Rant: I thought those ultrasonic cleaner gadgets for dishwasher pumps were a total scam

Honestly, for the longest time I thought those little ultrasonic cleaner tanks people use on dishwasher circulation pumps were just a gimmick. I figured nothing beats taking the pump apart and scrubbing it by hand with a brush and some CLR. Then I got a call for a Bosch 800 series that kept throwing a water flow error. The pump was crusted solid with hard scale, like concrete. I was about to quote a full pump replacement, which is a $300 part, but the customer asked if I'd try the ultrasonic thing first. I ran it for 15 minutes in a mix of vinegar and water from my van. Ngl, I was shocked. The scale just fell off in sheets and the impeller spun free. Saved the customer a huge bill and me an hour of brutal scrubbing. Has anyone else had a tool they wrote off completely change their mind on a common job?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia_king941mo ago

Lol my buddy who fixes coffee machines was the same way. He swore by old school descaling until a client's super automatic was totally clogged. He tossed the group head in his cheap ultrasonic cleaner as a last ditch thing. Called me after like a maniac, said it looked brand new in under ten minutes. Totally changed his tune on those little tanks.

wadeyoung1mo ago

Saw a video where one cleaned a carburetor spotless.

martin.tyler15d ago

Man, ultrasonic cleaners are no joke. Had a crusty old lawnmower carb that was totally gummed up from bad gas. Soaked it in cleaner for a day, nothing. Threw it in my buddy's ultrasonic tank with some simple green and hot water. Five minutes later it looked like it just came out of the box. All the tiny passages in the jet were clear as day.