De-scaling electric kettle
 

We live in a very hard water area and need to de-scale the electric
kettle often. We have tried various de-scaling products, including
vinegar.
The best was "Scale Away" crystals from Tesco.

But that's quite expensive - and I bet it's something ordinary like
sodium citrate. Does anyone know what the chemical actually is - and
where it might be obtained cheaply in bulk?
--
Chris

I use Killrock, which is a liquid and works better than ScaleAway.

You can buy large bottles of descaler for central heating system which
surely must be much cheaper as otherwise a house would take a thousand
ScaleAway sachets, maybe!

In article ],
Chris ] wrote:
We live in a very hard water area and need to de-scale the electric
kettle often.

Why? ;-)

--
*Why is a boxing ring square?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Peter wrote:
You can buy large bottles of descaler for central heating system which
surely must be much cheaper as otherwise a house would take a thousand
ScaleAway sachets, maybe!

But you don't drink out of the central heating?

--
*If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ],
Chris ] writes:
We live in a very hard water area and need to de-scale the electric
kettle often. We have tried various de-scaling products, including
vinegar.
The best was "Scale Away" crystals from Tesco.

But that's quite expensive - and I bet it's something ordinary like
sodium citrate. Does anyone know what the chemical actually is - and
where it might be obtained cheaply in bulk?

For metal kettles, the descaller is sulphamic acid, which you can buy
in large tubs of crystals (Furnox DS-3) from a plumbers merchant (or
possibly a DIY shed) for descalling heating systems. The little kettle
descalling sachets are a complete rip-off, and lots of then seem to be
half full of sand anyway.

I don't know what's used in plastic kettle descallers (I've used the
same stuff without any problems, but it usually says not to).

--
Andrew Gabriel

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ],
Chris ] writes:
We live in a very hard water area and need to de-scale the electric
kettle often. We have tried various de-scaling products, including
vinegar.
The best was "Scale Away" crystals from Tesco.

But that's quite expensive - and I bet it's something ordinary like
sodium citrate. Does anyone know what the chemical actually is - and
where it might be obtained cheaply in bulk?

For metal kettles, the descaller is sulphamic acid, which you can buy
in large tubs of crystals (Furnox DS-3) from a plumbers merchant (or
possibly a DIY shed) for descalling heating systems. The little kettle
descalling sachets are a complete rip-off, and lots of then seem to be
half full of sand anyway.

I don't know what's used in plastic kettle descallers (I've used the
same stuff without any problems, but it usually says not to).

--
Andrew Gabriel
Will DS-3 also work in wc pans. Ken Livinstone suggested that we don't
flush the toilet after a **** the save water. My two kids do the same
but are just too lazy to flush the toilet. After a while the staining
is so bad even a good brushing wont shift it so I use spirit of salts
from a builders merchants. Chucking a measure of something down there
sounds a bit easier.

Kevin

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 10:00:49 +0100, Chris ] wrote:

We live in a very hard water area and need to de-scale the electric
kettle often.

Citric Acid crystals from your local Indian food shop, usually a
couple of GBP for a kilo bag. Using one of those small stainless
steel mesh rolls sold as scale preventers in the kettle will slow
down the scaling process quite a lot. You simply wash the steel roll
under the tap every week and it collects a lot of the scale on its
large surface area.

--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 10:00:49 +0100, Chris ] wrote:

We live in a very hard water area and need to de-scale the electric
kettle often. We have tried various de-scaling products, including
vinegar.
The best was "Scale Away" crystals from Tesco.

But that's quite expensive - and I bet it's something ordinary like
sodium citrate. Does anyone know what the chemical actually is - and
where it might be obtained cheaply in bulk?

Buy a filter jug and use only filtered water in the kettle. You'll
find it hardly scales up at all.

sponix

"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
.. .
In article ],
Chris ] writes:
We live in a very hard water area and need to de-scale the electric
kettle often. We have tried various de-scaling products, including
vinegar.
The best was "Scale Away" crystals from Tesco.

