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I am new to DG and especilly to this forum. We have some lime deposits in our hot water pipes that restrict the flow of hot water. Is there a homeowner remedy ? Can a plumber fix it without ripping up my pipes? No, we don't have a water softener.
Shoot, I sure wish someone had some experience with this! I googled Lime Remover for Hot Water Pipes and found this: http://www.greatinspector.com/faq-plum-lime-htwtr.html
I know when I get hard water buildup in my showerhead, I soak it in vinegar and I also run vinegar through my coffee maker to remove deposits, so this sounds like a similar thing. I have no idea if this will work, but if you decide it is something you want to try, I sure hope you post and let us all know if it works for you.
And Welcome to Daves!!! :~)
Donna
I as just talking to my husband about this very idea...and he said th hot water heater is self-enclosed. Sounds kinda scary to me! (Removing anode tube) but I bet he could do it!
LOL, brilliant minds think alike. It was nice that there were step by step instructions on there, no idea if it is the same type of heater as yours, but if your DH does do it, I sure hope it solves your problem. Then maybe you can do it on a regular basis as a preventative thing! That would be great to not have to pay a plumber, would'nt it? :~)
Best of luck Suzy.
We did it, and it worked! It worked!!! ~¡doing the happy dance!~
Pudgy,
We changed the plan to something easier than what is listed in the website above. We tried to get vinegar INTO the showerhead! LOL!
Here are the directions, remember you can't use your hot water for18 hours after you start this!
You'll need:
• a gallon of vinegar, we used apple cider vinegar
• a 36"-48" piece of clear flexible tubing that fits inside your spout. Ours was 5/8 OD 1/2 ID clear plastic tubing
• a funnel that fits the tube
• duct tape (naturally)
Turn off water heater.
Close off water supply line
Remove shower head fro spout -- soak it in the bathroom sink
Turn on shower to hot to open the line
Drain a little water from the hot water heater to get rid of water in the pipes going to shower.
Insert clear plastic tube (like an aquarium tube, but probably 3/8" or 1/2" in diameter. It fits inside the spot of the shower.)
Attach funnel to end of tube.
Duct tape it to the wall higher than the spout (which didn't work all that well, as it turns out) Actaully raising and lowering it like a nice vinegar toast got more vinegar to move than anything) We poured 1/2 gallon into the spot, but only 1/2-3/4 of that made it into the tube. Did I mention this is messy? It drips down your arms.
Let it sit for 18 hours.
Reverse the above directions and take your full-force shower! Be careful you don't burn yourself!!!! LOL!
Post here if you try this. DH would love to hear it!
Hey Suzy,
sounds like you solved the problem!! Well done! Wonder how long you will see the results? If you could get by with only doing it once a year, that would be livable, especially since you now know the routine. I will for sure try this if my pipes get crudded up, seems like an easy and inexpensive solution. Thanks for the update!
Donna
