I have a basic question. Do smoke units (as in my new to me Bachman Shay) need to be cleaned out? Is there residue left from using smoke fluid? I don’t think the smoke unit in my new to me 36 ton Shay is a Bachman unit. I haven’t seen one like it in other Bachman locos. It is a straight pipe affair in the stack with a pulsating disk at the bottom. It works a lot better than the smoke units in my 4-6-0’s and Davenports, and I’d like to keep it that way. TIA
Most smoke units use a heating element, with a wick, usually of fiberglas, that dips into a reservoir of fluid. The heater vaporizes the fluid, and in my experience, the wick eventually clogs up, looks a little burned and usually loses some of the fibers.
So, it’s ability to bring fluid to the heater gets worse bit by bit and eventually does not smoke well.
There is no way to clean the wick AFAIK, and usually you just get a new wick, or heater/wick assembly.
Greg
Greg, what about the LGB/Seuth type units. They have a small tube in the center of a larger tube (reservoir). My new to me LGB Mogul smokes like a champ, but my older ones hardly smoke much at all anymore.
Sorry, I was only considering the more modern, fan driven ones that put out lots of smoke.
The little heating coil kind usually have a small coil in a reservoir that boils the fluid away. I believe these clog less often with buildup.
Greg, then mine are just getting weak. I thought maybe there was a safe solvent to try and clean them with.
You could try a solvent, but often this stuff is kind of burned on, hard to remove. If they are getting useless, then you don’t have much to lose.
Greg
White vinegar
Thanks to David Maynard, I have determined that I have an LGB type in my Bachmann Shay. And thank you Rooster for the tip about the white vinegar. I already use the stuff to clean my brass track every so often, so it ought to work on the brass LGB smoke unit when it seems to need it eventually. Thank you all for responding.
Let us know if it makes any difference ok?
Greg
Interesting. I hadn’t considered a build up of crud on the central wick in the LGB Seuth units. Frankly, I not sure how the heating element, in the center of these units is made, but I have seen a lessening of smoke output in well used LGB units. I have noticed that when the smoke unit is on it’s last legs, the center heating element will glow red at it’s tip.
I don’t believe they really have a wick, per se, but a coil immersed in the fluid.
Greg
You’re correct Greg. But it acts as the wick, does it not?
It’s not how I would use the word, or as I understand it’s definition.
A wick is normally something whose main function is to transport a fluid from one point to another, like from a reservoir to a heating element.
In this case, the heating element is immersed in the fluid already, it does not need any transporting, it’s already there.
Greg
Good point.
Only made the point because there is a significant difference in how they work. Overall, if not damaged the simple coils will last longer, while the wicks will clog, break, etc.
This is especially true with the recent discovery of basically driving smoke units harder, more like MTH has done forever, but pushing an all plastic unit like the Aristo/Train Li/Massoth, well … hmm…
Greg
Greg yes the LGB units don’t have a wick. They have a small tube that is where the fluid is vaporized and expelled from the unit. I suspect that little tube is getting clogged somehow, since my older ones do not smoke as well as the newer ones. That or the heating element is getting weak. I will have to try cleaning them with something and see if they smoke any better after cleaning.
If you let them sit with some solvent and then blow out with compressed air, that might work, although I think they are so cheap, is it worth the bother?
Greg
Greg, at around $15 to $25 each, depending upon where I find them, reequipping a half dozen or so locomotives can get expensive. If I can fix them cheaply, and without too much bother, I would like to try.
Amen to that, brother!
Yep, the numbers make sense… I never had much luck with them, went to all fan-driven… of course they also need periodic wick replacement…
Greg