Conditioner Change Guide
If you're considering switching lane conditioners in your lane machine, it's essential to follow best practices to ensure optimal performance and consistency. Below, you'll find Kegel's recommended guidelines for successfully transitioning between lane conditioners, helping you provide the best possible experience for your customers.
Kegel has put a lot of effort to developing a variety of lane conditioners, each formulated with distinct raw materials. To maintain optimal conditioner performance and consistency, it is crucial to prevent cross-contamination within the same tank. Following the provided swapping guidelines will help ensure smooth transitions between conditioners.
FOR LANE MACHINES WITH SOLID TANKS
Remove the conditioner tank from the lane machine. Empty the contents of the tank into a waste container. Do not reuse the conditioner. (Pro Tip: avoid wasting conditioner by running the lanes until the conditioner tank is nearly empty)
Remove the internal filter from the conditioner tank.
Use some lane cleaner to clean the conditioner tank. Add some of your lane cleaner solution directly to the tank. Swirl or shake the cleaner to get it all over the inside of the tank.
Rinse the tank with water. You’ll want to shake and swirl to be sure the tank gets completely clean. Continue rinsing until the water is clear (it will probably look milky at first) and there is no foam.
It is best to let the tank dry overnight, but give it as much time as possible. The tank needs to be completely dry before you add new conditioner.
Clean or replace the internal conditioner filter. Use Teflon tape and a small amount of clear silicone around the threads when reinstalling the internal filter.
Reinstall the conditioner tank back into the machine and fill it with new conditioner. Put the return line to the conditioner tank into a separate container and run the oil pump so that the old conditioner left in the lines will go into the container. This will force the old conditioner out of the conditioner tubing and replace it with the new conditioner while also keeping the old conditioner out of conditioner tank.
Once all of the old conditioner is out of the conditioner tubing, reinstall the conditioner return line back onto the conditioner tank. (Pro Tip: run the oil pump until you see no bubbles inside the tubing)
Remove the oil tip from the oil head block, place it in a seperate container and turn on the oil pump & oil tip valve through the output screen. Let the conditioner run through the oil tip tubing until there is no more bubbles. This allows all of the conditioner to be removed from the oil tip tubing.
While the oil tip is removed, perform a conditioner volume output test (mL) and check conditioner pressure (PSI) on the pressure gauge. Once conditioner output volume is confirmed, place the oil tip back into the oil head block. (Pro Tip: conditioner pressure and volume are independent of each other - pressure differences WILL NOT affect conditioner volume)
Before running the lanes again and applying new conditioner to the transfer system components, clean the transfer brush, smoother pads or transfer rollers, and the buffer brush. No chemicals should be used to clean these items; just clean dry towels. (Pro Tip: all ATLAS lane machine users can run 3-5 lanes with their machine set to “Brush Burn-Out” run mode. This will help to clear the old conditioner from the buffer brush)
FOR LANE MACHINES WITH CARTRIDGES
Remove the conditioner cartridges from the lane machine. Empty the contents of the cartridges into a waste container. Do not reuse the conditioner. (Pro Tip: avoid wasting conditioner by running the lanes until the conditioner cartridges are nearly empty)
Remove the oil tip from the oil head block, place in a seperate container. Turn on the oil pump & both oil tip valves through the output screen. Let the conditioner run through the oil tip tubing until no more conditioner can bee seen inside the tubing and the sub-tanks.
Use some lane cleaner to clean the conditioner cartrdiges and the plungers. Add some of your lane cleaner solution directly to each cartridge. Swirl or shake the cleaner to get it all over the inside the cartridges.
Rinse the cartridges with water. You’ll want to shake and swirl to be sure the cartridges get completely clean. Continue rinsing until the water is clear (it will probably look milky at first) and there is no foam.
It is best to let the cartridges dry overnight, but give it as much time as possible. The cartridges need to be completely dry before you add new conditioner.
Fill the conditioner cartridges with new conditioner, reinstall the plungers and place them back into the machine.
Remove the oil tip from the oil head block, place it in a seperate container and turn on the oil pumps & oil tip valves through the output screen. Let the conditioner run through the oil tip tubing until there is no more bubbles. This allows the tubing to be filled with new conditioner.
While the oil tip is removed, perform a conditioner volume output test (mL) and check conditioner pressure (PSI) on the pressure gauges. Once conditioner output volume is confirmed, place the oil tip back into the oil head block. (Pro Tip: conditioner pressure and volume are independent of each other - pressure differences WILL NOT affect conditioner volume)
Before running the lanes again and applying new conditioner to the transfer system components, clean the transfer brush, the transfer roller, and the buffer brush. No chemicals should be used to clean these items; just clean dry towels.
NEED HELP?
For questions or assistance, please contact Kegel Tech Support
(800) 280-2695