12 Better Remedies Than Cleaning A Water Heater At Home
In many apartments, special boilers are installed, which are used to heat cold water. Experts advise to regularly clean the water heater in order to clean its walls from traces of scale. If this is not done, the boiler will quickly overheat and consume more electricity.
Reasons for the formation of deposits in the water heater tank
Limescale is a hardened deposit that appears after prolonged use of the boiler. There are several reasons that contribute to plaque formation:
- Use too hard water. This liquid contains a lot of salt, which gradually settles on the walls of the boiler. Boilers, in which hard water is heated, are cleaned at least once every nine months.
- Strong heating of the liquid. If the water heater often heats the water up to 65-70 degrees, then traces of scale appear inside it faster.
- Frequent use of the boiler. Water heating equipment that is used every day should be cleaned every 4-5 months.
Cleaning methods
Before cleaning the water heater, you will need to figure out how to remove scale.
Without dismantling
Some think that it is imperative to rinse it to clean the boiler, but this is not the case.You can get rid of the plaque on the walls without disassembling the device. To do this, pump out all the water and pour a solution of water and citric acid inside.
After that, the boiler is turned on and left to warm up for about 3-4 hours. Then the liquid is drained and the tank is rinsed with cold water.
Collection at home
If the boiler is very dirty, it must be dismantled before cleaning.
Tool
Before you start analyzing the technique, you need to prepare the tools that can be used for this. To do the job, you need the following:
- a screwdriver with built-in indicator to check the tension of the wires;
- an ordinary flat or Phillips screwdriver to unscrew the fasteners;
- the scissors;
- a set of keys;
- a cloth or sponge to wipe the boiler.
Evacuation
Before cleaning the water heater, be sure to drain the water. To do so, follow these steps:
- disconnect the equipment from the power source so that the water tank has time to cool down;
- close the tap responsible for the cold water supply;
- turn on the hot water and wait for it to drain completely into a bucket or other empty container.
diy disassembly
Before disassembling the equipment, it must be carefully removed from the wall on which it hangs. To do this, remove all fasteners, after which the tank is placed on a flat surface with the taps up. When the water heater is removed, the heating element and the thermostat must be removed from it. To do this, you need to slightly loosen the bracket and remove the parts.
Heating element cleaning methods
There are two methods for cleaning the heating element, which will help to quickly remove traces of scale.
Mechanical
A heavy layer that has accumulated on the product for several years is removed mechanically. To do this, you can step on the surface with a knife or other sharp object. When little plaque remains on the heating element, it is wiped with a damp sponge dipped in soapy water.
Chemical
Some people are afraid to mechanically clean the heating element, so as not to accidentally damage its surface. In this case, use the chemical descaling method. The product can be soaked in a solution based on chemical detergents or citric acid. Soaking should take 2-3 hours, after which scale can be wiped off with a cloth.
Tank cleaning
It is very easy to clean the tank from contamination. First, you need to manually remove all the scale that has accumulated at the bottom. Then the walls of the container are rinsed with strong water pressure to break up the larger pieces of scale.
After that, the walls of the tank are wiped with a hard cloth or sponge to remove the remaining dirt.
Eliminates odors
Sometimes an unpleasant odor appears inside the tank, which will need to be eliminated. To do this, drain the liquid from the container and fill it with clean water. Then the water is heated to the maximum temperature, after which it is drained. The procedure is repeated until the unpleasant smell disappears.
Assembly
After cleaning the heating element, the water heater can be reassembled. The procedure is carried out in the same way as dismantling the boiler, only in the reverse order.
What to clean
There are several products that can be used to clean boilers.
Popular
People who do not want to use chemical detergents use folk remedies.
The vinegar
Acetic acid is an effective remedy that can be used to flush a water heater. When creating a working mixture, it is necessary to dilute vinegar with water in a ratio of one to three. Then a sponge is moistened in the solution and the surface with a flower is wiped.
lemon acid
A citric acid cleaning solution will help remove scale and clean the plaque surface. To prepare the mixture, add 5 to 7 grams of acid to one liter of warm water. The liquid is stirred thoroughly until the citric acid is completely dissolved.
Vinegar soda
Sometimes the boiler is flushed with a liquid based on vinegar and soda. When creating a product, 100 milliliters of acetic acid and 80 grams of soda are added to a one-liter container with water. Then the walls of the water heater are washed with a solution.
Professional
To remove limescale faster, use professional detergents.
Filter
For descaling and cleaning the interior surface of boilers, use Filtero. It is available in powder form, which must be dissolved in heated water before use.
Filtero is very effective and helps remove impurities after the first treatment.
Topper 3031
This product is specially designed to clean water heating equipment from scale deposits. Features of this detergent composition include:
- effective removal of dental plaque;
- lack of toxic components in the composition;
- ease of use.
bagi kumkumit
To combat corrosion and scale, you can use Bagi Kumkumit.It is a concentrated and effective compound that can restore the surface of boilers, coffee makers, kettles and even irons. Use Bagi Kumkumit at least once a month.
"Melon ZhS17"
This product should be used if the boiler has not been cleaned for several years. Melon is considered a highly concentrated product that removes scale, mold, mildew, corrosion and many other contaminants.
"Silit"
It is a versatile detergent that helps remove stubborn stains, rust deposits and scale from surfaces. The advantages of "Silita" include the fact that it can restore the original shine of the coating.
"Eona Bio"
"Eona Bio" is a high quality cleaner used for washing household appliances. The components that make up this powder allow you to quickly remove tartar. Before use, a sachet of "Eona Bio" is diluted in a liter of water.
Bagi Shumanit
A popular detergent composition used by many housewives to remove fat and scale deposits. You cannot flush the water heater with Shumanit more than twice a month.
"Solita"
For gas boiler and water heater cleaning many people use Solita cleanser. The product contains components that corrode even old ladders.
"Master Boilermaker"
It is a universal cleaner used not only in households, but also in service organizations.
It removes traces of corrosion, removes scale and removes grease from the surface.
signs for cleaning
Owners of boilers from Ariston and other manufacturers do not know when to clean the tank. There are several signs that cleaning equipment is needed:
- rapid overheating of the boiler;
- increased energy consumption;
- the appearance of scale in the water.
Rules of care and prevention
The instantaneous water heater requires proper maintenance. It must be washed and cleaned periodically so that scale does not form inside. Cleaning is carried out at least once every 30-40 days.
How to clean a dry heating element
It is necessary to thoroughly clean the heating element dry so as not to damage its coating. It should be soaked in citric acid for about four hours, after which the surface is wiped with a sponge. If there are traces of scale on the heating element, the procedure is repeated.
Conclusion
For the water heater to work properly, it must be regularly cleaned of contamination. Before that, you need to understand the basic methods and means of cleaning.