Clearing the calcium

Steve Clayton

Steve Clayton

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 May 2003
Messages
7,478
Location
Benitachell - Spain
www.aloeland.co.uk
One of the heads is severely restricted (good job we've got two!) and it's nothing "nasty". Regardless of the occasional throw some coca-cola down the heads, or a cupful of bleach (eco-friendly) diluted, letting it stand overnight and only flushing with fresh water. It's the residue, calcium style, build up.

Rodded it through with a 4.5metre flexi-cleaner rod and there is a restriction that I can't get through. There are some serious cleaners out there that will definitely clear it, (so say the trade shops I've been to); but these products are either sulphuric acid or caustic soda based and they generate heat as they get to work - scary!

So what else is out there that might to the trick or do I have to get down-and-dirty and replace the pipe?
 
Steve Clayton said:
One of the heads is severely restricted (good job we've got two!) and it's nothing "nasty". Regardless of the occasional throw some coca-cola down the heads, or a cupful of bleach (eco-friendly) diluted, letting it stand overnight and only flushing with fresh water. It's the residue, calcium style, build up.

Rodded it through with a 4.5metre flexi-cleaner rod and there is a restriction that I can't get through. There are some serious cleaners out there that will definitely clear it, (so say the trade shops I've been to); but these products are either sulphuric acid or caustic soda based and they generate heat as they get to work - scary!

So what else is out there that might to the trick or do I have to get down-and-dirty and replace the pipe?[/QUOTE]

If its blocked with calcium carbonate scale an acid cleaner ....a hydrochloric acid based brick cleaner perhaps, will be what is required. Or a sulphamic acid based descaler perhaps

Caustic soda wont help, nor will hypochlorite bleach as that is also strongly alkaline.

I'd avoid sulphuric acid solutions.

Since you give your location as La-La land it is not possible to help with suggestions as to what may be available to you locally
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
If in Spain, agua fuerte.

Or anything Hydrochloric acid based, often sold at hardware stores as brick cleaner.

dump a load in the bowl, fill with fresh water & pump into the pipework, repeat until clear.

Don't be surprised at Vesuvius near the outlet seacock ...

Bleach will add to the problem, coca cola maybe possible as a preventative measure.
 
Steve Clayton said:
One of the heads is severely restricted (good job we've got two!) and it's nothing "nasty". Regardless of the occasional throw some coca-cola down the heads, or a cupful of bleach (eco-friendly) diluted, letting it stand overnight and only flushing with fresh water. It's the residue, calcium style, build up.

Rodded it through with a 4.5metre flexi-cleaner rod and there is a restriction that I can't get through. There are some serious cleaners out there that will definitely clear it, (so say the trade shops I've been to); but these products are either sulphuric acid or caustic soda based and they generate heat as they get to work - scary!

So what else is out there that might to the trick or do I have to get down-and-dirty and replace the pipe?
Click to expand...

I buy 23% solution of hydrochloric acid. Available in supermarkets in France and hardware shops in the UK. I mix this 4 parts hot water with 1 part acid. Empty your toilet bowl and pour the mix up to the normal water level. Pump until it just leaves the bowl. Wait for 15 mins and refill to the same level. Pump until it leaves the bowl again, refill again. Wait another 15 mins. You should have enough solution to do this about 4 times. Watch with facination as the calcium build up erupts over the side.

I would not use the acid full strength but you can make the mix slightly stronger if necessary. Hot water helps the effect of the acid.
 
VicS said:
Since you give your location as La-La land it is not possible to help with suggestions as to what may be available to you locally
Click to expand...

3 votes so far for brick cleaner; so looking good - thanks guys.

La-la land is also known as "Gods Pocket". There are two Travis-Perkins close to me :)

I'm fairly certain that if I dig deep into a locker then there is some agua-fuerte; alongside the ammonia solution that we used to use on jelly-fish stings on the Spanish Med!
 
Last edited:
Steve Clayton said:
3 votes so far for brick cleaner; so looking good - thanks guys.

