# mineral deposits



## helenoftroy

I'm not sure where to put this question but I thought that those of you who have spent time in Greece might have had this problem and have suggestions..........the water in some parts of Greece has a high mineral content. I've de-furred the kettle with proprietary cleaner ( though I did have trouble reading the Greek instructions) but the toilet cassette got furred up too. I used the toilet cassette cleaner but it hasn't shifted the hard deposit. Is it okay to use stuff like limescale remover? Any suggestions?


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## rogerblack

I can't see any problem with using lime scale remover, I've done so in the past to remove build-up within the cassette and had no problems.

On the basis that prevention is better than cure, have you thought of buying a water filter jug?


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## inkey-2008

I have used plastic kettle descaler to clean the blade and the area around the flush inlet.

Andy


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## helenoftroy

filter jug- why didn't I think of that? ......but it would take a big jug to fill the loo and flush!!!!


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## rogerblack

helenoftroy said:


> filter jug- why didn't I think of that? ......but it would take a big jug to fill the loo and flush!!!!


Hey, you don't really need enough water to launch 1000 ships this time you know :roll: :lol: :lol:

Thetford C200 flush tank capacity is 7 litres, 2.6 litre filter jug = 3 jugfuls - not too bad as that should last several days.

Alternatively, how about installing an inline filter in your fresh water system:

http://www.uk-water-filters.co.uk/caravan_boat_water_filters.html

http://www.leisureshopdirect.com/Caravan/water/Filters/Whale_Aquasource_in-line_Filter.aspx

http://www.leisureshopdirect.com/Caravan/water/Filters.aspx

etc


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## zappy61

A water filter of the type use mention, will not remove calcium carbonates from the water they are normally activated carbon which removes tastes (chlorine) and odours (vegetable). You can remove the lime scale build up with acetic acid (vinegar) or citric acid or use a proprietary remover. Cillit bang is good for seals, shower heads and taps. To prevent build up in kettles.

Graham


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## rogerblack

zappy61 said:


> A water filter of the type use mention, will not remove calcium carbonates from the water they are normally activated carbon which removes tastes (chlorine) and odours (vegetable). You can remove the lime scale build up with acetic acid (vinegar) or citric acid or use a proprietary remover. Cillit bang is good for seals, shower heads and taps. To prevent build up in kettles. Graham


We have three jug filters (two at home and one for the van). One of our kettles in the office has a built-in filter holder specifically designed to reduce scale buildup. They all use exactly the same make and type of filter :!:

PS I wouldn't use Cillit Bang on a kettle :roll:


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## zappy61

rogerblack said:


> zappy61 said:
> 
> 
> 
> A water filter of the type use mention, will not remove calcium carbonates from the water they are normally activated carbon which removes tastes (chlorine) and odours (vegetable). You can remove the lime scale build up with acetic acid (vinegar) or citric acid or use a proprietary remover. Cillit bang is good for seals, shower heads and taps. To prevent build up in kettles. Graham
> 
> 
> 
> We have three jug filters (two at home and one for the van). One of our kettles in the office has a built-in filter holder specifically designed to reduce scale buildup. They all use exactly the same make and type of filter :!:
> 
> PS I wouldn't use Cillit Bang on a kettle :roll:
Click to expand...

Hi Roger,

Sorry, for some reason my post got truncated I t should have finshed 'To prevent build up in kettles use the a wire ball like this or to remove use half a cup of vinegar and add water to cover element bring to boil leave over night and wash out. The Cillit Bang is good for seals (toilet cassette) shower heads and taps. Activated carbon filters won't remove calcium carbonate you need a water softener to do it properly. Water hardness is in two parts permanent and temporary the temporary can be removed by boiling and the calcium or magnesium comes out of solution at the high temperature and adheres to the surfaces of the vessel it is contained in or in the case of the wire ball the wire ball. The permanent hardness can only be removed by ion exchange water softener. There are magnetic anti scale devices that fit in the pipeline that are claimed to charge the calcium and magnesium particles so that the will not adhere to the pipe or vessel surface.

Regards,

Graham


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## grizzlyj

Hi

You can get a Brita in line filter, probably feeding a seperate tap for drinking as the lifespan isn't huge.

It won't remove any of the stuff that the above ones will though, so maybe I need both! 

Jason


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## 747

I have removed limescale deposits from the seal and surrounding areas with a toothbrush (not mine, the wifes :lol: ).

Some people use cheap dishwasher tablets instead of 'blue' in the cassette. The more expensive ones have a built in limescale remover and these might be beneficial to try.

When I descaled my cassette, the deposits came away very readily from the plastic surface, not like a kettle, which might need a hammer and chisel.


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## rogerblack

More information here:

http://www.brita.net/uk/faqs_household.html?L=1#6

some relevant extracts:

* Does the BRITA water filter cartridge remove all minerals from drinking water? *
The BRITA water filter cartridge only partially removes the hardness from drinking water. This part is temporary hardness, which causes scale deposits during cooking. It does not remove all of the minerals from the water. It reduces the concentration of calcium and magnesium with cation ion exchange resins, but theses substances are not completely removed as in desalination systems or industrial plants that use reverse osmosis or distillation processes, for example.

* Reduction of hardness - what benefits do I have from decarbonised water? *
BRITA water filter cartridges reduce the temporary hardness of drinking water so that coffee and tea and food, for example, retain their natural aroma and taste. Tea tests performed over almost 30 years have consistently shown that consumers perceive differences between the appearance and taste of tea prepared with BRITA-filtered water versus with unfiltered water. This difference is clearly more pronounced in regions with harder water than in soft water areas. Kitchen appliances that heat water do not scale up as quickly when they are used with filtered water. The precipitation of calcium and magnesium salts leads to unsightly and annoying deposits (scale).


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