Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

[dls322]

I'm debating on how to clean the logs, or to not even clean them at all. I have a gallon of the pink coil cleaner and a plastic pump spray bottle and all the necessary safety gear....I'm just leery to pull the trigger. My last toon had leaking issues and cause some major drama, but this one had great logs and I don't want to mess them up...alltough i think it's all in my head.

So should i clean use the coil cleaner? Should i just scrub them with normal cleaner or just leave them alone. I'm rebuilding the entire toon, but the logs will be are in the water all summer and will get dirty again. I have no plans to polish them to a shine, just looking for a uniform "clean look". Oh and on a side note will the coil cleaner mess up my registration decals?

Opinions are appreciated!!

 

[gm280]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

Well like myself I see you like things to not only work correctly but look nice as well. Not knowing what your AC coil cleaner actual has in it, it is hard to say. Some cleaner’s like that have some acid in them to etch the aluminum but not all. The real situation is once you start, you are committed to finish the job or have different finishes to show. You could try it on an inconspicuous area to see the actual results before committing to the visible areas...

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

I'm debating on how to clean the logs, or to not even clean them at all. I have a gallon of the pink coil cleaner and a plastic pump spray bottle and all the necessary safety gear....I'm just leery to pull the trigger. My last toon had leaking issues and cause some major drama, but this one had great logs and I don't want to mess them up...alltough i think it's all in my head.

So should i clean use the coil cleaner? Should i just scrub them with normal cleaner or just leave them alone. I'm rebuilding the entire toon, but the logs will be are in the water all summer and will get dirty again. I have no plans to polish them to a shine, just looking for a uniform "clean look". Oh and on a side note will the coil cleaner mess up my registration decals?

Opinions are appreciated!!

View attachment 188451View attachment 188452

When we owned our Sweetwater the manual said to let the logs oxidize. When we bought our Berkshire we had the dealer put Sharkhide on them. I would leave them alone.

 

[dls322]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

Those are both good points. I have read people having mixed reviews with the ac coil cleaner. It's an acid that will clean them but also people said it will take a thin layer of the metal off, this make sit look clean but then makes it more porous and then gets dirtier sooner. I'd rather not go down that path.
Having a sinky boat jaded me so i think i will leave the logs alone. I am having them pressure tested for peace of mind though!

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

A bit of the gray color just shows its been used, not a thing wrong with that, I keep mine on a slip and a time or two over the summer I do use scrub brush to knock off the green hair that grows on them.

 

[calvinator]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

I have been doing a lot of toon cleaning this past week.

IMO, coil cleaner or 75%/25% muratic acid/water worked the best. Spray it on, give it a few mins, power wash it all off. That was the cleaning part.

Then I followed up with a gallon of the NAPA Aluminum Brightner. That brightened up the toons to a dull silver.

Then I tried my orbital polisher and toon brite. I can get them shiny, but it is going to take a lot of work and IMO not worth it.

After this season in the slip, my action plan is:
a) pull pontoon out of water.
b) With the lake slime still wet, I'll use 75/25 muratic acid/water on the toons. Pump spray it on.
c) powerwash.
d) NAPA aluminum brightner. Pump spray it on.
e) powerwash.
f) done.

NAPA aluminum brighterner is $30/gallon. Muratic acid is $6/gallon, I'll use 2 gallons. All told, I'm into toon cleaners for $50 and 2 hours and that is really the best I think I can get my toons.

BTW, read the ingredients on toon cleaners. Pretty much muratic acid. NAPA Alum brightner is some acid that is a little different, I just haven't read up on it.

 

[dls322]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

I think i might leave it as is for now then might clean them in the fall. Once i start spraying that stuff i'm committed. And i would be leery about spraying the coil cleaner over my registration decals...don't want to have to get another from the state. That means i would have to tape that area off then it might look odd with a non treated area up at the front.

 

[OK Toon]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

At first I couldn't figure why you would be concerned with your registration decals - thinking of the placement of my decals which are towards the top of the fence. I just now noticed your decals are on the top area of your toons. You might check with your state boating laws, but that seems too low on the boat for registration decals (but maybe PA is different on that than OK). But I would be concerned about any acid being applied to the registration decals -- I'm sure they would be ruined.

 

[a1nowell]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

322,
I used A/C coil cleaner on my and it worked just fine. But looking at your toons, I don't think A/C coil cleaner will make them look any better than they do now.

Larry

 

[mr geets]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

I did the Mother's Aluminum polish thing and got a mirror finish and a hernia. Gotta say they do look good! Recently I got a buffer wheel for my Souix HD power polisher and a green bar polish to try out to save the body (mine). Waiting for decent warmth to try out as we are at 53 degrees latitude and 108 degrees longitude

 

[Okieboatguy]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

Last spring I used a Harbor Freight $29.00 buffer that runs at about 2000 rpm with the Mothers aluminum wheel polish and a spritzer bottle of water to keep the pad lubricated, and they came out at a high shine. I unfortunately did not put Shark Hide on them so I will be touching them up in a few weeks and putting the Shark Hide on them to seal them. I have seen some polishing of aluminum that looks like chrome on youtube, but I cant see myself putting that much into polishing them, I have much better things to do. (Unless my OCD kicks in ) For a referance of what can be done with enough time, I am pasting the youtube video link; how to polish aluminum Sam Aguilera tonymetalart - YouTube

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

When aluminum corrodes it turns dark...aluminum oxide. That layer then protects the aluminum from further corrosion. It causes no harm to the metal. When you acid clean the surface you are actually removing that layer and then it will corrode again.

Shark hide is a complete waste of money if the toon is being stored in the water.

If you are trying to remove organic growth, then that's another story and you will need a cleaner.

 

[dls322]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

Thanks for all the input. I will just leave them alone. Anyone need a gallon of pink coil cleaner???? LOL

Allot of pontoons around here have there stickers on the top part of the logs. I think that it's ok here in PA but will double check. My other toon i bought from MD had them in the same place as well. It's much easier putting them there since it's a solid surface and especially since i'm dedoing the rails.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

When I lived in pa the decals on the logs were legal.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

What is that a dance floor. Talk about a Party boat.

 

[dls322]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

LOL!

I should by another pontoon and tow this one behind....endless crazy ideas for a floating platform on the lake

 

[THC1]

Re: Opinion: Use A/C Coil Cleaner on the logs or not? Pics attached

Last spring I used a Harbor Freight $29.00 buffer that runs at about 2000 rpm with the Mothers aluminum wheel polish and a spritzer bottle of water to keep the pad lubricated, and they came out at a high shine. I unfortunately did not put Shark Hide on them so I will be touching them up in a few weeks and putting the Shark Hide on them to seal them. I have seen some polishing of aluminum that looks like chrome on youtube, but I cant see myself putting that much into polishing them, I have much better things to do. (Unless my OCD kicks in ) For a referance of what can be done with enough time, I am pasting the youtube video link; how to polish aluminum Sam Aguilera tonymetalart - YouTube

Nice vid link; however like the one comment said, the title should be called "watch me polish" not "how to polish"