I have a Bosch steam generator iron, which has just started emitting dirty coloured liquid. I live in Scotland so descaling should not be an issue. Can I assume it is faulty as I have not put anything in other than water and the brown must have come from somewhere?
I have checked it was not picked up from other clothes. The unit is quite old now. I don't want to risk collateral damage.
Is there a better option than Bosch?
Do you use tap water in your iron? Not living in a hard water area is no guarantee that you won't get some sort of scaling, eventually, if you use tap water in the iron. Anything that's dissolved in the water will form a deposit as the water is evaporated in the iron. Some water companies add lime to raise the pH of their water, to reduce the corrosion of concrete pipes and tanks by acid waters. Some water supplies contain iron in solution, either naturally or dissolved from old and corroded iron pipes. Sometimes an indication of this is a brown streak down the inside of the toilet or below the cold water tap in the bath, if either of them leak/drip very slightly. Most people's kettles, anywhere, will have a thin brown deposit on the inside, regardless of where they live or the hardness of the water.
There's a Wiki on cleaning a steam iron using vinegar that you might try
I did indeed use tap water, in the mistaken belief demineralised water was not needed in Scotland. However, it is odd that the problem has occurred so suddenly. Had it been water contamination, I would have expected it to build up over time.
Thanks for the link. However, my understanding is that a generator iron generates the steam in a separate vessel. Does the same principle apply to cleaning? I assumed only steam was transferred between the two so I am not sure how the dirty brown stuff got to the iron. .
maybe a clean-out will work.
NT
maybe a clean-out will work.
NT
Ah, so it must be one of these, or something similar
Never come across them before. I'm as puzzled as you are! All I can think of is that there's been some sort of bacterial growth in the iron part that has now got disturbed. Does the brown liquid coming out of the iron respond to conventional bleach? If so, it could be bacterial; if not, it could be iron staining. Note the caveats :-)
To protect what you're ironing, perhaps you could use something like an old tea-towel or napkin between it and the iron.
In message , Scott writes
We are in Aberdeenshire and use tap water in our Morphy Richards steam generator iron, which is probably 10 - 12 years old, irons for 3 of us and has never been cleaned.
Yes, occasionally, dirty steam comes out, and I have no idea why, so when I'm ironing, I always start with a coloured handkerchief, which matters less than, say, a white shirt. To be honest, it happens rarely enough that I don't really give it much thought. Perhaps yours happens more regularly, which would be cause for concern.
Thanks. I'm going to try a descaler from John Lewis and see what happens. It will probably fill the room with steam.
I'll clean it out twice :-)
Citric Acid from your local Chinese/Indian grocers is excellent and much cheaper. Rinse twice after using.
Heating element starting to fail?
Has the water reservoir run dry when still heating? If so any residue or scaling on the element may have burnt and turned a subsequent water fill brown.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.