Encrusted salt

[homerj]

Is there any chemical which will dissolve encrusted salt. I am trying to remove the water feed pipe between the power head and the water pump on my Johnson 8 hp where it passes thru the centre section of the leg. It passes thru a guide hole in the leg about 3/4" diameter and 8" long which is full of salt and is very difficult to shift. I have tried water, vinegar, WD40 and all of the above with a blowlamp and poking with a welding rod with little success. The pipe is copper running thru the alloy leg section... HELP...

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[snowleopard]

very hot fresh water will eventually dissolve it. i worked with an engineer on an old river boat with raw water cooled engines which had a thick layer of salt and silt in the waterways every season - he put the heads on a gas ring and chipped out the waterways with the tang of a file!! s*d of a job.

you get a salt like deposit in the pipes of a head and we are advised to use white vinegar on that.

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[homerj]

Thanks for the reply I`ll try to get a drum big enough and maybe if I boil the thing for long enough it may soften. If there are any chemistry types out there maybe they could suggest some acid / concotion that would accelerate the salt into solution

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[cliff]

"If there are any chemistry types out there maybe they could suggest some acid / concotion that would accelerate the salt into solution"

The "encrusted salt" may not be salt. More than likely it is calcium or magnesium carbonate or the likes so flushing with water will have little or no effect. White vinegar (acetic acid) as available to the public is too weak to be of much use. I personally use ½ molar solution of Formic Acid (mainly) because I have access to large quantities at the right price although ½ pint is enough.

I would suggest you get some lime scale remover (or steam iron cleaner) from your local hardware store or even tesco's. It will not be as fast as my soln but it will remove the carbonate deposits. Make sure you flush the pipe well after cleaning.

On my inboard, at the "end of the season" I remove the raw water inlet from the strainer and with the help of a bucket and some extra 1" hose recycle the water from the exhaust via the bucket back to the engine - run the engine until warm then dump the limescale remover into the bucket and wait for a few minutes (10~15 mins) the deposits are generally all gone but if not then I change the water and repaet the cycle.

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[Thresher]

How do you check that the salt deposits are all gone?

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