La-la land is also known as "Gods Pocket". There are two Travis-Perkins close to me :)

I'm fairly certain that if I dig deep into a locker then there is some agua-fuerte; alongside the ammonia solution that we used to use on jelly-fish stings on the Spanish Med!
Click to expand...

similar issue but alas I'm based in Croatia so will need to find a willing linguist. There's great local hardware store which has the only shop assistants in the country who speak no English and perhaps by coincidence has astonishingly cheap prices.
 
nigelmercier said:
A reminder: always add acid to water, never water to acid.
Click to expand...

Very important with concentrated sulphuric acid............ also add to COLD water
However not really important with hydrochloric acid esp when already supplied partly diluted

Adding concentrated HCl to hot water will produce a lot of fumes!
 
If it's heavily slagged up, the best answer is to remove the pipe from the boat and bang it from one end to the other with baseball bat or a soft hammer, shake the slag out, and repeat until fairly clear.
 
For those in Croatia, hydrochloric acid is Solna Kisselina, translating as spirit of salts. It is available in Croatia in all supermarkets.

HCl is the stuff to use. Mix with hot fresh water and pour into the bowl and flush through slowly over 20 minutes or so. Better still, however is to mix with hot fresh water in a bucket, detach the sea water intake hose from the sea cock, and stick the hose in the bucket. Then flush through slowly. This will declag the intake hose, plus both sides of the heads mechanism.

If you have sulphurous smells when you flush sea water into the heads, this will help fix it. Especially if you then flush through with more hot water, empty the holding tank, and run a tablespoon of bleach to a bucket of freshwater through the whole system

If you have to remove the flexible hose, do not go crazy with a hammer. Start gently at one end and progress along the hose. If you are too violent, you will split the hose. A lesson I learnt the hardway!
 
Golf Charley said:
For those in Croatia, hydrochloric acid is Solna Kisselina, translating as spirit of salts. It is available in Croatia in all supermarkets.

HCl is the stuff to use. Mix with hot fresh water and pour into the bowl and flush through slowly over 20 minutes or so. Better still, however is to mix with hot fresh water in a bucket, detach the sea water intake hose from the sea cock, and stick the hose in the bucket. Then flush through slowly. This will declag the intake hose, plus both sides of the heads mechanism.

If you have sulphurous smells when you flush sea water into the heads, this will help fix it. Especially if you then flush through with more hot water, empty the holding tank, and run a tablespoon of bleach to a bucket of freshwater through the whole system

If you have to remove the flexible hose, do not go crazy with a hammer. Start gently at one end and progress along the hose. If you are too violent, you will split the hose. A lesson I
learnt the hardway!
Click to expand...
Thanks - really helpful
 
Citric Acid - obtainable from any home brewing store. Comes in powder form. I used to use it to remove concretion from items recovered from shipwrecks during my scuba-diving days - and calcium doesn't come much harder than that ! Also good for getting scale off shower heads etc.

Like most chemical reactions, heating the citric acid solution will speed up the reaction, but I'd use it cold first so that you can judge the reactivity - as plenty of gas (CO2) will be given off.
 
Should have added......

When hydrochloric acid reacts with something it produces chlorine gas.

Health and safety will tell you to ventilate well etc for you own health, but more significantly the chlorine will find all your electrical connections and corrode them (plus brass hinges etc etc)

So, do ventilate well, and do not leave it to fizz away over night, you will declag your pipework but you will cause electrical problems for years to come
 
As already mentioned, if the outlet pipe is not concealed behind cabinets etc then disconnect it from the toilet, get a rubber mallet and start giving it a bash, periodically shake the end and watch the build-up shuffle out of the end of the hose. Repeat until no more is coming out, then reconnect. Works like a dream and you can avoid using hash chemicals. Not so useful if the pipe is concealed by other trim.
 
Golf Charley said:
Should have added......

When hydrochloric acid reacts with something it produces chlorine gas.
Click to expand...

What absolute rubbish

It requires a strong oxidising agent such a potassium permanganate to produce chlorine gas from hydrochloric acid!

Like any acid it will react with carbonates, such as lime scale, to produce carbon dioxide.

It will react with sulphides to produce hydrogen sulphide. Immediately recognised by its bad egg smell.

In the event of a vigorous reaction there is danger of a mist of hydrochloric acid being produced and if concentrated solutions are heated there is a risk of hydrogen chloride being released.
These situations should be avoided as both a mist of acid droplets and hydrogen chloride gas itself are corrosive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top