"Jim Elbrecht" <elbrecht@email.com> wrote in message news:q1all3ljlj0i8cppan6dl9l7a7rai20og2@4ax.com... > On Sat, 8 Dec 2007 04:27:17 -0800 (PST), Doc > <docsavage20@yahoo.com> > wrote: ... > I'd rather replace the tank than remove/fill/rinse/rinse/rinse, > & roll around in between each rinse. I second that motion. The metal of the tank is not impervious to most anything used that will attack "stone". Better to run your hot water fill through an RO unit... or at least some of its makeup. David A. Smith

"Bill Penrose" <penrose@iit.edu> wrote in message news:07edda99-c9e6-466b-8060-a27914def9b3@d4g2000prg.googlegroups.com... > On Dec 8, 5:27 am, Doc <docsavag...@yahoo.com> wrote: >> Is there anything I can pour into a water heater that will dissolve >> mineral deposits and definitely not damage anything inside the tank? > > Here in Tucson, the mineral content is high, but instead of forming > hard scale, the deposits are thin and soupy and easy to flush out. If > the deposits are muddy, I'd recommend backflushing first. This will > involve disconnecting some pipes. > > When removing scale by any means, be sure to drain water from the > heater valve and don't run it forward through the household system, or > you may end up with bigger problems if chunks and pebbles of dislodged > minerals run into the pipes, and a monster plumbing bill. . > > You can use any acid, or citric acid, and let it sit in the heater for > some time without heat. Then drain or backflush. Don't expect success, > though, it's a tough, nasty job and some scale just won't budge. > > Dangerous Bill Bill, Is your water softened? If so, the stuff you're removing isn't the same as the typical hard water build up. IIRC, the softener converts calcium carbonate (hard stuff) to sodium bicarbonate which is flaky when dry but mushy (thin and soupy?) when wet. Flushing or dissolving sodium bicarbonate is relatively easy. Just remember the "IIRC" I qualified my chemistry with : )

"Bill Penrose" <penrose@iit.edu> wrote in message news:187dce14-0abb-43f8-b375-19f8e958f5d1@a35g2000prf.googlegroups.com... > On Dec 8, 11:15 am, "DonC" <coon...@NOSPAM.hotmail.com> wrote: >> Is your water softened? If so, the stuff you're removing isn't the same >> as >> the typical hard water build up. IIRC, the softener converts calcium >> carbonate (hard stuff) to sodium bicarbonate which is flaky when dry but >> mushy (thin and soupy?) when wet. > > Nobody around here softens their water because the mineral content is > so high a softener would be exhausted almost immediately. Evaporation > forms black rings inside the toilet bowl that won't come off without > chemical help. > > A water softener contains cation and anion exchangers that replace > calcium and magnesium with sodium, and carbonates and sulfates with > chloride. Again, because water is scarce here in the Sonoran Desert, > the backwashing needed to regenerate the filter would be an > unconscionable waste. > > DB > I'm 25 miles south of Tucson in Green Valley so my water quality must be close to yours. Very hard! I'd guess that over half the people here have softeners. We don't yet because there's no iron in the water to discolor things. I'm sure we'd have one if we had a basement like everywhere else we've lived. It's hard to redo the plumbing when everything's buried under the slab. So the options are 100% softened which we don't want. Or only hot water softened which doesn't work out well since the cold water is so warm.

Dear Doc: "Doc" <docsavage20@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:1cbd240e-985d-4f3b-8d53-362258bc295c@e1g2000hsh.googlegroups.com... > On Dec 8, 10:50 pm, do_...@do.com wrote: ... > I installed new maybe 5 - 6 months ago. I figure I > should drain & clean it out at least twice a year, > lots of minerals in the water around here - central > Florida. And how. > Not at all the case, it's about 6 months old, I'm > just looking at preventative maintenance. ... > I was just wondering if there was anything I could > use to chemically break up the sediment without > manually going in there and breaking it up as > described above, maybe hitting when the > sediment buildup wasn't as advanced. http://www.approvedarticles.com/Article/7-more-maintenance-tips-for-water-heaters/2818 http://www.floridasoftwater.com/facts.cfm Some sales blurb on softeners: http://www.waterfilter-usa.com/page.html?chapter=0&id=32&zenid=e09ceff20c96b07dad78dd827af9f971 David A. Smith