My toilet has a buildup of scale. I guess my water has a lot of calcium or something like that. Using bleach makes it look whiter, but the buildup is still there. Commercial toilet cleaners do not seem to remove it. Scraping it with a putty knife works, but it's a big job. What else can I use? I was thinking of some type of acid. I did pour some vinegar in it, but it's so diluted in the water that is dont do anything.
Suggestions?
snipped-for-privacy@myplace.com wrote the following:
Sewer or septic system. It's important to know before you throw chemicals in it.
That's just dilute hydrochloric (Muriadic) acid in an expensive container.
If there are rust stains, the same technique works for oxalic acid. I don't sponge the water out. I've got a specially formed coat hanger that keeps the float raised and then I quickly dump about half a gallon of water from a bucket which flushes it, leaving less than an inch of water in the bowl. I use toilet tissue so I can just flush when finished.
-- Bobby G.
Muriatic acid is the normal suggestion. Works well, quickly, easy to rinse.
Easier with a toilet plunger.
yep plunge it down, then use muriatic acid, and put some down the dip tube to clean the interior toilet bowl rim passages.
The safest and best off the shelf cleaner I've used is "the Works". I've had very good luck with it.
No muriatic, but it does have acids
Everyone keeps telling you to use hydrochloric (muriatic) acid which is fine but no one tells you that you need to *dilute* it. And when you dilute it, BE SURE to add the acid to water, not vice versa else you may get a face full of acid.
The hydrochloric acid you buy at pool supply or similar places is usually around 28-32%. For what you want, I would add about 3 ounces of it per quart of water giving you about a 3% solution. If that works with reasonable speed, fine; if not add another ounce or so acid at a time until it does. Keep in mind that as the acid removes the calcium scale it is neutralizing itself and becomes less acid necessitating a fresh batch.
Once you are all sparkly clean, flush a couple of times; it wouldn't hurt to flush 1/2 of a box of sodium bicarbonate with the last flush to neutralize.
My toilet has a buildup of scale. I guess my water has a lot of calcium or something like that. Using bleach makes it look whiter, but the buildup is still there. Commercial toilet cleaners do not seem to remove it. Scraping it with a putty knife works, but it's a big job. What else can I use? I was thinking of some type of acid. I did pour some vinegar in it, but it's so diluted in the water that is dont do anything.
Suggestions? ============ If it really is bad enough, you could try Ring-B-Gone. If you're not afraid to use it after reading the back label, that is.
Think he's right. Wife was using something and it said 20% hydrochloric acid on the label. Told her I would get her refills in the future. Think muriatic is 37% concentrated HCl.
There he lies, cold and placid, because he added water to the acid.
I tried "The Works". I'm impressed. That stuff really did the job. Four or five years of brown scale and it took it right away. I could see it bubbling, so it must contain an acid. As bad as this scale was, I had to use it twice, and apply elbow grease with the toilet brush, but considering how bad it was, it looks like a new toilet now, except for some of the marks left by the metal wire in the brush. I scrubbed hard, so I went down to the wire, and left some marks. But I'm sure that will wear off after awhile. It looks almost like a new toilet now. I'll recommend this product to anyone.
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