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Pressure Washing Records - Audio MythBlaster #1, Phase 1

Posted by albertoderoma (A) on September 9, 2006 at 14:32:10

A few days ago I mentioned using a pressure washer (the kind used for cleaning your car/driveway) to clean LPs.

People reacted to the idea with mixed reactions ranging from:

You are crazy, you are going to hurt the record. Don't do it.

to

You are crazy, but shine on you crazy diamond. Give it a try.

to

Makes some sense, give it a shot.

And give it a shot I did. The first thing I had to test is whether or not a high-pressure washer would hurt the record. This is phase 1 of this Audio MythBlaster report (I'll test the effectiveness sometime in the next few days).

To test if a record could be harmed by the high-water pressure, I set-up a simple experiment where one 1/2 of one side of the record would be mercilessly blasted at close range (as close as 1/8") for several minutes, while the other 1/2 was protected.

I created a simple rig to hold the record in place and protect 1/2 of it (see picture below).

BEFORE GETTING HOSED:

The I hooked-up my pressure washer and worked it for approximately 5 minutes. I paid particular attention to the first track. Attacking it from all possible angle and at very close range - something I would not do normally, but I wanted to be as mean as I could be to the vinyl in this phase. I also attacked the label to confirm that without protection you will damage it.

AFTER GETTING HOSED:

After drying the record with a special scratch-free cloth, I checked it visually (both with the naked eye and with a stylus magnifier). I could not tell any difference except that the powerwashed side had considerably less dirt particles (but it still had a few - more about the cleaning value of this approach in phase II). Based on the looks of it the powerwashed side looked like new.

The second, and most important test, was to play the record. I first tried it on my cheapo TT/cart to make sure nothing was horribly wrong (it sounded just fine) and then on my main system (Thorens TD125II, SME 3009 II, Clearaudio Aurum Beta Wood). The record sounded great - could not tell the difference between the powerwashed side and the non-washed side except for the fact that the non-washed side had more noise (confirming the visual inspection). Since I have 2 copies of the same record (Fleetwood Mac's Mirage) I compared them and, if anything, the washed copy sounded better.

I know this is not an ultra-scientific experiment, and I don't have an electron microscope to check the groove in great detail but my ears could not detect any damage to the washed side.

The only surprise is that even with the pressure washing there were still quite a few "dust" particles visible with the stylus microscope. Perhaps this technique is not as effective as vacuum cleaners, but that's part II of this Audio MythBlaster. Which I will proceed to address in the next few days now that I know it's unlikely that the technique will damage the records.

Final pic is the pressure washed record being played. If you enjoyed reading about this Audio MythBlaster and want to see more, please let me know because taking pics and writing about it takes quite a bit more time than the experiment itself.

Alberto

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