Martin Logan Shower Cleaning PDF

[HK-Steve]

Hello everyone,

I went through the process of Cleaning my Martin Logan Quest Stators in the shower.

I wrote the process down and created a PDF for everyone.


Hope this helps those interested in doing the same.

Cheers
Steve

Thanks to Tom for hosting for me

http://www.martinloganowners.com/~tdacquis/forum/ML/Martin%20Logan%20Quest%20Stator%20Panel%20Shower%20Washing.pdfhttp://www.martinloganowners.com/~tdacquis/forum/ML/Martin Logan Quest%2

 

[EricE]

Excellent write up and pictures Steve!

This should be kept up as a sticky on the forum.

 

[2395]

Important

The following points must be read re this tweak:

a) Do not wash the back of the stator Panel (it is not neccessary)as many panels have a baffle tape affixed and this will either soften and remove the adhesive or discolor the clear baffle on the back of the actual panel film. You will end up with a buzzing sound that CANNOT BE REPAIRED.

B) Be aware that there are foam spacers between the metal and the film at the edges and these absorb water, allow them plenty of time to dry or you will have a charge leak. EVEN IN WARM WEATHER THEY CAN TAKE 48 HOURS TO DRY AT THE EDGES AND THE SPACERS.

c) If you have an old vacuum cleaner you can either blow some of the water off (some older cleaners had this ability) or suck what water remains through a cloth.

d) Use a hair dryer on air flow or low heat to blow and evaporate some of the moisture away ( do not keep it in one spot and make sure it is cold or warm air only to the touch).

e) If you can filter the water, or make sure it has minimum chemicals so as not to leave any residue on the film (chlorine etc).

This can be a valuable improvement and worth the attempt BUT BE BEWARE AS YOU DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK and will not be covered by warranty or you may damage your speakers

 

[VanDaRo]

I tried this today on a set of Sequel IIs that I bought in 1995. Man, was the electric interface box ever full of dust bunnies !! The woofer was also fairly dusty and they went into the shower with the ESL panels.

They are drying out right now, but I can tell you that the Mylar film is already looking nicer and more clear. I will reassemble tomorrow when I am confident that they are 100% dried out. Look for another post from me on the effectiveness of this.

~VDR

 

[JasonR]

Just to clarify, these instructions do NOT recommend rinsing the woofers! Dry them out VERY well and hope for the best.

- Jason

 

[VanDaRo]

OK... Job all done. So what are the results?

Good. Very good in fact. After a couple hours listening to Billy Joel, Journey, some YoYo Ma, and a couple Telarc symphonic CDs, I have to tell you that this actually improved the clarity. Drums, from timpani to "rock and roll" kits, sound noticeably more lively. YoYo's cello sounds woody-er and more full bodied.

The only issue I have is that the panels may require a vacuuming, as they pop and hiss a little upon start-up -- usually a sign of dust getting on the mylar. My speaker location may need to be tweaked too. The washing seems to have caused a slight change in timbre which could be reacting with my room geometry. Or maybe I just need to get used to the ever-so-slight change.

But my ears need a rest, so I'll reevaluate some other day... Nevertheless, I recommend this washing procedure to those whose panels look to have collected some grunge over the years.

~VDR

 

[VanDaRo]

I mis-wrote on my first post....LOL.

The woofers did NOT go in the water. What I meant was the metal grills the shroud the woofer got the rinse-off as well.

~VDR

 

[Bimotarich]

Any try this on SL3s?

I feel like my MLs have lost a lot of their volume and hi's and mid's. I vacuum them regularly (this helps a little) but I still feel like they are lacking recently. Do you think they are in need of a wash? They do not look dirty but they also just do not sound so good anymore. Advice?

 

[gregadd]

need no panel

call martin logan. Could be you need new panel. Ouch

 

[FISH_MAN]

one thing I would add is a rinse in reverse osmosis deionized water maybe with a spray bottle. this would leave no spots or mineral deposits of any kind on the Mylar and reduce the chance of a short as I do not believe this water conducts electricity if pure enough.

 

[Mllanos1111]

I just did this with my Aerius panels. Since the water where I live is very hard I was concerned about water spots on the panels. I purchased a couple gallons of distilled water and used that to wash them. They came out perfect and just now hooked one of them up and so far it's great!

