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Washing Machine and Limescale

Does anyone know of a way to clear out limescale form a washing machine?

I have noticed that I am starting to get some limescale in the filter in my washing machine. I have been told that it can destroy machines if left to grow...
Is there a way to get rid of it? :shrug:

I know I can buy stuff for my kettle....But I don't think that woudl work in my drum somehow! :laugh: :D
 
A cheaper alternative is a pint of distilled white vinegar. Pour straight into the drum and put the machine on the longest hottest wash (no detergent!). Repeat every 3 months. Well, that's what Kim and Aggie recommend anyway! ;)
 
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I thought Calgon was a detergent brand!

I'll look and see how much it costs.....If its too much I'll go with the vinegar!

Thank you gentlemen!
As ever the answer was just a question away! :laugh:
 
Limescale is more of a problem in hard water areas and is most often noticed when it's accumulated around the heating element of electric kettles.

I live in a hard water area and as well as the elecric kettle symptom, I also have to occasionally clean the washing machine filter - not just because of the limescale I might add.
The problem often voiced (or advertised on TV) is that a washing machines heating element will eventually fail due to the corrosive action of limescale unless preventative or remedial action (ie install a water softner device or use Calgon etc).

From my own experience, I've never ever used any such measures and my present machine (Bosch) is 21 years old and still going strong. The previous machine (Hotpoint) lasted about 15 years before I dumped it due to a failed drum bearing (which has naff all to do with limescale).

PS: This place is not a bad supplier for appliance spares:
http://www.appliancespares2go.co.uk/browse.do
 
I cant recommend the electronic descalers enough, wrap a wire around the cold inlet feed and be amazed as all your water turns cloudy for about a week, then the scale is gone!
Oh, but be prepared for blocked ballvalves and tap washers in the process of it shifting!
 
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Limescale is more of a problem in hard water areas and is most often noticed when it's accumulated around the heating element of electric kettles.

I live in a hard water area and as well as the elecric kettle symptom, I also have to occasionally clean the washing machine filter - not just because of the limescale I might add.
The problem often voiced (or advertised on TV) is that a washing machines heating element will eventually fail due to the corrosive action of limescale unless preventative or remedial action (ie install a water softner device or use Calgon etc).

From my own experience, I've never ever used any such measures and my present machine (Bosch) is 21 years old and still going strong. The previous machine (Hotpoint) lasted about 15 years before I dumped it due to a failed drum bearing (which has naff all to do with limescale).

PS: This place is not a bad supplier for appliance spares:
http://www.appliancespares2go.co.uk/browse.do

The water is hard here too, I've never hard a washing machine fail from limescale either and I've never used a softener other than whatever ingredient is in standard washing powder.

I've never had a washing machine element fail. On at least the decent machines they are designed to cope with being encrusted with a layer of limescale and the residue of the washing powder, the heat would tend to crack it off anyway. When I've had the drum out of an old washing machine the limescale coating wasn't thick enough to worry about. Never had a flood as you also see in the ads caused by limescale either :laugh:

I had my last Hotpoint washing machine for at least 12 years and sold it at auction for £50 because I noticed the water seal which protects the bearing had failed, because parts are expensive - nothing to do with limescale. Previous one was at least 15 years old and the bearing failed for about the third time.

I suppose you could use citric acid if you can find a cheap source, or kettle descalent, carefull you don't inhale the fumes though*. Screwfix used to sell very cheap acid for cleaning central heating systems, I guess that might be far too agressive though.

*Someone spilt a small bottle of Kettle descalent in the B&Q around the corner a year or two ago (formic acid I think) they had in attendance most of the local police force who set up a 50m exclusion zone, 2 decontamination units, 3 fire engines and four ambulances to ferry the staff to hospital after they stripped and had their decontamination showers. Things have certainly changed since my dad used to work with hazardous chemicals :laugh:


Perhaps vinegar is the safest bet :)
 
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Distilled white vinegar is the cheapest and best answer. Calgon works well too.
However, if most washes are on 40 degrees you need nothing at all ...except to clean out the filter regularly.
 
Yeah I've got very hard water too. Tried the electric/radio scale preventers as well as the magnetic one and none works for me. They sound "voodoo" as there's no sensible reason for them to work, but trials at some respected water place I can't remember show they do indeed work sometimes. But they can't predict when, so if you can get one cheap it's worth a try.

My kettle is always full of scale, but like the poster above it's never been a problem with the washer.

If you do use vinegar and/or a descaler - and I wouldn't bother - beware if you've got granite worktops as they will dissolve it.
 
Screwfix used to sell very cheap acid for cleaning central heating systems, I guess that might be far too agressive though
Hello Mel,
I had a friend use a central heating cleaner many years ago. Unfortunately, the debris collected right by the 3 port valve and was enough to stop the water circulating and burn-out the motorised valve. What was about a £10 product ended up costing him a couple of hundred quid in calling out a plumber to fix the problem :eek:
I don't know if it does any good or not, but once a year I put a few long squirts of washing up liquid in the header/expansion tank.
 
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I bought some a few years ago with the intention of cleaning out the sludge in our central heating system before we had it upgraded and a new boiler fitted as much of the existing piping and some of the radiators were being retained. Forgot to do it in the end and I wouldn't use it now, not least because it would probably 'find' some leaks.

I put a good quality corrosion and limescale inhibitor in the heating system every few years (usually fernox) .


Oh and I once had a kettle blow up after descaling it! I think the acid found a flaw in the element, so when I put the (plastic) kettle on with some fresh water in it, the water found its way inside the element's metal jacket and turned to steam and blew a hole in it to escape. The kettle jumped an inch or two off the worktop and dumped the water in it over the worktop. Fortunately no one was standing close to it at the time :laugh:
 
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Done the exact same as you did with the kettle Mel. Don't 'arf go off with a bang when you switch it on, don't it!!!

Years ago I decided to start using Fernox when I eventually have to replace my old Potterton Kingfisher boiler. The trouble is that it just keeps going and going without any problems - it has the year 1976 stamped on the serial ID plate.
I'm loathe to replace it while it's still working okay, however the price of fuel is seriously making me consider replacing it with a condensing boiler sometime in the near future.
 
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