But that's quite expensive - and I bet it's something ordinary like
sodium citrate. Does anyone know what the chemical actually is - and
where it might be obtained cheaply in bulk?

For metal kettles, the descaller is sulphamic acid, which you can buy
in large tubs of crystals (Furnox DS-3) from a plumbers merchant (or


Tried furnox and it works, but smells a bit which lingers for a week on
plastic kettles (from experience). Plus it will strip any nickel plating
off the kettle element if it's left in there for hours, leaving a nice brass
finish.

rusty

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Chris ] wrote:

We live in a very hard water area and need to de-scale the electric
kettle often. We have tried various de-scaling products, including
vinegar.
The best was "Scale Away" crystals from Tesco.

But that's quite expensive - and I bet it's something ordinary like
sodium citrate. Does anyone know what the chemical actually is - and
where it might be obtained cheaply in bulk?

The instructions which came with my Morphy Richards concealed element kettle
recommend getting citric acid crystals from a chemist. I haven't tried it
yet!
--
Cheers,
Set Square
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Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.

Set Square wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Chris ] wrote:


We live in a very hard water area and need to de-scale the electric
kettle often. We have tried various de-scaling products, including
vinegar.
The best was "Scale Away" crystals from Tesco.

But that's quite expensive - and I bet it's something ordinary like
sodium citrate. Does anyone know what the chemical actually is - and
where it might be obtained cheaply in bulk?


The instructions which came with my Morphy Richards concealed element kettle
recommend getting citric acid crystals from a chemist. I haven't tried it
yet!

About 60p for 100 gms, which should be enough for half a dozen descales.
You can re-use it if you're really tight.
I use the same tub of dilute sulphamic for the shower head for a year or
so....

In article , Stuart Noble
writes
Set Square wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Chris ] wrote:
We live in a very hard water area and need to de-scale the electric
kettle often. We have tried various de-scaling products, including
vinegar.
The best was "Scale Away" crystals from Tesco.
But that's quite expensive - and I bet it's something ordinary like
sodium citrate. Does anyone know what the chemical actually is - and
where it might be obtained cheaply in bulk?

The instructions which came with my Morphy Richards concealed
element kettle
recommend getting citric acid crystals from a chemist. I haven't tried it
yet!

About 60p for 100 gms, which should be enough for half a dozen
descales. You can re-use it if you're really tight.

Thanks - very helpful.
--
Chris

In article , Peter
writes
I use Killrock, which is a liquid and works better than ScaleAway.

Where do you get that?- because I've done a web search and couldn't find
it.
--
Chris

I normally put half a cup of vinegar plus 2 cups of water in our kettle and let it boil and it removes the lime scale quite easily.

In article ,
"Rusty" writes:
Tried furnox and it works, but smells a bit which lingers for a week on
plastic kettles (from experience). Plus it will strip any nickel plating
off the kettle element if it's left in there for hours, leaving a nice brass
finish.

The smell is deliberate, and an indication you haven't washed it
all out. The dye is an indicator to show when the chemical is
exhausted. I have found it to stain some plastic brush bristles,
and I guess it could stain some other plastic parts.

--
Andrew Gabriel

On 24 Aug 2005 10:18:51 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

I don't know what's used in plastic kettle descallers (I've used the
same stuff without any problems, but it usually says not to).

It'll kill them eventually.

"Kemetal" is a plastic used for kettle making. It's filled with a cheap
mineral filler, which is dissolved (slowly) by descalers. Eventually
you'll get softening and crumbling of the plastic,leading to leaks.

So use the descaler, but don't over-soak and rinse well afterwards.

Where do you get that?- because I've done a web search and couldn't find
it.

