# Accucraft 0-6-0 / New to Live Steam



## Walter (Mar 2, 2011)

Hello everyone~


I just bought a Accucraft 0-6-0 live steam switch engine. So far I am very happy with it even though it has not made its first run yet. Which hopefully should happen today if my steam oil arrives. I do have some questions thought before I start. One of them being the smallest track radius is can run on. I have some LGB 1100 curves, I think it can run on that but it looks like the tender hits the engine. So, will it run on those curves? I do have a layout that has 20ft radius curves, but it is not level, and it is not useable right now. So I was thinking of just setting up a small loop on the floor of my garage. If not then a "static" run just to break it in will have to do. I've fired quite a few stationary engines before, but those have electric powered steam. Any other advice would be great thank you so much. This is my first live steam largescale engine.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of live steam!!! If the tender is hitting the locomotive, you could fabricate a slightly longer drawbar in order to negotiate the R1 curves. You could always swap back to the original.


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

You have a layout with 20 FT radius curves? Wow, you sir are blessed. Enjoy the switcher. I have read and heard nothing but praise for it. Did you get the AML 1:29th or the Accucraft 1:32nd model?


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Sir - I echo Dwight's welcome to the world of burnt fingers and temporary eyebrows. I just looked at the specs for this loco and it says that the minimum radius is 30 inches/diameter 5 feet. The LGB R1 track barely makes this figure - so if that's what you intend to run it on Dwight's suggestion to make a slighly longer drawbar is sensible. 

Just take it easy while you learn the ropes on this great little engine. I've never seen one that wasn't a star performer. 

Best 

tac 
www.ovgrs.org 
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund


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## Walter (Mar 2, 2011)

Thank you, yes I have 20' curves, unfortunately its not useable right now....due to a new family member....aka the dog....So I took up all the track and its sitting out back. I'm hoping to do a elevated layout using the fence as part of it. But I'm pressing my luck with the budget!!!! The loco itself was a strech! After two weeks of negotiations with "the boss" I got the money! Its the Accucraft switcher. I have 4 Aristocraft smooth side passengers cars that I'd really like to see following behind those lovely chufffs of steam! Now that would be a site to behold!


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

LGB R1 track is about 23.62" radius, that's not barely 30 inches, it's 20% less... I'd try something a bit wider, why stress your expensive loco? 

Your Aristo passenger cars won't run that curve either, since they are pretty close to scale length. Go up one size. 

Greg


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## Walter (Mar 2, 2011)

I was just gonna set up a loop of R1 in my garage to run just the engine for today. I wanted to have a small loop to break the engine in a little and keep it close since this is my first try. The 20 is gonna go back up this summer. I don't want to do anything to ruin the engine! If R1 will damage it even though the loop is temporary, I'll wait. Im kinda dyin' to see this thing run! But I'm not gonna run it at the expense of pre maturely wearing it out.


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## Walter (Mar 2, 2011)

Well, the steam oil did not come in the mail........grrrrrr


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Well, the steam oil did not come in the mail........grrrrrrDoncha HATE it when that happens??









I don't think running the loco on R1 curves would hurt it in any way so long as you didn't make a habit of it. Most Accucraft locos have stainless steel tires on the drivers. You'll wear the rails long before you wear those tires. I wouldn't be concerned about a few test runs damaging anything so ling as the tender isn't striking the loco. Just keep the speed down and run her nice and slow and you should be fine. If you speed her up too much there's a chance she could fall over sideways onto the concrete floor, and that could damage her (the paint if nothing else).

My advice would be to SLOWLY PUSH her around the loop before firing her, keeping an eye on the tender-loco gap, etc. If you're going to have any trouble, you should be able to see it here before any damage can be done. That will also give you a feel for how much resistance (if any) she's feeling on the tight curves. Have fun with her and keep us posted.


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## CapeCodSteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Walter, 

Congrats on your new engine. We are still wanting to know if you purchased the Accucraft AML 1:29 0-6-0 USRA or the Accucraft AMS 1:32 SP S-12 0-6-0. I'm going to guess AML


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

What Kent means is, is it this one, or the other one???


