I bought a tube amp, which I suspect has previously been owned by an apparently very unhygienic person. In any case, it smells like a person who hasn't been in the bath for several months! I tried cleaning it with compressed air, but that didn't help much. What can I do to get rid of that awful smell?
Probably from storage in a damp basement. Remove tubes, vacuum out, wipe all surfaces clean, and set
out to dry in a place with sunlight and good air circulation. See if the smell is still there after a few days.
The smell of certain degraded electrolytic capacitors does sometimes resemble organic waste. Easy to check this source by opening the amplifier and smelling the capacitors (be sure to discharge them properly beforhand). Degraded capacitors must be replaced, of course. Some vintage plastic becomes smelly with age, as said by rotaspec. Old devices that have been kept in storage for decades may have been spoiled by rats or may have dead insects inside. I use a glass cleaner (does not leave residue) then I expose to the sun for a few days.
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Regular alcohol may damage paint and front panel lettering, and it definitely damages rubber parts. I ruined the aluminium front panel of a '60 era KLH radio this way. Test on a unexposed part beforehand. There are milder organic solvents available, if really needed.
Trust me! I've tried all the above mentioned methods - and examined all the possibilities - and more! Nothing seems to help and I'm sure what it smells of, because the apartment, from where I collected it, smelled just like that. I just thought I could clean it up. I've now asked the manufacturer and they recommend an "Ozone Room". Does anybody have experience with that?
"I'm sure what it smells of, because the apartment, from where I collected it, smelled just like that"
Maybe it was the amp that made the apartment smell?
I've also had limited success by removing any components that may object to heat, such as plastic, and baking in a WARM oven for a period of time. Unlike you guys we don't have the constant luxury of being able to leave things outside, what with all the rain we have!!
I like DAF96's mention of selenium rectifiers. A unique pungent smell!!
Maybe it was the amp that made the apartment smell?
I've also had limited success by removing any components that may object to heat, such as plastic, and baking in a WARM oven for a period of time. Unlike you guys we don't have the constant luxury of being able to leave things outside, what with all the rain we have!!
I like DAF96's mention of selenium rectifiers. A unique pungent smell!!
Unfortunately there are properties that smell like the OP describes and that carries onto equipment..
I've seen ex rental TV's get scrapped simply because the smell could not be eliminated easily (in other words not worth the hassle).
Bearing in mind all safety aspects it could be worth washing as long as you remove the transformers first.
I've seen ex rental TV's get scrapped simply because the smell could not be eliminated easily (in other words not worth the hassle).
Bearing in mind all safety aspects it could be worth washing as long as you remove the transformers first.
Mooly,
I once had to do this to a portable TV that had received an unwanted pet shower. I only removed the LOPTX and washed the chassis in soapy water. left for a month in the airing cupboard and it was good to go after a minor repair. it appears the unwanted liquid was conductive and corrosive.
Steve.
I once had to do this to a portable TV that had received an unwanted pet shower. I only removed the LOPTX and washed the chassis in soapy water. left for a month in the airing cupboard and it was good to go after a minor repair. it appears the unwanted liquid was conductive and corrosive.
Steve.
We used to see a lot of that kind of thing. Cat and dog pee is highly corrosive if left, I can remember the smell now as the soldering iron contacts the board... urghh !
I've washed many a TV chassis over the years for various reasons, sometimes just because they were filthy and the washing itself is usually 100% successful. Problems can occur where any foreign liquid has soaked into the PCB around component leads. If that happens then you are on a loser as faults keep occurring as corrosion progresses.
I've washed many a TV chassis over the years for various reasons, sometimes just because they were filthy and the washing itself is usually 100% successful. Problems can occur where any foreign liquid has soaked into the PCB around component leads. If that happens then you are on a loser as faults keep occurring as corrosion progresses.
Not in this context, but in a lab water ultra-purifier. Ozone will absolutely destroy anything that can be destroyed by oxidation, given enough concentration and time. You should consider removing any plastic or rubber parts, in fact anything organic if you can, before going this route. These should be washed with soapy water, or alcohol if they can take it. Test on a small spot first.
BTW, if the smell is selenium, as mentioned earlier, it won't go away with ozone. The smell of burnt selenium is hard to describe, kind of like rotting alien vegetables... really bad and not like anything else you've ever smelled.
ok, now we resort to the following possibilities:
1. Stash it in your attic for 10+ years. Over time it will perhaps acquire a different smell.
2. Sell it to someone without olfactory senses.
3. Keep it in a separate room, perhaps a closet (well ventilated to outside). Run cables through the wall/through the floor to your speakers.
1. Stash it in your attic for 10+ years. Over time it will perhaps acquire a different smell.
2. Sell it to someone without olfactory senses.
3. Keep it in a separate room, perhaps a closet (well ventilated to outside). Run cables through the wall/through the floor to your speakers.
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