Why do we bother with faucet aerators (which simply get clogged over time with lime)?

[LM]

Why do we bother with faucet aerators (which simply get clogged)?

My faucets were almost totally clogged with hard water deposits (I'll call that whitish greenish coating lime for lack of a better term).

So, at Safeway, I picked up LimeAway and put the satin-finish faucet tip in a cup of that over night.

Unfortunately some of the faucet metal was etched away to pink copper (what is in LimeAway anyway?) but the good news is that the holes unclogged in the aerator screens.

Now, I can tell from the name that the aerator puts air bubbles in the water at faucet, and I can see a difference with and without the aerator ... but I don't really see why it matters.

Please edify me.

What's in limeaway anyway (that etched away the satin coating)? Why do we bother with aerators anyway (which simply get clogged)?

[Molly Brown]

You need an aerator with a DOME SHAPED, STAINLESS STEEL (NOT PLASTIC) screen that is easy to remove and rinse like this:

so you don=92t have to do this:

[ransley]

They reduce water flow to save water, in commercial buidings and apartments where tenants dont care about the bill landlords can save

50% . Low flush toilets, shower heads and areators are law in my area. Its not hard to clean them.

[hallerb]

:

lime away is just diluted muriatic acid.it attacks metal if left exposed too long

I replace clogged aerators when necessary

[Larry Fishel]

If it's mostly lime, you could soak it in vinegar and not do as much damage (not that losing the chrome off an aerator that you can't see anyway matters much).

It does at least two things that I know of:

1) It usually allows you to wash any given item (including hands) just as effectively with less water (thus saving water). Not sure I can adequately explain why, but it seems to be the case. 2) It makes the water splash less in the bottom of the sink.

Drawbacks:

1) When you really do need a lot of water to clean something (or have low pressure), it slows the process. 2) Takes longer to fill a dog dish, pot or water bottle. 3) Eventually gets clogged (but 3 minutes of work every few years will remedy this).

JMFO

[aussiblu]

And as Twinings say "tea loves oxygen" so for the tea drinkers aerated water makes much better tasting tea.

[Tony Hwang]

Our water is very hard. Water softener is a must in our city. No problem with aerators. Try CLR?

[RobertPatrick]

Tony Hwang wrote in news:Q5YQn.57632$ [e-mail]:

They are supposed to save you money by using less water.

[LM]

Muriatic acid? The pool stuff?

Googling, I see muriatic acid is hydrochloric acid. Sold in standard concentrations of 31.45% acid and 68.55% inert ingredients, primarily water

I guess it would be cheaper to just grab a bottle of the acid stuff over by the pool, and dilute and then soak the aerator screens in it.

I'm guessing a 5% or 10% acid solution would be equivalent to lime away then. Do you think so?

[LM]

It's whitish greenish hard stuff. I have no idea what it's made up of. Since it was on the outside of the faucet screw on tip, I put the entire tip (screen and all) into the lime away.

The etched metal is actually visible since it shows up on the outside of the faucet ... but its on the underside where the water comes out of the tip, so it's not too bad. Anyway, what's done is done.

Well I'll be. The "aerator" (which presumably adds air bubbles) makes the water splash less. OK. I guess. If that's what it's for.

Either way. I'd say the aerator doesn't do much then:

- less water (I have a well and, well, the amount I use in the sink isn't my biggest problem as the pool uses vastly more water and so does the irrigation - than a puny sink)

- splash less (I tried it with and without the aerator. Sure, it made more noise and had more bubbles with the aerator, but, it seemed to splash about the same. So, I'd conclude the aerator doesn't do all that much if it's to prevent splashing.

[LM]

Wouldn't a "flow restrictor" and not an "aerator" be for using less water? It's so confusing ... that little screen makes you use less water???

[Roger Shoaf]

By adding in air to the flow of water, when the water hits the sink it's force is dampened and you do noit get splashing like you do when you have a straight faucet.

To see this for yourself, just take the aerator off and let the flow hit the sink.

It is an acid.

[LM]

Strangely enough, it doesn't say what it is on the bottle. I called the Reckitt Benckiser consumer information line on the bottle

800-228-4722, but they're closed weekends.

This web site seems to give the facts:

Lime A Way Extra Lime Remover:

• Citric acid

[Jim Elbrecht]

Also comes in a 20% solution now at Lowes. Same price as the 31%- but labeled 'green- less fumes'. And it doesn't say 20% anywhere I could see on the label. The only reason I'm saying 20% is because the directions for etching concrete with the 'green' stuff- says to use

50% more than the 31% solution calls for.

Couldn't say what the % is-- but Lime Away, Vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice- all work about the same for me.

Jim

[Ed Pawlowski]

"LM" wrote

If you cannot see major the difference, it is not working properly. My sink faucet would splash some distance as opposed to barely a splash with the aerator. If it clogs frequently, you should treat your water as those deposits can harm your fixtures, water heat, etc. Your laundry also has those deposits on the fabric. I have a whole house filter and can go years with no clogging. Chances are you need a filter or softener, maybe both.

[dadiOH]

A mild acid (not hydrochloric).

Don't think "aerator", think "filter". They catch the larger particles of mineral and organic material that are present in all water. All that I have ever seen are removeable - and replaceable - for cleaning and are generally made of brass/bronze.

[Larry Fishel]

Lime (white) plus copper oxide (turquoise-green)?

May be too corroded to work properly then.

[Ed Pawlowski]

If you need that course of a filter, you should probably have a whole house filter. Those deposits also help wear out seals and washers faster too. When I first moved to this house, I had to replace them every 6 months. With a filter, they've lasted over 20 years.

[Doug Miller]

No, it's not.

Yes, muriatic acid is "the pool stuff". No, it's not the active ingredient in Lime-A-Way. According to the MSDS for the product, Lime-A-Way is phosphoric acid, 32%.

Cheaper still, and safer, to just soak your aerator screen overnight in vinegar. That's what has always worked for me.

No. Phosphoric acid is a much stronger acid than hydrochloric (muriatic) at the same concentration. 32% phosphoric acid is about 10 times as strong as 10% hydrochloric. Either one is overkill for cleaning a faucet aerator, though. Vinegar works just fine.