Nd:YAG laser + vodka = a life hack. Why put alcohol in a laser?
Why alcohol goes into an Nd:YAG laser's cooling water: it keeps algae and bacteria out and stops the system freezing when the device is moved in winter.
The title of this article brings to mind a bartender-artist who, after a working day, mixes a "cocktail" in a shaker and pours it into the laser. How else can you explain such a strange use of alcohol?
I admit the bartender idea is funny, but it's all much simpler! For a laser removal specialist, vodka has a purely practical purpose.
Where did this question come from?
In laser manuals you can come across this phrase: "pour N amount of alcohol into the cooling system." No further explanation is given.
This puzzles device owners and makes them search the Internet for the answer to "why?". That is how the article you are reading came about.
Where do specialists pour the vodka?
Why a laser needs water
Start a pulse series and compare the cooling.
The volume of water is not critical: even 1–1.5 litres is enough if the radiator and pump are good and the water circulates well through the resonator.
Is there some special compartment in the laser?
First, a short tour of how a laser device is built. Its handpiece contains a xenon flash lamp; it releases a huge amount of heat to generate a pulse.
Only a small part of that energy is absorbed by the crystal and goes into generating the laser pulse. The rest simply turns into heat!
For your laser to work steadily and not break down, it needs a good cooling system.
In short, the cooling system consists of a radiator, a pump, a system of tubes and a fluid reservoir. The reservoir must be filled with distilled or deionised water.
It is to this coolant that some manufacturers recommend adding alcohol!
The main question: why put vodka in a laser?
The answer is simple! Alcohol acts as a preservative that protects the fluid from all sorts of living things. For example, from algae and bacteria that can disrupt circulation and break the laser!
Sounds strange... How can algae "settle" in a laser?
I understand that this seems unbelievable. I too would have considered a "greening" device nonsense if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes!
Once I watched the water being drained from the cooling system of an ELOS hair removal device (the water in it had not been changed for 2 years!!!).
To keep it short: a whole green micro-world poured out of it!
The owner didn't even know that the water in the device had to be changed regularly, and this is how it ended.
If you don't want your laser to become home to algae and bacteria, add alcohol to the coolant!
Or, at the very least, change the water regularly.
Vodka has another use too: it is poured into the cooling system when the device is transported in winter.
To transport the device in the cold season, you must drain all the water from the cooling system. But what if you can't manage to do that? What then?
Leave the water as it is
- When the water freezes and expands, there is a high risk of the cooling system rupturing. As a result, the laser will be ruined.
Replace the water with vodka
- This way the fluid won't freeze and won't damage the laser. The device can be transported safely in winter.
Frequently asked questions
Why add alcohol to a laser's cooling water?
Alcohol acts as a preservative that protects the coolant from algae and bacteria, which can disrupt circulation and break the laser. If you do not add it, at least change the water regularly.
What water goes into a laser's cooling system?
The reservoir must be filled with distilled or deionised water. Some manufacturers recommend adding alcohol to this coolant.
How do you transport a laser in winter?
Drain all the water from the cooling system, because frozen water expands and can rupture it and ruin the laser. If you cannot drain it, replace the water with vodka so the fluid will not freeze.
