DESCALING THE WATER SYSTEM

[Johnnyboy1]

Hi peeps, it him again, a quick question if I may, and, whilst this question might seam a bit mad I thought I’d enquire.

 

We’re currently sitting in a great campsite in Kent, however, the lime levels here are extraordinary high, so high you have to wipe the kettle out every two days or you’re drinking limescale, not sure what it’s doing to those poor bu ggers out there that have to suffer it on a permanent basis, however, the question is, “ has anyone out there ever felt the need to run kettle descaler through the water system?” And, if so, did it damage it? would it damage it?

 

Our van is a 2017 model the heating system is a sealed trauma system which runs on antifreeze so no worries with that, but the hot water system, taps and pipe work must be taking a right lime dousing at present, so I was wondering if it’s possible?

 

as always your answers will only be shared with those that visit caravan forum,  I’m looking forward to receiving your responses

 

regards johnny

[Paul_B]

I do mine a couple of times a year with clear spirit vinegar, theres a few topics on the subject in the water section

 

Or citric acid if I don't have vinegar 

[Stevan]

Interesting point!

Personally I can never get worked up about limescale and hard water. Soft water just does not taste right and is useless for washing hands and face because it is all but impossible to get the soap off.

The limescale itself is, AFAIK, primarily harmless calcium carbonate and traces of calcium are essential in our diet for healthy teeth and bones.

Limescale in hot drinks settles out within seconds and most just lies in the bottom of the cup or teapot.

As to your heating system, limescale mainly forms at temperatures far higher than heating and hot water systems operate at, otherwise it would be a huge problem in domestic heating  boilers. 

We live in a hard water area and an amount forms in the kettle, which flakes off after a while and is caught by the strainer in the spout needing nothing more than an occasional swill out. Only the coffee machine needs regular descaling because of the heating element being in a small bore tube.  

 

[Paul_B]

How would you explain the limescale coating on the lead pipes used for mains water 

 

It was this coating which protected us from the lead 

[Mr Plodd]

For the amount of time a caravan system has water in it I wouldn’t bother! It’s not like a domestic system that’s full of water 24/7

 

Andy

[OWOMW]

If you must descale then use food grade citric acid.

Citric Acid Trip

[Paul_B]

Food grade citric acid is readily available at homebrew shops, wilco etc, I get white vinegar at around £1.75 a gallon for 5% acid content so tend to use that 

Truma suggest we use special decalcification products from camping specialists or conventional vinegar essence or citric acid.

Truma used to do a product called Truma Aquastar 

[Paul_B]

 

heres a link http://www.moranmotorhomes.co.uk/after_care/4edf965542890/Truma-AquaStar

[Johnnyboy1]

I would like to thank you all for taking the time and trouble to reply, I’m off to the local brewery shop to get some acid, cheers

[The road toad]

We never use water from the caravan pipes for drinking/food preparation - too many chances of nasties breeding in infrequently used pipes open to the air.

But, we do flush through the system with a purification product after every trip.

[Black Grouse]

39 minutes ago, The road toad said:

We never use water from the caravan pipes for drinking/food preparation - too many chances of nasties breeding in infrequently used pipes open to the air.

But, we do flush through the system with a purification product after every trip.

 

Is there any point doing both?