Homemade Grit Guard

[txz28]

This is a repost of a topic that was lost in the server problems. I am reposting because some people might find this helpful.



Gonzo orginolly mentioned the idea of using “egg� crate plastic from Home Depot as a homemade grit guard. See the below topic.



http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32896



Here was my process:



1. I bought some plastic used in drop ceilings from Home Depot. I found it in the drop ceiling section in the lumber side of the store. It cost me less than $10 for a big sheet enough for at least 6 buckets. (See photo).



2. I traced the outline of the bucket on the plastic.



3. Using a pair of wire cutters I cut the plastic.



4. I then wedged the plastic into the bottom of the bucket. This ended up being about 3� from the bottom of the bucket. This was my intentional height. I had also considered adding some other plastic zip tied togther to form a base for the grit guard, but decided that this was not requied since I wedged it in there pretty well.



I have only used it once, but it worked well. The guard stayed in place and did not move.

 

[txz28]

Here is another picture.

 

[txz28]

This is the last picture inside of the bucket.

 

[jasonatv22]

Excellent. I was thinking about how to do this kind of thing.

 

[tom p.]

 

[Pats300zx]

Thanks for reposting....:up

 

[txz28]

Tom,



Did you place yours directly on the bottom of the bucket? I kept mine about 3" off of the bottom. It is wedged in there. I did this to really minimize any dirt that could get cought in my wash mitt.



Kevin

 

[tom p.]

I have mine positioned about 1.5" off the bottom of the bucket. It's real tight but I can still remove it for cleaning as necessary.



This was a good find. I had another type of material before but this product (made by Lithonia) is much more open and will do a better job.

 

[shaf]

Yes, thank you for reposting this! :xyxthumbs

 

[txz28]

I have mine positioned about 1.5" off the bottom of the bucket. It's real tight but I can still remove it for cleaning as necessary.

From the picture it was hard to tell if it was sitting on the bottom or not. Mine is similarly a tight fit, but removeable. I do not really see the need to remove it though. I just rinse the dirt out of the buckets out when I am done washing.

 

[Vincent Vega]

Cool! I just had 3 flourescent fixtures donated to me. They all had the grid. I took the grids out for better overall lighting. I was going to throw them out. I'm glad I waited.

 

[imported_BobbyG]

Follow this like over to Amazon and get them pretty reasonable.



Amazon.com: GRIT GUARD INSERT RED: Automotive

 

[BobD]

I used to use the egg crate style light diffusers but the GG, I feel, was better. The GG doesn't have any flat edges, they re all rounded so that NO dirt will sit on the top surface. The egg crates I'd find pieces of plastic every one in a while where a sharp edge broke off.

 

[9935annivgt]

I also thought that with traditional grit guards the plastic that keeps it off the bottom would also minimize any "wave action" from the wash mitt that would cause the dirt to stir up into the soap. I think I will stick to the traditional grit guards.