What would you advise, the best product to use to descale the water probes?

Snoopy

Snoopy

Joined
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Warwickshire
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MH
Hymer camp c546
Exp
Since 2019
:rolleyes:
Our probe has quite a bit of scales on it, so at present tank is filled with puriclean, but the control panel Showing no water in there! It's actually full, so hopefully can anyone advise best product to descale the probs in the tank?... Or is it best to use a wire wool scourer? Also someone suggested Elsa fresh water tank cleaner? Any thoughts? ...Thank you
 
Last edited:
Best to take the probes out to descale otherwise whatever you use you will need a hell of a lot of it.
I always use white wine vinegar about 30% dilution in hot water.
 
Lenny HB said:
Best to take the probes out to descale otherwise whatever you use you will need a hell of a lot of it.
I always use white wine vinegar about 30% dilution in hot water.
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Thanks LennyHB will have to ask hubby to give that a go. Appreciate your reply (y)
 
I was told if they were not coming up clean they could be done with wire wool.
 
Calgon is very effective and also gentle. Wire wool will work as well!

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Snoopy said:
Thanks LennyHB will have to ask hubby to give that a go. Appreciate your reply (y)
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Lenny HB we only had our 2004 hymer couple of years..hubby says only feel one part of the probe is covered in scale.it's under our dining seat.just got to work out now how to remove it, has enough room to get one hand in..any idea if replacing the probe are they expensive? That may be another option. Thanks
 
M-J said:
I was told if they were not coming up clean they could be done with wire wool.
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Yes. There is plenty of metal in them. It would take a lot of wire wool to wear them away.
 
Snoopy said:
Lenny HB we only had our 2004 hymer couple of years..hubby says only feel one part of the probe is covered in scale.it's under our dining seat.just got to work out now how to remove it, has enough room to get one hand in..any idea if replacing the probe are they expensive? That may be another option. Thanks
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A plastic nut holds it in, access via the inspection hatch.
They are about 40 quid.

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Snoopy said:
:rolleyes:
Our probe has quite a bit of scales on it, so at present tank is filled with puriclean, but the control panel Showing no water in there! It's actually full, so hopefully can anyone advise best product to descale the probs in the tank?... Or is it best to use a wire wool scourer? Also someone suggested Elsa fresh water tank cleaner? Any thoughts? ...Thank you
Click to expand...
As it's you fresh water tank, I wouldn't be wanting to use anything other than a food grade product, especially not Calgon or similar. In the past I have used Milton, (but not in the stainless steel hot water tank), or white vinegar, but now I use Citric Acid as per the recommendations for cleaning and descaling, ie, two birds with one stone, and it's not harmful to the hot water tank, unlike bleach or Milton. We descale or kettles, taps, and showerheads, etc with the same. (y)

If it's just the probes that need doing, then as Lenny HB suggests, remove them and soak separately.

Good luck. (y)

Jock. :)
 
JockandRita said:
but now I use Citric Acid as per the recommendations for cleaning and descaling, ie, two birds with one stone, and it's not harmful to the hot water tank, unlike bleach or Milton
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I'm fairly certain citric acid will still eat stainless steel if left in the system too long.
White wine vinegar is what Truma used to recommend before they bought out their own cleaning product. I stock up in France about 30p/Lt.
 
JockandRita said:
As it's you fresh water tank, I wouldn't be wanting to use anything other than a food grade product, especially not Calgon or similar. In the past I have used Milton, (but not in the stainless steel hot water tank), or white vinegar, but now I use Citric Acid as per the recommendations for cleaning and descaling, ie, two birds with one stone, and it's not harmful to the hot water tank, unlike bleach or Milton. We descale or kettles, taps, and showerheads, etc with the same. (y)

If it's just the probes that need doing, then as Lenny HB suggests, remove them and soak separately.

Good luck. (y)

Jock. :)
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Thankyou, that seems to be the route now we will be doing, read about being careful with Milton..also researching old threads on here! Always great advice and support from Funsters! Will also be looking at maybe 're placing the probe if required, appreciate your reply :clap:
 
Another vote for white wine vinegar, just leave it to soak for a few hours - after removing from tank, of course!