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

Tom, that one is the Accucraft one right?

Man, that looks so small in comparison to the K-27 or K-28. Or is that one a K36?


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## Walter (Mar 2, 2011)

Sorry guys! I'm sometimes not very clear! Its the AML 1:29. Baltimore and Ohio road name.


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## Walter (Mar 2, 2011)

Ok, heres the good news. I found a hobby shop that had steam oil on hand and I got there before they closed. So I set up the loop In the garage....and I can honestly say I'll probably never touch an electric again! Not that there is anything wrong with them....its just that....LIVE STEAM IS SO COOL!!!!! I definately need to learn to run the engine better. The first run went pretty good but due to my lack of experience, the gas tank was not filled enough....so it puttered out on me. Also, it seemed to loose pressure fast on the second run. It would go around a few times then loose PSI. Not sure why...I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. Right now that distinct smell of steam and burning oil still hangs heavy in the air....(breathing in, holding breath!!) ahhhhhh why dident I do this years ago!


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## livesteam53 (Jan 4, 2008)

@import url(/providers/htmleditorproviders/cehtmleditorprovider/dnngeneral.css); Walter, 

You got the bug in you now.

Once you steam it never leaves your system. 

Welcome to the wonderful world of Live Steam.


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## CapeCodSteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Walter, welcome to the brotherhood of live steam. Might as well grab a SA# while there are still a few left. 

Thanks for the picture Tom, I love that color.


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Kent 

There is [are] an infinite number of values that may be chosen for SA. Dwight, can we "nominate" a number for someone who has not joined the "august" group? I would like Mike Moore to have the SA # {null}. LOL! 

V/r


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## CapeCodSteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Doc, 

I guess you got my joke then


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By Walter on 12 Mar 2011 02:48 PM 
Sorry guys! I'm sometimes not very clear! Its the AML 1:29. Baltimore and Ohio road name. 

Ahah! All the more reason to get your big track up and running ASAP! The difference between the Gauge 1, 1/32nd scale model S-12, and the ahem, larger 1/29th scale version is remarkable when you see them side-by-side for the fust time.

Breathe in deeply!!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the smell of hot oil and steam in the mornin'...............................

tac
www.ovgrs.org
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund


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## Walter (Mar 2, 2011)

Ok, ran it again today. This time with much better luck! I turned the gas up higher, and it ran real smooth. I did not time it to see how long it was running for, but it was quite awhile. It did seem to take awhile for the cylinders to clear, it really spit alot! I did have trouble lighting it at first. For some reason the gas jet was blocked. After blowing it out with a extra can of butane, it lit right up no worries! For a live steamer with only 3 runs under his belt, I'd highly reccomend this engine for anyone that wants a first live steamer. Here is a clip of it running on YouTube. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5oQQZ702rc


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

Looks good Walter. Enjoy.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

I'll probably never touch an electric again! Not that there is anything wrong with them....its just that....LIVE STEAM IS SO COOL!!!!! Congrats Walter! That's exactly what happened to me.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Walter on 13 Mar 2011 01:46 PM 
Ok, ran it again today. This time with much better luck! I turned the gas up higher, and it ran real smooth. I did not time it to see how long it was running for, but it was quite awhile. It did seem to take awhile for the cylinders to clear, it really spit alot! I did have trouble lighting it at first. For some reason the gas jet was blocked. After blowing it out with a extra can of butane, it lit right up no worries! For a live steamer with only 3 runs under his belt, I'd highly reccomend this engine for anyone that wants a first live steamer. 


Walter,

If you search these forums you will find lots of positive comments - it seems to be a good beginners loco. [Use Goole and "site:mylargescale.com AML 0-6-0" for example.]

