Supplies, materials used?
I’m sure one year I will have too
Descale Tankless Water Heater after 5+ years?
- Thread starter JeffKeryk
- Start date
I’m sure one year I will have too
A pair of washing machine hoses, several 5 gallon buckets (for faster flushing after descale), sump pump (which I had) and a commercial descaler. I would have used vinegar or the chemical @Trav suggested, but I had little time so I just Amazon'ed the descaler and hoses. The bigger issue for me is to do it on an annual schedule. It is a simple process.
all you need is one of these and a 5 gallon bucket and some washing machine hoses. 3-4 gallons of vinegar . also this is with the assumption the installer put in the flushing valves. i have seen a couple of time where they were not installed. mostly from diy ers
https://www.amazon.com/MEDAS-Submer...=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&th=1
Could be placebo affect, but the descaling seems to have improved the Noritz hot water delivery. Mission accomplished!
It should have improved it, the scale can act as an insulator and prevent heat transfer.
My mom has a noritz and I do the flush every year. First one was with citric acid, the following ones were with white vinegar. I run a loop from a 3 gallon bucket into the heat exchanger and it returns to the bucket for 20 minutes. She has hetch hetchy water, not hard at all.
There is a screen on the inlet that should be cleaned as well.
Did you see mineralization after 5 years of buildup?
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The solution was cloudy, dark grey cloudy. Probably closer to 7 years and we have hard water.
I let the solution run for 1 hour. I am 100% satisfied with the results.
I use 4 gallons of white vinegar in a 5 gallon bucket with a submersible pump floating on a tire iron and zip ties. 45 minutes of pumping it through the machine, every six months in West San Antonio.
I like the idea of getting the pump off the floor of the bucket...
For future reference - and for others - what are the ingredients of that product ? Odds are it's just a simple solution of citric acid or something. Same thing applies for things like "Kuerig Machine Cleaning Solution" that's $12 for a 6-ounce bottle
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What I used...For future reference - and for others - what are the ingredients of that product ? Odds are it's just a simple solution of citric acid or something. Same thing applies for things like "Kuerig Machine Cleaning Solution" that's $12 for a 6-ounce bottle
For future reference - and for others - what are the ingredients of that product ? Odds are it's just a simple solution of citric acid or something. Same thing applies for things like "Kuerig Machine Cleaning Solution" that's $12 for a 6-ounce bottle
It’s going to be an acid solution, CLR is pretty strong and uses sulfuric acid and it smells sulfery. Less aggressive is going to be citric acid followed by white vinegar is 5-6% acidity.
We use a 2:1 mix of 5% vinegar & 3% peroxide solution to remove scale and organics from instruments used in water treatment. It is an acid + oxidizer and would also work in this application.
The OP had 7 years of buildup with hard water, something more aggressive would be needed than basic white vinegar IMO. Going forward he can try $2/gallon vinegar from Costco or buy powdered citric acid and mix it himself with distilled water to the strength needed.
50% Water + 50% citric acid, right on the label (with % from SDS)
I'd avoid CLR for many applications because of how strong it is. With citric acid, I wouldn't worry a whole lot about it getting into the rest of the plumbing in the house either, in fact, it can help. With CLR and vinegar, I'd have to run every faucet, washing machine, dishwasher, fridge water dispenser to make sure it all got flushed out.
I used to turn on the unit once the pump started to circulate the vinegar through the system. This would warm up the vinegar and make it more effective in removing the scale than just cold vinegar. Once the vinegar was hot, I would turn off the heater. Worked pretty well.
Any condensing water heaters have small passages through the heat exchangers. Mineral deposits are a insulator which causes hot spots that will damage the tubes and twist them up causing leaks. Heat exchanger failure that isn't under warranty. Cleaning the heat ex can cause it to leak if the tubes are all ready damage. Small leak fire side might not see when burners is firing water flashes to steam. Can also show up in condensate being more or you put your ear to the heater firing hear water sizzle like drops on a hot pan.
Just did our Rinnai today, typically do it on the 1st of every year since I’m off that day. Late this year. Have a old sump pump from gpa, 4 gallons of vinegar and a HF bucket. Never get anything out but seems to flow better. I put the vinegar in the washer after and flush it out also. I know op already flushed theirs but I’d say in that case if it fails at least it’ll be on your terms not when it finally gives.
