Do you spend hours scrubbing at lime scale on your taps and shower heads? Are your appliances all scaled up with lime scale and need replacing because of it?
If the answer to these questions is YES – read on. We have some top tips and information to help YOU!!
TOP TIP: Invest in a glass wiper for your shower screen – wipe it down after each shower and reduce the build up of limescale!!
First of all – What is lime scale??
If you’ve ever looked inside your kettle or boiler, chances are you’ve probably spotted a tough stony off white crust at the bottom. This is lime scale – the deposit left behind by hard water.
TOP TIP: Use limescale tablets in your appliances to prolong their life!
Secondly – Why is it a problem?
If left to stand or heated past 55% the dissolved minerals solidify as the moisture evaporates. These solidified minerals are what lime scale is made of and can become a serious problem in the home. The visible problems include covering of taps and surfaces with an unsightly layer. The visible affects however are nothing compared to those affects which can’t be seen:- inside your central heating pipes, boiler, washing machine and dishwasher. This makes them less energy efficient.
Did you know that just a 1.6mm coating of lime scale on a heating element can make it up to 12% less effective. This results in you wasting up to £200 worth of energy every year and your appliances could burn out more quickly than normal.
Finally – Simple Solutions
Malt vinegar or lemon juice dissolve the mineral deposits in smaller appliances i.e. kettles, but I don’t think squeezing a few lemons into your washing machine is going to solve the problem!!
There are two main options
Water Softening and water conditioning
Water Softening – most common method. In simple terms it swaps the calcium which forms lime scale, for sodium which is more likely to stay dissolved.
Water Conditioner – is a far more high tech route. A water conditioner is attached to the pipes to expose the water to a low level magnetic or radio filed. This causes tiny impurities to clump together, which reduces lime scale as these clumps form a better surface for the dissolved minerals to stick to than the inner surface of the pipes.
One type of water conditioner is a Lime scale Inhibitor. Here at Plumb London our local plumbers can install Lime scale Inhibitors as standard when installing a new boiler! We care that you receive excellent service and peace of mind that your products will last!!
Your other option would be to have a magnetic descaler which is placed “inline” on your water pipes. It creates a magnetic field, which, as the water flows past the magnetic unit the microscopic crystals – that cause scale buildup – bond together. This prevents them from sticking to the sides of your pipes, boilers and kettles etc, which inturn is reducing your lime scale!!
Our plumbers and engineers are always happy to discuss these options with you. They cover the whole of London from West London and North London to South East London, contact us for more information.
