Degritter ultrasonic record cleaner

Hi y’all, just a few words on what I think is a worthy alternative to the Audio Desk Systeme and KLAudio ultrasonic cleaners.

http://degritter.com/media-kit/

I’ve been a beta tester on the Degritter for the last few weeks, and am happy to offer my opinions and answer any qs for those interested.

I believe official launch is in early May, and at this stage after a couple of quibbles in day to day use, I’m planning to keep my unit, it’s been a pretty good success, and invaluable addition to day to day life as a vinyl addict.

 

Degritter specifies distilled water. I tried RO (post ion-exchanged softened) water and got equivalent results to distilled. When I first used the Degritter I used RO water and got a slight amount of foam on the record surface. When I saw this behavior on my SpinClean it resulted in audible residue that the NittyGritty did not remove, so I called my dealer. He suggested that the RO water was the culprit, so I dumped the RO water, rinsed with distilled, and refilled with distilled. The foaming performance was equivalent with the two. In neither case did I detect any audible degradation as a result of the surface foam. I also reduced the cleaning solution from 2 ml to 1 ml in the Degritter, which did reduce the foaming a bit, but did not eliminate it.

My current regimen is SpinClean with 1 large capful of SpinClean solution (recommended concentration) in distilled water. Three rotations of the record in each direction before placing into the Degritter. I use the "Medium" setting on the Degritter, with 1 ml of Degritter solution in a full tank of water. Results are stunningly good.

By the way, eliminating the SpinClean step before the degritter has no effect on the foaming.

Here is the level of foaming I'm seeing. My dealer tells me it is typical.

View attachment 76292

I had the same issue as you describe with foaming and switched from the Degritter solution to Ilfotol and problem solved.

 

I had the same issue as you describe with foaming and switched from the Degritter solution to Ilfotol and problem solved.

Many surfactants will foam if agitated. Foaming is partly tied to the amount of chemical in solution. You can experiment by reducing the amount of chemical until foaming is reduced or eliminated. Here the issue is having enough surfactant in solution to get work from it. Otherwise you can include a rinse step after cleaning.

At section XIV.7 in his paper Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records 2nd edition, Neil Antin notes: "The Degritter™ because of how it pumps-down the tank for drying; pumps-down the reservoir for cleaning; and primes on start-up is sensitive to pump cavitation and producing foam so nonionic surfactants that can foam are used at very low concentrations mostly just for ‘wetting’.

Ilford Ilfotol is my surfactant of choice in my DIY system. It serves as a wetting agent, biocide and has anti-static properties. It was developed as a wetting agent for use in photographic film development. I use a small amount, roughly 16ml in ~12.75L or 0.9 tablespoon in 3.4 gallons. (Degritter tank volume is roughly 1.4L.) Choice of cleaning chemistry is as old as record cleaning; it's okay to experiment.

From an Ilford technical sheet:
"ILFORD ILFOTOL is a non-ionic wetting agent used as a final rinse before drying films. It can be used in all manual and machine processes to aid rapid, even drying and so greatly reduce the risk of drying marks being formed. ILFOTOL can also be used as a final rinse before drying fibre based prints, again it promotes rapid, even drying. Additionally it can be used to clean glass and plastic lenses and filters and as an anti-static treatment."

 

Foaming usually means too much surfactant in use, or excess accumulation within the bath over time. Lower the amount used, or replace the water. Different surfactants also foam differently. You should find a sweet spot at which you get no foam, while retaining the "sheeting" property where the water covers the record surface in a nice unbroken sheet.

 

Ilford Ilfotol is my surfactant of choice

Same (although I now use it with a Kirmuss for washing and Degritter for water-only rinse/dry), but it's also one of the foamiest surfactants I've tried in the Degritter, almost to the point of being unusable at any dilution...

 

I was one of the early Degritter adopters prior to its general availability. I've used my unit to clean hundreds of records until recently when it stopped spinning the discs. Looking inside the unit, I could see a belt driven mechanism. The pullies were spinning but the belt was slipping, thus leaving the record motionless. Enter the Degritter customer service....

For little more than the cost of roundtrip shipping, within about two weeks (May 8 to May 26) I shipped my unit to Europe and in return, I received what looks to me to be not a repaired Degritter, but a brand new factory fresh current model. They said the new model (vs my OG model) has the following improvements over my OG model:

- New record revolving motor and belt drive. (it is quieter)
- New display with better colours.
- More durable pumps
- Bottom-most water level sensors replaced with a service free solution. (Though mine had not needed servicing)
- Slightly improved ultrasonic amplifier

I couldn't be happier with this service and the new unit. It is absolutely quieter and has been immediately put into service. Thank you, Taniel and Aleks!

Incidentally, I switched to 5 drops of Tergitol per gallon for the wash cycle with pure distilled for the rinse cycle. Here's what the first quarter of a spin in the wash cycle looks like in terms of foam.

 

Incidentally, I switched to 5 drops of Tergitol per gallon for the wash cycle with pure distilled for the rinse cycle.

