Unshiftable loo stains

[meow2222]

Both work fast. Both eat flesh & eyeballs. HCl produces choking fumes, H2SO=

4 doesn't. H2SO4 is the more chemically toxic, but both are nasty. HCl perm= anently discolours any microcracking in the glaze, and many an old bog pan = has been disfigured this way. The end products of both acids don't in any w= ay stick to the ceramic, there's no solubility problem. IOW either will do,= but H2SO4 is safer and less likely to cause damage.

salt won't be needed :)

more ignorance than stupidity really

NT

[Weatherlawyer]

[RobertL]

areas of darkened encrustation below the waterline, which refuse to > > yie= ld to bleach and similar domestic cleaners and which even direct > > scrubb= ing cannot shift. Any suggestions? Perhaps draining the loo (by > > siphoni= ng off the water?) and then retrying the cleaners is the way to go? > > > >= Many thanks. strong sulphuric acid is The One. NT

You mean hydrochloric acid i think.

But, a word of warning: My wife once used HCl on a very stained loo and it= worked a treat on teh limescale. But afterwards the ancient lead pipe, i= nto which the loo discharged, sprang hundreds of tiny leak holes.

Robert

[metric_trade]

I'm also fan of Harpic 100% limescale remover. As has been said here, if th= e stains are stubborn, just leave it overnight. No need for knives, scraper= s, or wooden sticks.

Best price appears to be =A32.19 at Robert Dyas

I don't use it much because I don't like pouring strong chemicals into the = sewer. But it's a great tool for occasional use. I'm sure there are other p= roducts out there.

There's an interesting discussion of it (and other cleaners) at:

also mentions that if you mix acid and chlorine cleaners, you'll get poi= sonous chlorine gas.

[The Medway Handyman]

I've seen very strong acids take the glaze off toilet pans. Use something like Harpic total limescale remover & some patience.

[Andrew Gabriel]

worked a treat on teh limescale. But afterwards the ancient lead pipe, into which the loo discharged, sprang hundreds of tiny leak holes.

Yes - you need to flush it from the loo AND the pipework, which is going to be more than one flush, if you have metal (lead, iron) sewer pipes, or lime mortar or cast iron interceptor traps in the inspection chambers.

[<me9]

I second that. It (or its predecessor) has worked well over the last 30 odd years. I'm not sure what it contains but it's not expensive and it works.

I've also used it for other limescale jobs it's not recommended for and had no real problems, apart from SWMBO's wrath if she finds out.

One I've used it for in the past has been staining below my (supposedly non condensing) boiler flue, but now I use brick acid for that whenever I get round tuits. Acid rain doesn't work as it's too sheltered.

[<me9]

I occasionaly do that deliberately (with fan on and plugs inserted) to get rid of the pong enamating from the top of the horizontal pipe linking my two sinks.

I can't be the only one with this regular task. How do others tackle it? Foaming drain cleaner? Or what? The best cure is dismantling but is yukky!, and beware of someone pouring the bucket down the sink in mid-job.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

I came across an ornate pan which had been subjected to too severe cleaning over the years. The damn thing fell apart and it was just good fortune it didn't happen with someone on it - those razor-edged shards could have done some serious or fatal injury.

[polygonum]

A few years ago there was a fair bit of publicity about failing Victorian bowls. Have a feeling it was Glasgow that was suffering. But are you sure it was cleaning and not ordinary wear and tear, freeze and thaw, etc.?

[Lieutenant Scott]

Water shortages? What overpopulated 3rd world country do you live in?

[Lieutenant Scott]

Stop going to the curry takeaway every night.

[metric_trade]

I have a pipe linking two sinks but it's a gradient. Can you put a gradient in yours?

[Andy Champ]

Overpopulated, yes. Third world, no.

We had hosepipe bans across most of southern England last summer.

They maintained ours until I emailed them to ask why the groundwater level (which was very low) was relevant to us, when we get river water. They didn't reply, but cancelled the ban next day!

Andy

[Lieutenant Scott]

I beg to differ, your water board can't supply you with water in the wettest island in the world.

We don't get those in Scotland. If I did I'd secretly run the bath taps all day to spite them.

Don't expect paperpushers to follow logic :-)

[Thomas Prufer]

I'd try shaving foam from a can.

"Shaving foam" was a tip for shifting the buildup in a sink overflow: the tip was shoot foam in, let sit overnight, rinse. Other cleaners ran through; this worked.

Thomas Prufer

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

Oh, might have been both and this pan was definitely subject to a fairly aggressive cleaning regime for a couple of generations. It wasn't in an outhouse though; being in an inside bog at normal house temperatures. It fell to bits when I went to lift it - it was getting replaced at long last, but only as part of an update, not because it was leaking.

[Bert Coules]

One bottle of Boots' Ataka kettle descaler (40% formic acid) and twenty fours hours wait and the encrustations were softened and loosened enough to be gently scrubbed into non-existence.

Thanks to everyone for the thoughts and comments.

[stuart noble]

Interesting. I think this post should be quoted every time somebody suggests hydrochloric or sulphuric

[meow2222]

To recommend branded acids that cost 20x as much per treatment and take 20x as long? :) Funny.

NT