Calcium, Lime Deposits in Tea Kettles

[Texas Star]

Our city water has lime or calcium in it, and eventually leaves whitish deposits in tea kettles.

I found a liquid cleaner that works on stainless steel pans, kettles, etc., but the manufacturer warns against using it on aluminum. My two kettles are aluminum.

Would you guys ask your wives what to use to remove these deposits from aluminum? I hate to throw out otherwise perfectly good tea kettles and would have to replace them with other aluminum ones. I can't locate stainless ones

Thanks!

 

[dougb1946]

Vinegar should work.

 

[Texas Star]

Do I pour some in and let it set for a time, then slosh it around and rinse, or what? How long should it sit?

 

[Damn Yankee]

Might try this

How to Remove Limescale From a Kettle | eHow.com

 

[Texas Star]

Damn Yankee-

Thanks. Looks like another vote for vinegar. I'll try that today. Hmmm...wonder if you have to boil vinegar in the kettle, or just slosh it around? We'll see!

 

[Damn Yankee]

Damn Yankee-

Thanks. Looks like another vote for vinegar. I'll try that today. Hmmm...wonder if you have to boil vinegar in the kettle, or just slosh it around? We'll see!

Bring the water in the kettle to a boil and let it continue to boil vigorously for 10 minutes.

 

[Rule3]

In case no one mentioned it White Vinegar

Same as cleaning a coffee maker. Mix it 50:50 or so with water. Bring to a boil and turn off, let sit, rinse it out well.

You need to be careful with aluminum as compared to stainless steel. Aluminum can pit if too strong a solution.

We used Barkeepers Friend on any and all SS or chrome but not recommended for aluminum.

 

[OFT II]

And still another vote for vinegar. Calcium is a base so an acid is required to cut it. Don't use too strong an acid or it will eat on the aluminum. I remember back in the '60s when GM came out with some aluminum block engines. A local mechanic vated one in a caustic solution over the weekend. Really bad move.

 

[Texas Star]

In case no one mentioned it White Vinegar

Same as cleaning a coffee maker. Mix it 50:50 or so with water. Bring to a boil and turn off, let sit, rinse it out well.

You need to be careful with aluminum as compared to stainless steel. Aluminum can pit if too strong a solution.

We used Barkeepers Friend on any and all SS or chrome but not recommended for aluminum.

This sounds like the right answer. I'll let everyone know how it works. Does the kettle need to be full of the vinegar/water mix,or just enough to cover the deposits? How long should it sit after boiling?

 

[DeathGrip]

A good water filter will help prevent it. Plus it will remove chlorine and other nasty things floating around in there that you can't see or smell. I use mine for everything that calls for water be it tea or soup or pasta or.......

 

[Texas Star]

A good water filter will help prevent it. Plus it will remove chlorine and other nasty things floating around in there that you can't see or smell. I use mine for everything that calls for water be it tea or soup or pasta or.......

In fact, I do occsionally detect a sort of bleach smell and taste in the tap water. It's not just at home, so I guess it's the city's water treatment.

 

[DeathGrip]

In fact, I do occsionally detect a sort of bleach smell and taste in the tap water. It's not just at home, so I guess it's the city's water treatment.

That's the trade off. Chlorine or Bacteria? You can boil chlorine out or just let it sit for a while and evaporate but it's the other stuff that scares me more. Heavy metal ain't just loud music.

 

[Rule3]

Then you need a RO system which removes all the bad stuff, but wastes a lot of water (as in $$ down the drain) Our City water is all 100% RO water so they have to add minerals back in for hardness and taste.

I use a RO DI (De Ionization) filter for my Marine (Salt) fish tanks. It produces pure H2O with zero (0) PPM TDS. I can shut off the DI part as it is not good to drink pure H20 as it will deplete the minerals from your body but the amount of water wasted in the by pass is really expensive.

We fill our coffee and Ice tea maker with water from the Refrigerator filter.

 

[labworm]

Then you need a RO system which removes all the bad stuff, but wastes a lot of water (as in $$ down the drain) Our City water is all 100% RO water so they have to add minerals back in for hardness and taste.

I use a RO DI (De Ionization) filter for my Marine (Salt) fish tanks. It produces pure H2O with zero (0) PPM TDS. I can shut off the DI part as it is not good to drink pure H20 as it will deplete the minerals from your body but the amount of water wasted in the by pass is really expensive.

We fill our coffee and Ice tea maker with water from the Refrigerator filter.

I just use spring water for everything, drinking, cooking.
Cost at a local supermarket up here .50 a gallon.

 

[Rule3]

I just use spring water for everything, drinking, cooking.
Cost at a local supermarket up here .50 a gallon.

There is a guy in the back of the store filling the jugs from the garden hose.

Seriously, it may be spring water but that still does not tell you whats in it. Distilled water needs to be distilled.

 

[labworm]

There is a guy in the back of the store filling the jugs from the garden hose.

Seriously, it may be spring water but that still does not tell you whats in it. Distilled water needs to be distilled.

I think Distilled water is distilled, that is why it is labeled Distilled, you must be referring possibly to filtered water. Spring water is provided by nature, tap has plenty of additives, fluoride etc. I have been using spring water for many years and I am still alive, water they say has no taste to it, tap sure tastes strange.

Poland Springs located in Maine has been providing spring water throughout the country for many decades. Plus there are several locations in the Northeast area you can actually bring your own bottles and fill em up at the spring location yourself.

Ask the NH gang about spring water, they will fill you in.

 

[DeathGrip]

An inline filter wont remove TDS, If anything it will raise it.

The RO's that I sell make one gallon of water to every two that go do drain. You'd have to use a lot of water to see it on your water bill.

RO's strip the water of all TDS and most of us should probably be taking vitamins anyway.

Zephyr Hills water has about 170 ppm. The question is what minerals are making the TDS level? Do you need lime? I have a Keylime tree for that.

 

[growr]

I had the same problem a few months ago and bought some muratic acid to neutralize the calcium deposit. It was spotless in about 3 minutes and wiped clean with a wet cloth.
After that I put some baking soda back into the tea pot to make sure the acid was all gone. Did that several times and then rinsed thoroughly.
Tested it with some ph strips afterwards as a final test and it was good to go!
Randy

 

[DeathGrip]

I had the same problem a few months ago and bought some muratic acid to neutralize the calcium deposit. It was spotless in about 3 minutes and wiped clean with a wet cloth.
After that I put some baking soda back into the tea pot to make sure the acid was all gone. Did that several times and then rinsed thoroughly.
Tested it with some ph strips afterwards as a final test and it was good to go!
Randy

On aluminum?

 

[mkk41]

Hard limestone quarry water here. Can't recall if it's OK for aluminum , but CLR works for showerheads as advertised. My tap water tastes terrible. Coffee makers lasted only a year or so. I installed a Brita filter on my kitchen faucet. Water tastes better , and coffee pot's flowing fine. Filters don't seem to last though. About a month , and they ain't cheap.