larger bottles but it will do 240ml without any problems.

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I recently stumbled across a super way to speed-steep. I had placed a few 10ml glass dropper bottles next to my laptop exhaust fan, they sat there for 30 minutes or so until I completed my mixing. As I picked them up I was amazed how warm the bottles were and wondered if this temp over a day would help quicken things and put it to the test…
Sure enough, a single flavour cookie and a similar coconut I tried really were mature after around 18 hours, I have since tried a couple of fruit and cream based juices and a chocolate/lime - all two part juices - and then one toasted coconut recipe with 3 separate ingredients and again they are as good as they are going to get after 18 hours. (The toasted coconut was actually a bust but still it didn’t alter with time) I don’t have a thermometer to determine exactly but it feels slightly warmer than body temperature*.

I plan to try a custard next as the ultimate test of improved steep times but I must order a new bottle after the weekend. If your own PC is always on it is well worth trying for yourself.

  • Earlier this Winter I slipped two of the same 10ml glass bottles into my cardigan pockets intending to move them to my cupboard, I then put on another cardigan to go out completely forgetting the bottles. Later on, I realised they had been there all afternoon and could feel how warm they had become, I never gave a thought to how this might have affected the liquid and placed them in the cupboard as I had originally planned but I now have a good idea of body temperature to guesstimate the laptop heated ones.
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