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Citric acid is what I clean mine with. As recommended to me by a Truma guy at one of the shows when discussed with him. Great food citric acid from Amazon mix it in bucket with warm water, so that it dissolves better, leave in tank for 24hrs, then pump it through the system. When hot tap runs ok (no air in it) I fire up the boiler and let it get to temp. Turn boiler off leave for a couple of hours, then dump all into grey water tank, where I then leave it for another 24hrs. It’s amazing how much scale it removes.
 
Lenny HB said:
I'm fairly certain citric acid will still eat stainless steel if left in the system too long.
White wine vinegar is what Truma used to recommend before they bought out their own cleaning product. I stock up in France about 30p/Lt.
Click to expand...
Food grade citric acid is used in the food and brewing industry Lenny, and less corrosive than sodium metabisulphite.

From this link............. https://wsassociates.com/citric-acid-passivation/
Citric acid cleaning and passivation process on the other hand is relatively safe and environmentally friendly since citric acid is present in many fruits and is used by anaerobic organisms as part of the process for creating energy. Citric acid is thus non toxic, non corrosive and biodegradable, and can often be disposed of relatively easily, usually in the sewer system without extensive pre-treatment.

Citric acid has proven to have many advantages including:

  • More effective removal of free iron from the surface of the component
  • Lower hazard and environmentally safer
  • Lower cost



From the this link.............. https://www.caravantalk.co.uk/community/topic/118932-alde-water-tank-corrosion/

Alde UK​


  • Approved Member

  • 340 posts

Posted October 13, 2016 (edited)
Hello.

It's unlikely any individual member of the Alde technical team could give the exact number of corrosion damaged boilers repaired per year in the UK, off the top of their head. They could certainly advise of the jobs they've dealt with, which would differ from one team member to the next.

We only carry out repairs on 3010 and 3020 models, since the chassis for 3000 models (discontinued in 2006) are no longer available.

In both 3010 and 3020 the hot water cylinder is hygiene-grade stainless steel, the glycol cylinder is aluminium and stainless steel.

What can cause corrosion damage in the hot water cylinder?

Look out for poor water quality, especially high salt content. Anywhere that doesn't publish water quality figures, where the locals don't drink tap water, it is best to fill with bottled water. Always fill with potable water.

Remember, yachts and expeditionary vehicles have water filtration systems, because they often deal with poor water quality. Caravans and motorhomes (certainly those built for the UK market) do not.

Desalinated water, like that used in areas of Spain and Portugal will still have a high salt content. It may taste salty and leave a white residue in the kettle.

Salt corrodes stainless steel.

Sterilising chemicals not compatible with stainless steel. Some sterilising chemicals are not compatible with stainless steel and should be avoided. Some contain sodium hyperchlorite and chloride that is corrosive to stainless steel at normal temperature, aggressively corrosive when heated. Always read the label.

TBH Lenny, It's only in the stainless steel hot water tank for a few hours for descaling ie, filled up, warmed up, left to cool down, drained off and flushed through. For sterilising, it's only a couple if hours without warming up.

Cheers,

Jock. :)
 
The sensor rod in our tank cleaned up very easily once removed, one or two rubs with wire wool and water sorted it. 👍
 
Landy Andy said:
Citric acid is what I clean mine with. As recommended to me by a Truma guy at one of the shows when discussed with him. Great food citric acid from Amazon mix it in bucket with warm water, so that it dissolves better, leave in tank for 24hrs, then pump it through the system. When hot tap runs ok (no air in it) I fire up the boiler and let it get to temp. Turn boiler off leave for a couple of hours, then dump all into grey water tank, where I then leave it for another 24hrs. It’s amazing how much scale it removes.
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Great, thankyou. So much positive feedback..zebedee will be gleaming..inside and out :clap:
 
And then when you've done it. Move to Yorkshire.
The people might be hard, (on the outside) but the water's soft.

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I read on another forums cheap Aldi cola was good ? 3 or 4 2 litre bottles swilled round on a run then rinsed trough ?
 
Tombola said:
I read on another forums cheap Aldi cola was good ? 3 or 4 2 litre bottles swilled round on a run then rinsed trough ?
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That was advice folks gave to clean up the grey waste tank, not the fresh water tank.

Cheers,

Jock. :)
 
I use ordinary Sarsons malt vinegar to descale the humidification tank on my CPAP device as I find it works better then white vinegar, just wash it out thoroughly once you've got rid of all the scale £7:00 for 5 ltrs on amazon, but probably cheaper elsewhere.
 
Thats the reason I use white wine vinegar it's more effective than ordinary white vinigar.
 

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