Do you pre-mix the Tergitol with water and fill the tank from that or add drops directly to the tank?

For rinsing do you have the external water tank, a second Degritter or how do you rinse ?

Good to know of excellent service from Degritter. Tells me they are a serious contender in the market.

 

I premix one gallon of solution and I have two tanks.

 

I was one of the early Degritter adopters prior to its general availability. I've used my unit to clean hundreds of records until recently when it stopped spinning the discs. Looking inside the unit, I could see a belt driven mechanism. The pullies were spinning but the belt was slipping, thus leaving the record motionless. Enter the Degritter customer service....

For little more than the cost of roundtrip shipping, within about two weeks (May 8 to May 26) I shipped my unit to Europe and in return, I received what looks to me to be not a repaired Degritter, but a brand new factory fresh current model. They said the new model (vs my OG model) has the following improvements over my OG model:

Now that’s customer service. Look at all the free great press they’re getting for a kind gesture to a fan of their product. Too bad not all manufacturers operate with the same intelligence.

 

I premix one gallon of solution and I have two tanks.

Is your tank fiddly to get in and out of the Degritter? Mine seems to always take a few attempts to pull it out and put back end as it seems to hang up on something.

 

Is your tank fiddly to get in and out of the Degritter? Mine seems to always take a few attempts to pull it out and put back end as it seems to hang up on something.

Mine is a little like that.

 

To get it in, it does need to be aligned just right. It won't seat at an angle. But, once you're familiar with it, it does slide right in. Taking it out has never been more than just lifting it up and out for me.

 

I also bought a copy of that record after its mention here. Will clean it today.

 

To get it in, it does need to be aligned just right. It won't seat at an angle. But, once you're familiar with it, it does slide right in. Taking it out has never been more than just lifting it up and out for me.

I must not be holding my tongue just right. It’s always a bit of trial/error for me.

 

Degritter has announced the development of a new machine that will become the top of the line - meaning they'll have a line of machines in the future. Some details:

The Specs

• Dual water tank to wash first with cleaning fluid and then rinse with clean water.
• Smart ultrasonic frequency - dual frequencies of 80 kHz and 120 kHz with the first for larger particles and the latter for the best sparkling results.
• More transducers - 6 altogether to be precises - for more powerful ultrasonic cleaning.

The Design

We noticed that the red machine garnered quite a bit of attention on social media. However, both the red and black with golden knobs were actually the same. Since both of the new models in Munich with us are still concept machines, we haven’t yet actually made any final decisions on the colour scheme. (If you’d like to express an opinion, drop us a comment on our latest posts on Instagram and/or Facebook.)

The Timeline

If all goes according to plan, we’ll likely showcase the actual prototype this coming autumn, including the reveal of the full feature list. Once we hit production, the premium machine will become available through our retailers. We’ve been on a roll recently with our team, brainstorming potential new features to our whole product catalogue, so who knows - we might have some more news soon about features and additions that will make record cleaning even more effective and pleasurable.

 

Sounds cool, but my immediate concern is heat with 6 transducers. Currently with the roughly 1/3 gallon tank, I can degas and run two records through on "Heavy" before the water needs to cool. Unless the total cumulative power dissipated doesn't increase with the additional transducers, then I sure hope they increase the tank sizes. That said, when I need to do a batch of records, the cooling delays give me a good excuse to discard the water every two records and refill with fresh.

 

Sounds cool, but my immediate concern is heat with 6 transducers. Currently with the roughly 1/3 gallon tank, I can degas and run two records through on "Heavy" before the water needs to cool. Unless the total cumulative power dissipated doesn't increase with the additional transducers, then I sure hope they increase the tank sizes. That said, when I need to do a batch of records, the cooling delays give me a good excuse to discard the water every two records and refill with fresh.

Is this with the water tank cover off? I take mine off if I’m washing more than a couple records (and I typically use Medium) and don’t run into cooling delays. Agree that more ultrasonic power will mean warmer water, but not sure if more transducers means more power?

 

Maybe I'm in a cold country but I don't run into delays unless there's a heatwave - certainly half a dozen records.

 

Only 2 records? That seems excessive. I don’t run into cooling delays. How warm is your room?

 

It's not ambient temperature as the room is typically 70-75F. This has been the case after receiving my new Degritter recently. I guess it has slightly stronger transducers (?). I double checked the water temp with my own thermometer as well. Sure enough, after a degas and two or at most three heavy cleaning cycles, the water temp is at 90F or so.

When I rinse, I use a medium fresh water cycle and that does give more longevity before cooling kicks in. I wonder if heavy is higher power *and* longer run time than medium now.

 

Is this with the water tank cover off? I take mine off if I’m washing more than a couple records (and I typically use Medium) and don’t run into cooling delays. Agree that more ultrasonic power will mean warmer water, but not sure if more transducers means more power?

I switch tanks. So after a heavy wash cycle, I leave the cover off that tank while running the medium rinse and dry cycle with the other tank.