The gas jet gets blocked. Accucraft uses Teflon tape in the joints and the fuel tank may not be clean, so tiny bits get pushed into the jet. If it doesn't light or burn correctly, always try to clear the jet. (Sometimes just a good blow against the flow will do it.) Never poke it with wire, etc.

NOTE: Accucraft is known for providing gas tanks that keep the fire buring AFTER the boiler is too low for comfort. If the engine starts slowing down after a long run but the fire is still good, you should suspect you are low on water and kill the fire immediately. Good news is that no-one has ever reported any damage from this situation, but why tempt fate.

They sell a "Goodall Valve" which replaces the water fill plug and allows you to add water against the boiler pressure while hot. You will need a 'squirt bottle' to feed the water into the valve top. Check Accucraft's eStore for the parts.

Re: spitting while clearing/warming the cylinders. Accucraft's locos do this, as do many others, including Aster. (Ask me how I know.) A solution is to make a diverter for warm-up - I bent an aluminum tube into an inverted U so it fit over the chuff pipe inside the stack (look down it and you'll see what I mean.) Attach something like a twisted piece of wire so you can remove it when hot. The invert-U diverts the spit onto the track instead of all over the place - pull it out once you get moving. (I added a small plastic tub to the end of mine with more wire, so the spit was collected and didn't go all over the track.) Another option is to fit a 'chuffer'.


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## Walter (Mar 2, 2011)

Thats a great idea Pete! Thanks for the suggestion. I have some aluminum tubing I can make one of those. As far as the water level, I did notice that it did not run out of gas before the water level got low. I was kind of surprised at this because the directions from Accucraft said it runs out of gas BEFORE water. It got about 1/8" above the bottom of the sight glass and I shut it down. I would like to get the pump that goes in the tender. That way I wont have to worry about water level. Thanks again for all the advice, I'll welcome any tip that anyone wants to give me.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

I would like to get the pump that goes in the tender.Frankly, I've always found the Goodall valve/squirt bottle to be a lot easier to use in practice. It conforms to the KISS principle.







In your case it would also be a lot esier to install.


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

From Pete- quote:
"Re: spitting while clearing/warming the cylinders. Accucraft's locos do this, as do many others, including Aster. (Ask me how I know.) A solution is to make a diverter for warm-up - I bent an aluminum tube into an inverted U so it fit over the chuff pipe inside the stack (look down it and you'll see what I mean.) Attach something like a twisted piece of wire so you can remove it when hot. The invert-U diverts the spit onto the track instead of all over the place - pull it out once you get moving. (I added a small plastic tub to the end of mine with more wire, so the spit was collected and didn't go all over the track.) Another option is to fit a 'chuffer'."

I would add that another option to "clear" the cylinders can be drain cocks thus less condensation up the stack. A good set can be purchased from DJB engineering.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Walter on 13 Mar 2011 06:49 PM 
Thats a great idea Pete! Thanks for the suggestion. I have some aluminum tubing I can make one of those. As far as the water level, I did notice that it did not run out of gas before the water level got low. I was kind of surprised at this because the directions from Accucraft said it runs out of gas BEFORE water. It got about 1/8" above the bottom of the sight glass and I shut it down. I would like to get the pump that goes in the tender. That way I wont have to worry about water level. Thanks again for all the advice, I'll welcome any tip that anyone wants to give me. 

I'm with Dwight on that one - never had a problem with the squirt bottle (until I left it behind at one meet.) The tender pump means another ugly pipe across the footplate, and an Accu check valve in the backhead that you will probably have to take apart to make it work.


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

what is with all this work that has to be down after market to Accucraft's engines? If the hand pump does not work due to a check-valve that needs dis assembly before it will work as it should, shouldn't we be paying a whole lot less for their products? I don't mind the work to get them to work properly, but if that is the case, they are not built RTR. The price should reflect this, and compared to an Aster, perhaps it already does.