Pertinent info on the bottle reads:

Kilrock Products Ltd
Customer Care (oh dear, god help you!)
Chesham
Bucks
HP5 3HB
Tel: 01494 793900

Contains Formic acid and additives

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 10:00:49 +0100, Chris ] wrote:

We live in a very hard water area and need to de-scale the electric
kettle often. We have tried various de-scaling products, including
vinegar.
The best was "Scale Away" crystals from Tesco.

But that's quite expensive - and I bet it's something ordinary like
sodium citrate. Does anyone know what the chemical actually is - and
where it might be obtained cheaply in bulk?

The question still remains...why would you want to descale a kettle?
Is it building up so much scale on the element that it takes longer to
boil?

Even a newly descaled kettle can deposit bits of limescale slime in
your tea, though it does help if you buy one with a mesh filter in the
spout.

Mr F.

In article . com,
writes:
Will DS-3 also work in wc pans. Ken Livinstone suggested that we don't
flush the toilet after a **** the save water. My two kids do the same
but are just too lazy to flush the toilet. After a while the staining
is so bad even a good brushing wont shift it so I use spirit of salts
from a builders merchants. Chucking a measure of something down there
sounds a bit easier.

Spirit of salts (hydrochloric acid) is more powerful, but it might
also eventually dissolve away the cement seals in clay pipework if
you use it routinely, making the sewer leak.

Proprietry toilet cleaners will have a descaller, degreaser to remove
organic residues, and a thickener in them to cling to the sides of
pan long enough to work. A squirt of that round the pan and left
overnight, with a quick brush around in the morning before flushing
away, will probably work better than just sulphamic or hydrochloric
acid.

BTW, don't mix cleaners or other chemicals in the toilet -- some
combinations can give off large quantities of chlorine gas very
quickly. Flush clear one chemical several times before using another.

--
Andrew Gabriel

In article ,
Mr Fizzion writes:
The question still remains...why would you want to descale a kettle?
Is it building up so much scale on the element that it takes longer to
boil?

That's a very tiny effect.
The element still has to get 3 kW (or whatever it's rated at) out
into the water. If there's a layer of insulating scale around it,
then the element will be running very much hotter, and fail faster
(although nowadays, some other part of the kettle normally fails
before the element, with kettles having become "consumables").
Also tends to make the kettle noisier ("kettling";-).

Even a newly descaled kettle can deposit bits of limescale slime in
your tea, though it does help if you buy one with a mesh filter in the
spout.

IME, mesh filters get blocked with hard water too, and then when
your pour, the water comes out all the wrong places, like round the
side of the lid. Mesh filters need descaling more often than the
element.

--
Andrew Gabriel

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Mr Fizzion wrote:


The question still remains...why would you want to descale a kettle?
Is it building up so much scale on the element that it takes longer to
boil?

In some cases, it's a condition of the warranty.

Presumably the element can overheat and self-destruct if the scale provides
too much insulation between it and the water.
--
Cheers,
Set Square
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Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.

One method I have used when
a) it's someone else's kettle,
b) they aren't looking,
c) there's no descaller anywhere to be seen,
is to switch it on with no water in it for long enough that the
residual moisture in the scale on the element has boiled off plus
a few more seconds so it's well above boiling (probably some 5 to
10 seconds in total), switch off, and then pour a small amount of
cold water in so it splashes on the element. It hisses and spits
(beware of the steam), and makes the scale crack and fall off.
Of course, if you're unlucky, you'll burn out the element, trip
the overtemp, and/or buckle the element, but so far I've always
got away with it. It only descales the element itself, not the
rest of the kettle of course.

I discovered this at university, where is was quite common for
ones colleagues to pop in and switch on your kettle without first
checking if there was any water in it, and when it starts making
gasping noises and the element is glowing a dull red, then they
hold it under the cold water tap. The element doesn't need to be
anywhere near that hot for the effect to work though.

--
Andrew Gabriel

Hmm, clever. I just bought a little SDS drill with lots of bits, I'm
sure one of them is suitable for attacking limescale.