Went into my LBS and asked them what they use for degreasing chains. The guy said he just removes chain and soaks it in gasoline. Thoughts? Is this OK?
Well if the shop burns down, you’ll know what happened!
Here’s an easy way to clean your chain. We use liquid laundry detergent in my house. I take off the chain and put it in an empty detergent bottle. Add water and shake. Hose it off, dry it off. Put it back on the bike and lube. Done.
It’s fine. But kerosene is just as effective, safer to use, and should even leave a tiny protection layer on the metal. Old timers used to put kero in their car wash water to act as a rust protectant.
Coca-cola is cheaper and safer 
.
Coca-cola is cheaper and safer :)Because we all want sticky sugar buildup?
Any petroleum product will work fine. I use mineral spirits. That being said, if you are working indoors in a small area, buying a nice water based degreaser is a lot nicer on your health (still wear gloves though).
I get a few cans of the AutoZone brand Brake Cleaner, and a chain brush.
I use this stuff
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1030916_-1_400042__400042
smells better than gasoline.
along with one of those automatic chain cleaners. makes it really easy and keeps the splatter mess to a minimum.
simple green
.
Went into my LBS and asked them what they use for degreasing chains. The guy said he just removes chain and soaks it in gasoline. Thoughts? Is this OK?
Bad idea.
1st of all, where does that dirty gasoline go after the LBS is finished with it?
2ndly, there are lots of less toxic solvents that does clean chains just as well.
3rdly, consider using paraffin as a chain lube
Gasoline will get the job done, but it is stupid. Good way to burn down your shop, especially from rag combustion, unless disposed of properly. With the multitude of less volatile solvents out there, I can’t understand why someone wants to risk using a carcinogenic, fire hazard? It’s not like gas is so much cheaper than other, better solvents.
simple green
+2
Cheap, safe and easy on your body and the “earth”. My LBS uses this.
Something most people don’t realize is that once a “green” degreaser has been used, it loses it’s “greenness”.
So if you spill Simple Green right out of the bottle, yes it is “better” for the environment, but once you have used it, it is no “better” than any other cleaning solution.
I have used Gas in the past when I didn’t have anything else handy. The fumes from gasoline spread and stay close to the ground, just about the height of a water heater pilot light. Using gas in the garage, even with the door open can lead to an explosion and fire if your water heater is nearby. I now use a water based orange cleaner in a spray can. Less toxic and doesn’t dry your skin.
Something most people don’t realize is that once a “green” degreaser has been used, it loses it’s “greenness”.
So if you spill Simple Green right out of the bottle, yes it is “better” for the environment, but once you have used it, it is no “better” than any other cleaning solution.
Umm, so gasoline and bike grease is the same as Simple Green and bike grease? Not buying it. General rule of thumb when working in a shop environment is to avoid having unnecessary toxic and flammable stuff around for the obvious reasons that they are toxic and flammable, but also because they do not mix well with any other toxic and flammable stuff that might be around. Those jars of solvent end up sitting around for months and years, and eventually no one knows what was in them and eventually mixes them with something bad, bad, bad. And that’s not good. And I’d much rather have a shop rag soaked in Simple Green and bike grease sitting on my work bench over night than one soaked in gasoline and bike grease. Just my thing, I guess.
Chains do not need to be perfectly clean, so getting the best solvent should not be the goal. One good ride and there’s no longer any difference between what was a perfectly clean chain and a fairly clean chain. Keep it oiled and wiped down and it won’t need to be removed and soaked anyway.
That’s what I used to do. It works. It’s also awful. Pick any of the greener products out there. They work just as well without all the destructive after effects, not the least of which is hands that will smell like gas for days.
Go back and re-read my post, please. I said nothing about fumes or the dangers associated with other types of degreasers.
My point was simple - once a “green” degreaser has been used (and now contains grease, dirt, etc) it is no longer “green” or environmentally friendly. In that sense, it is no better than traditional degreasers.
People use “green” degreasers and dispose of them in drains or dump them in the ground erroneously believing they are environmentally friendly. They aren’t…at least not anymore.
i think deisel would work better. I worked at a ski area one summer and they soaked detachable chair parts in deisel, im sure a chain would work the same way.
I use denatured alcohol to clean degrease my guns.l that get carbon buildup. A brush with it on it to clean my chain and oil.
I have an evaporation bin, basically a tub filled with humidifier filter/elements from the local store. I pour the used degreaser into the bin and let it evaporate over the next few days. The dry residue that remains gets disposed of in the trash. Very simple solution and I would like more people to use this method of disposal.