 

[walukanis]

All right, thanks to your write up I would never be able to wash my ReQuests. I did only one speaker to see what will happen

the only two differences between your write up (Quest) and my speakers was that I had 4 cables rather than 3 and that the rails.... listen to this.... were supposed to be hammered... from the other side.... It took me half an hour and almost breaking the whole rail before I figured that one out. I wonder if its all ReQuests that are this way or someone in the factory made a bubu...

Anyhow, one panel is washed and is drying out under the ceiling fan. We will see tomorrow evening how it turns out.

Regards,

Greg

 

[HK-Steve]

Hey Greg,
Glad you got it worked out without breaking anything.
Strange they are the other way around, maybe we should update the PDF so others can also add side rail removal direction.

I have not been online for a while, good to see the PDF was helpfull.

What is the 4th wire for??
Where does it connect to??


I will be washing my panels, Aerius i and Quest in the next couple of months to freshen them up.


Keep us posted how you go.


Cheers
Steve

 

[Beakman]

one thing I would add is a rinse in reverse osmosis deionized water maybe with a spray bottle. this would leave no spots or mineral deposits of any kind on the Mylar and reduce the chance of a short as I do not believe this water conducts electricity if pure enough.

I've given this some thought too, as RO is my trade. Definitely, hard water would be a detriment to the mylar just as it is to RO membranes but for different reasons. For the former, conductivity issues arise whereas for the latter it is mostly a matter of recovery and rejection rates.
The "Fouling" of a mylar panel is most likely caused by dust, a mixture of non-organic silicate based and natural organic based solids adhereing to the surface. Effective cleaning may be had with a parallel of the colloidal cleaning formula, in this case water that is both having a high pH and low hardness by way of Calcium, Potassium, Manganese or other salt compounds, and absent of silicates ( a typical profile of Seawater RO permeate). One may be led to believe that heavily deionized or distilled water would make a good cleaning medium on its own but keep in mind that "ultrapure" water is a solvent, used to clean silicon chips and other electronics. Its not good to drink either.
This is all speculation as I do not know the base material or conductive coating material of the panel but I'll bet its a factor in the manufacturing process.

 

[greemor]

water pressure to clean

hi everyone!
I want to wash my aeon´s panels, but i am wondering about how the water pressure must be?...i have a water pressure machine with 3 power level..i think setting in the position with minimal pressure will be a good idea, but i don´t know if the panels will resist it!....
In the other hand, the Techincal suppoet from Ml told me about wash them with "strong spray of neutral temperature water"...

What do you think?...

 

[eknuds01]

I think what you are trying to do is simply cleanse the panel of dirt and debris. I dont think you need high pressure for this. It is not like you are trying to strip of mildew from the side of your house.

If I am not mistaken most people use their showers for this sort of job. Thus if you have hand held shower head, I'd set it to the 'soft' setting and simply rince the panels with lukewarm water.

Erik

 

[Tosh]

Really, ML factory tech support told you to wash them? Can you quote exactly what they said in the full context?

 

[Beakman]

The main idea of washing the panels (and even RO membranes) is not to try and dislodge contaminants by direct physical means but to get the contaminants into suspension and flushed away.
The "Shower Method" oft mentioned here reflects this. Most household water pressures run from 30-50 psi, further reduced by the shower head restriction. Pressure washers operate at much higher pressures, to dislodge contaminants by physical means primarily.
Point? Don't even think of using a pressure washer on the panels. you will destroy them, unless that low setting you speak of is the equivalent of what your shower or a hose sprayer can do.

 

[netroll123]

I have the feeling that I have landed in deep trouble. I followed the steps mentioned here and cleaned the entire thing. After keeping it dry for some time I tried to switch on the speaker. To my horror I found that it was not working. I removed the wires and reconnected everything but even then nothing is coming. I really wonder what I should do now.

 

[bikerabbi]

I have the feeling that I have landed in deep trouble. I followed the steps mentioned here and cleaned the entire thing. After keeping it dry for some time I tried to switch on the speaker. To my horror I found that it was not working. I removed the wires and reconnected everything but even then nothing is coming. I really wonder what I should do now.

TT
Uh oh - where'd all your friends go -
Responses?