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By iceclimber on 15 Mar 2011 06:53 PM 
what is with all this work that has to be down after market to Accucraft's engines? If the hand pump does not work due to a check-valve that needs dis assembly before it will work as it should, shouldn't we be paying a whole lot less for their products? I don't mind the work to get them to work properly, but if that is the case, they are not built RTR. The price should reflect this, and compared to an Aster, perhaps it already does. Some work like a charm out of the box, others don't and need some fettling. Sometimes that is highly-skilled fettling. I have six AccuCraft steamers and a sparkie. Only the UK-designed from scratch 'Countess' and NG/G16 Garratt and the sparkie K-27 were straight-onto-the-tracks jobs, all the rest needed looking at, from minor to extreme. Only the prohibitive cost of shipping back to the USA, and having to pay taxes all over when they came back to UK, stopped me sending a couple of them right back where they had come from. 

You really need to do some looking back in the archives to see what we mean.

I think you'll find that the price DOES reflect this difference between Aster and AccuCraft, as does the location of the factory - one in a country where they pay forty dollars a week, and the other where they pay four hundred dollars a day.

Anyhow, this subject has been done to death many times, and I can already hear the groans. Fact is, you get what you pay for.

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

I am noticing that. Like I said, it doesn't frighten me to have to do a bit of work on these things. I actually look forward to it. I work on my own car so far as I can with the tools I have. However, with that being said, when I buy a car [no matter where it was made or for how much], I expect it to run out of the dealership without a major problem. As for what tomorrow brings, that is a different story.


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

< done to death subject >
Every engine I have ever bought from Accucraft (I started steaming only 4-5 years ago), has run straight out of the box. Asters have their fair share of manufacture/design problems too (K4 gas tank anyone, there is a slew of other problems - just not made as publicly was Accucrafts issues). Since most Asters are kit built, maybe its the expert builders of these kits that fix the issues. Who knows lol
Asters do seem to be more engineered though, truer valve gear, tighter tolerances on machining, swiss watch like running - but you pay for the extra work.


If it wasn't for Accucraft, I wouldn't have the nice stable of engines + stock I do now, they all have their place! If you do have problems, Cliff will make it right anyway!


Anyway, I need to post a video of my working AML 0-6-0 before I start to tear it down to take measurements for a coal fired boiler, you wouldn't catch me doing that to an aster, I'm not that rich lol
< / done to death subject >


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## Walter (Mar 2, 2011)

Did a little demo run for a neighbor last night, went ok. But I did have one small problem. Gas jet became clogged again! This is only the 4th time I've run the engine, so is this a "new engine" thing that will go away? Or is it something that is typical of Accucraft? I was also considering the quality and type of butane I am buying. The only place I have purchased butane so far is Menards. I have not bothered to read the can or anything like that, and I have only used one brand of butane. So I guess I'll read the can and see what it says. I do have one other brand of butane I can compair it to, but I have actually not used it in the engine because the end of the nozzle does not fit the gas tank. My neighbor seems to think its dirty butane, because right after the burner was lit, it made a few "poppin" noises.


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

I don't think the popping noises are due to the quality of butane. Have you removed the jet nozzles again and tried to clean them? You can hold the jet up to light and should see a pin-hole, if not, then you have a clog. Have you tried to adjust the collar around the jet which is at the backhead? It adjusts the air to fuel mixture ratio.


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Ya might just have crud in your fuel tank and it may need flushing out. nick jr


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Good article in Steam in the Garden recently. Take a piece of cotton off a Q-tip and put it in the jet, loosely, so the cotton will catch any debris coming through. I did it to my Mikado.


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## artgibson (Jan 2, 2008)

One of the guys ran the 0-6-0 at Zube today and she ran great. I am uploading video from Zube to youtube now. Probably will take about 4 hours to upload. Beautiful day here in Houston.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Walter on 19 Mar 2011 06:50 AM 
Did a little demo run for a neighbor last night, went ok. But I did have one small problem. Gas jet became clogged again! This is only the 4th time I've run the engine, so is this a "new engine" thing that will go away? Or is it something that is typical of Accucraft? I was also considering the quality and type of butane I am buying. The only place I have purchased butane so far is Menards. I have not bothered to read the can or anything like that, and I have only used one brand of butane. So I guess I'll read the can and see what it says. I do have one other brand of butane I can compair it to, but I have actually not used it in the engine because the end of the nozzle does not fit the gas tank. My neighbor seems to think its dirty butane, because right after the burner was lit, it made a few "poppin" noises. 

