Radiator cleaning comb!

[Phmode]

Back last year I had a rush of blood to the head and 'invested' in a radiator cleaning comb and promised to report back on its efficacy.

Well, even with 6 interchangeable combs of 13, 15, 16, 17, 18 & 20 teeth per inch, it doesn't work on a K radiator which appears to need about 23 tpi.

Brian (who now has yet another useless thing cluttering up his non-existent garage)

[Dusty]

Looks like you took one for the team, Brian. Now the difficult, bit; throwing it in the bin!

[Phmode]

Wash yer mouth out man!

Brian (who is a real man and real men may lose things, including their marbles, but they never throw anything out 'Just In Case!'  )

[richtea]

Brian, these guys will sell a bag of 25 combs at about $2 a pop - but the postage will probably add another dollar:
http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/yellow-jacket/hvacr-system-tools/ergonomic-finfix-combs/61167.htm

If you're sure they approx 23 fins per inch, then this one gives a few teeth either side for error.

I'm happy to buy a bag if anyone wants to join in. (I've enquired what the postage is.)

And if it doesn't work, you can use it for personal grooming: 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yellow-Jacket-61158-Finfix-Beauty/dp/B00NIAWCSC

[Phmode]

There is one big problem with this comb idea, the fins on the water radiator are not linear. They are sinusoidal in shape, a high amplitude, short wavelength squiggle.

I am sure these combs are designed for cooling radiators where the finning consists of long, straight rows of fins with the cores between them. The rad on the K consists of flattened horizontal cores with the squiggly fins laminated between them, like this sort of thing:

------------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
------------------------------------------

Or perhaps this but turned on its side:

|S|
|S|
|S|
|S|

The net result is that even if you can get the correct pitch of comb, you can't 'comb' with it, you can only poke it in and wiggle it.

Until the design of the rad changes, these combs are useless.

Brian (who thinks it a noble offer Richard, but yet more 'shelf-ware' if you buy more of them)

[Costas]

Conclusively only if you remove and soak it in a bath tab then you've got a clean rad.

[richtea]

There is one big problem with this comb idea, the fins on the water radiator are not linear. They are sinusoidal in shape, a high amplitude, short wavelength squiggle.

I am sure these combs are designed for cooling radiators where the finning consists of long, straight rows of fins with the cores between them. The rad on the K consists of flattened horizontal cores with the squiggly fins laminated between them, like this sort of thing:

------------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
------------------------------------------

Or perhaps this but turned on its side:

|S|
|S|
|S|
|S|

The net result is that even if you can get the correct pitch of comb, you can't 'comb' with it, you can only poke it in and wiggle it.

Until the design of the rad changes, these combs are useless.

Brian (who thinks it a noble offer Richard, but yet more 'shelf-ware' if you buy more of them)

You're quite right.
Since I remembered I had a slightly bashed oil cooler, I thought I'd take the cats comb (at 26 teeth per inch by my reckoning) to see how it fitted.
It didn't - as you quite rightly pointed out above.

So, I also remembered someone else suggested using a cable tie to poke gently in between the fins. That worked nicely - a small cable tie separates the fins better than having them squashed against each other - and it did clean out a few flies as well.

[Phmode]

....and as we speak, I am onto my fourth toothpick and have about 83 to go!

Brian (who promises not to charge his combs to the site members donations!)