Cleaning Archival Washer

[Pieter12]

I have a Zone IV washer that doesn't have a drain, so siphoning in the only practical way to empty it. I usually leave it full, but it went unused for a few weeks while I was finishing up a digital project. Now I find algae had started to grow at the bottom of the tank. I put a few drops of chlorine bleach in the water, then emptied it and wiped everything down.

I have seen that some people use Milton's Sterilizing Tablets to clean Nova print tanks. Will this method do any good to make sure there is no trace of the algae left in the tank? I thought of using pond/fountain clarifier, too--it has worked great in an outdoor fountain in the garden. I am leary of any residual contaminating my prints.

Thanks.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Also let it sit in direct sunlight for a few days. In the future empty it after each session.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

I use chlorine bleach to disinfect my washer after a good cleaning. However, it's not a substitute for manual cleaning with a soft scrubber sponge and a brush. Chlorine will kill your mold/algae, but not get rid of the residue. Here's what I do. Drain the washer, scrub with dishwashing detergent, rinse, fill with water and add chlorine bleach (a weak dilution does the job), let sit for some hours (overnight), drain, rinse, refill. This is really only necessary when I get stuff growing in the washers. They stay clean for a several day printing session and then I drain and dry them till the next session, so no washing needed.

Best,

Doremus