Walter,
Gas jet clogging is typical Accucraft. Dirt in the gas tank seems to be one culprit, and the teflon tape in the joints seems to be another. Just keep remembering to blow it backwards before you set it on the track and light up.

I've not read/heard anyone saying any particular brand of gas works better than any other.

Are you sure you are using pure butane, and not "Camping Gas/Gaz" ? Pure butane is available in oriental grocery stores for cooking stoves and looks like this:









Camping Gaz is a propane/butane mix to make it more amenable at low temperatures [e.g. on the top of a mountain.] It is more readily available than pure butane, at camping/outdoor stores.

Accucraft says use pure butane, as the gaz mix produces higher pressures in your gas tank, posssible leading to premature joint failure. Again, no one has reported any problem, and I can tell you my C-16 ran for years using the gaz mix without incident - including one occasion when the outdoor temp was below freezing!


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

When you guys talk about "blowing the jet backwards", how are you doing this? Compressed butane hitting your finger would be quite cold. Are you physically blowing it with your mouth? On my MSR whisperslight international stove, there is a very tiny shaker that is in the jet. It assures no problems with clogging.


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By iceclimber on 20 Mar 2011 09:44 AM 
When you guys talk about "blowing the jet backwards", how are you doing this? Compressed butane hitting your finger would be quite cold. Are you physically blowing it with your mouth? On my MSR whisperslight international stove, there is a very tiny shaker that is in the jet. It assures no problems with clogging. 

Jeremiah - by saying 'blow the jet backwards' we mean exactly that. 

1. Carefully undo the gas-jet burner pipe from the tank, using a GOOD fitting miniature open-ended wrench.

2. Then, carefully inscrew the gas-jet from the pipe.

3. Notice that it only fits one the way - it is not possible to turn it around and replace it the wrong way.

4. Holding the gas-jet firmly in a set of smooth-jawed pliers - if you have them - push the nozzle of the gas container hard up against the FRONT of the gas-jet, blowing gas through it from front to rear. Any blockage will have been blown out by the pressure of the gas.

5. Replace in the opposite order - do NOT tighten up the pipe fittings more than finger-tight, plus an eighth of a turn. Ths is enough to ensure a tight gas seal.

tac


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

Here's my procedure, for what it's worth...

Unscrew the jet.
Hold the front end of the jet down on the filler tube of a can of butane, thus allowing a reverse flow of gas through the jet.
With the jet off, purge a tank of butane to the atmosphere. This will tend to blow any residual crap out of the tank. It doesn't take much to plug up a jet.


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

sounds like fun. I love to take my MSR stove apart and make sure all features are working tip-top. I only have one stove with me when I climb.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

When you guys talk about "blowing the jet backwards", how are you doing this? 
While 'blowing backwards' with pressurised gas from the tank is the preferred method, last time I had a partial burner block I just blew through my mouth into the jet. It worked much better afterwards.


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

That is the way I would do it too Pete. If I were at home I have access to an air compressor. That would seem to do the trick too. Though, I would need to hold onto that jet good, lest the blast of air send it out into parts unknown.


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## Walter (Mar 2, 2011)

Thank you very much for all the advice everyone has given me, I really appreciate it alot. I'm going to look into what kind of butane it is that I'm using. I think its the camping kind not sure. But its all been good advice!


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## rwjenkins (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By steamtom1 on 20 Mar 2011 12:15 PM 3. With the jet off, purge a tank of butane to the atmosphere. This will tend to blow any residual crap out of the tank. It doesn't take much to plug up a jet. 

This probably goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway... If you try this,* make sure you do it outdoors! *


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