Remove Calcium from pipe

Cu plumping is getting pretty clogged up with calcium buildup otherwise the pipes are in good shape. I have remove and replaced a few sections for inspection and the test sections were like new after the deposits were removed. IS there a way to chemically or by other means to unclog them. I used CLR to clean the test pieces. I would gladly spend $1k on CLR if I thought this would do the job.

Reply to
Jimmie D
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An acid would eat the Ca buildup. I don't know if vinegar is strong enough, but I'd buy a gallon of cheap vinegar and try it. Let it sit for a while if possible - i.e. don't flush it with too much water right away. If this doesn't work, I'm not sure what types of commercial products are stronger acids (Draino etc. are basic). If you have a friend who works in a biology or chemistry lab they might be able to hook you up with some HCl. Good luck, Andy

Reply to
aenewhouse

Take the vinegar and heat it up, as hot as you can get it, before using it. I've microwaved the bottle before using it.

Reply to
scott21230

Tried the vinegar and it works, sort of. The trouble seems to be that there is so much calcium that it quickly neutalises it. It would take a lot of vinegar to clean the pipes. Found that a couple of tablespoons of HCl (muriatic acid)disolved in 10 gal of water gives a solution that is about 4 times more acidic than the vinegar. I plan on giving this a try. I also learned I could mix a solution of one gal of muriatic acid to 10 gal of water it get a reasonably safe to use solution. Reasonably safe means if you got some on your skin you could just rinse it off with no problems but you wouldnt want to leave it there very long and you defintely wouldnt want to get it in your eyes. Having never done this befoer and I dont think anyone else has either I will will try various concentrations of acid probably starting with about 4 tablespoon of acid to the 10 gal of water.

Reply to
Jimmie D

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