Boiler cleaning: removal of limescale and dirt with their hands, prevention

From time to time there comes a time when utilities are beginning to carry out inspections and repair of heating systems. This means that millions of city dwellers for a few weeks will be left without hot water. Many of them have long since solved this problem by installing in their homes electrical water heaters. Now surprises public utilities they are not afraid, but the boiler periodically requires special care.

The importance of de-scaling in the boiler

All good boiler! But he, like any other technology, requires careful treatment and ongoing care. It is particularly important for the effective operation of the unit regularly (at least once a year) clean it from scale.

Within three to four months of work on the PETN (tubular electric) boiler settles 2-3 mm lime deposits caused by the poor quality of water supplied to the apartment. This means that one fifth of the electricity is wasted.

With each month thickness of the scale layer increases several times. It forms a coil heating element harmful to the insulating sheath of the device, and after a year of work unit will not seriously strain to be heated to the same as before, the same number of temperature water. If you do not take action to remove scale, TEN can fail due to overheating.

Furthermore, in the dirty boiler tank can settle harmful microorganisms to the human body, such as legionella. The use of water contaminated by them is very dangerous.

One conclusion: the cleaning of the heater - the basic procedure for its services, a necessary condition for preserving the health of both the user and the device itself.

The operating instructions noted that the service of the boiler, including its cleaning should be carried out certified specialists who know by heart how to clean the water heater (especially the TEN) from the scale and other dirt. However, if you look closely in the procedure of this operation, it becomes clear that nothing daunting is not here, and it can handle at home, anyone who knows how to keep a screwdriver and wrench hand key.

Symptoms indicate a need for cleaning

If you decide to take on the maintenance of your boiler regularly listen to his behavior. There are many signs that, without cleaning Use the appliance is dangerous:

• audible hissing or whistling while it is running;
• increasing energy consumption for heating of water;
• There turbidity hot water or its acquisition yellowish hue;
• increases the time of heating of water;
• more often than before, going off and on the device.

Flushing the water heater without sorting out 

If you can not disassemble the machine or its owner is sure that the boiler is not very dirty, you can carry out cleaning without disassembling it. In this case, the operation is as follows:

1. Shut tap into the boiler cold water.
2. To disconnect from the boiler tube, through which cold water flows.
3. Drain device with two-thirds of the heated fluid, which open on the mixer near the hot water tap.
4. To prepare a cleaning agent, e.g., dissolve 150 g of citric acid in 1.5 liters of hot water. You can purchase a specially designated for that purpose in the store. In this case, to act according to the instructions attached to it.
5. Wear on the feed hose pipe into the boiler cold water at its free end to the funnel insert.
6. Pour through the funnel in the water heater tank cleaner. It is guaranteed to hit back, to keep the funnel above the machine, and after pouring the prepared funds to pour an additional liter of hot water.
7. Hold means in the tank before days, after which its drain and rinse the container with clean water.

complete cleaning 

boiler cleaning methods can be considered for example water heaters company TermexIncluded in the top five most purchased.

To clean the water heater from scale and dirt on the full program, the first thing we must drain the water out of the unit. The operation is performed in the following order:

1. Shut feed path into the boiler cold water.
2. Open closest to the heater hot water mixer faucet.
3. When water stechot (one to two minutes), close the faucet.
4. Ensure wherein the water has cooled down to a temperature suitable for operation within the water heater tank. Better to wait half an hour, than get burned.
5. №2 wrench to unscrew the nut in the lower part of the check valve, which secures it to the cold water supply tube
6. Unscrew the valve and immediately put on a boiler tube pre-prepared hose. This may shed some water.
7. The free end of the hose dipped in a bath, toilet, water heater installed under the bucket or other container.
8. Unscrew the nut on the pipe through which hot water is issued, whereby the boiler goes to air and water flow out of it entirely. If it does not, should be vigorously several times to blow into the hose, and drain will be renewed until the water is completely withdraws from the tank.

Further operations should be carried out after de-energizing the device. For this:

1. Disable power plug boiler electrocution.
2. Remove the decorative and protective cover to provide access to the working parts of the boiler.
3. Take a photograph or a drawing location disconnectable electrical instrument circuits in order to avoid problems with connecting them after cleaning, and open all the contacts. Remove the thermostat, temperature sensors, and all the wires.
4. Unscrew the nuts securing the heater to the body of the boiler and gently pull it out. If cleaning is not carried out for a long time, disassembly can be difficult due to the fact that the heater had grown scum. The main thing - do it gently and without haste, so as not to damage the heater tube.

TAN is an assembly of several elements: the device heart - the heating coil tube, wherein temperature sensors are arranged, and a magnesium anode. This sacrificial detailDestroying itself, protects the inside of the boiler and its walls from corrosion and softens the scale on PETN.

Exterior of the scale scrape heating element with the back of a knife. Do it carefully so as not to damage the surface of the coil. For purification, the magnesium anode can apply rigid brush or emery cloth. If the anode is greatly thinned, replace it with a new one.

To clean the heater well from scale, it is necessary for several hours to put it in a solution of citric acid (50 g per liter of water). It is convenient to use for this purpose a plastic bottle of mineral water, cut off from her neck. After this operation, rinse thoroughly under running water heater. Remains of mud from the bottom of the boiler tank to clean hands. Then rinse the inside of a shower and wipe with a cloth.

Once managed to clear the water heater from scale can be proceed to the assembly of the deviceWhich is carried out in reverse order. Be sure to pay attention to the reliability of the rubber seals. After connecting the boiler to the water and fill the tank to make sure there are no smudges, and only then connect to electricity. Boiler Thermex ready to work efficiently again.

Prevention of the pollution

It is clear that the process and the goal of clean water heater special pleasure scale brings. To carry out this procedure as little as possible (but without prejudice to the device), it should be adhere to these guidelines:

• set the filter, the cleaning of solids water coming into the boiler;
• apply softening water filters;
• heat the water to a minimum required temperature (periodically raising it to a maximum disinfection boiler);
• planning the purchase of a new electric heater, to give preference to a model in which the dry heater is built.