Descaling & Drying Portable Tankless Water Heater Faucets/Showers

[windnsalsa]

I have a Camplux tankless water heater AY132 model in my minivan. What are effective ways to descale and to make sure everything internally is dry before long term storage? There are videos and documentation about descaling on RESIDENTIAL tankless heater but not on portable version. Camplux is virtually silent on this topic. Eccotemp has a descaler pump kit which is meant for residential tankless version and which I have absolutely no interest in paying. Eccotemp also has an option for customers to ship their heaters to the company for tuneup which includes descaling. I have no interest in spending shipping & service costs each year that I want this done. I am a DIYer!

My Camplux model: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CJPU6JI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Descaler kit: https://www.eccotemp.com/eccotemp-ez-flush-system-descaler-kit/
Tuneup: https://support.eccotemp.com/hc/en-us/articles/115013336208-Eccotemp-Portable-Tankless-Tune-Up

For the portable version, I was thinking of these steps:

-Add vinegar to our existing water container source
-turn on the shower/faucet for a little while so the vinegar-water combo wash through all the relevant internal components
-remove batteries
-turn off propane and disconect its connection
-make sure heater is vertically upright
-open the drain plug
-disconnect inlet & outlet water hoses to allow residual water to drain
-use air compressor to blow out additional residual water/moisture
-allow several days for things to dry out
-tape (e.g. painter's tape) all openings to block insects during storage

 

[maki2]

Follow these instructions. You will see that you need a pump and a bucket to recirculate the cleaning solution through the heater for a relatively long time period. By the way the vinegar sold in grocery stores for pickle and salad dressing is not the right strength. You need the stronger vinegar sold for cleaning. Restaurant and janitorial services will have that. Once in a while I see it in hardware stores where it is labeled as “cleaning vinegar” rinsing with water afterwards before storage is a good idea. But if you have read the instructions in the link you will realize that it takes heat to create the scale issue so do not worry about a bit of residual water left after cleaning. Of course you could also use distilled water which has no calcium in it for a final rinse if you are still worried about that.
https://www.prattplumbing.net/decoding-the-steps-for-descaling-your-water-heater/

 

[GotSmart]

Filter lemon juice through a coffee filter and use that. Much better aftertaste.

 

[maki2]

After you descale you do a thougough rinsing. If you rinse completely there will be no vinegar taste.

If you use use lemon juice and do not get it washed out completely what you will get is mold and bacterial growth. Whereas vinegar residue is a natural mold inhibitor.

The winner is vinegar.

 

[Zoomyn]

wallymart sells granular citric acid for home canning - Ball Bulk Citric Acid 420g Bottle $7 - a drop of dishwasher rinse aid seems to help it undercut stalagmites & stalactites easier

 

[GotSmart]

After you descale you do a thougough rinsing. If you rinse completely there will be no vinegar taste.

If you use use lemon juice and do not get it washed out completely what you will get is mold and bacterial growth. Whereas vinegar residue is a natural mold inhibitor.

The winner is vinegar.

Lemon, like vinegar, is an excellent cleaner. Lemon acid is naturally antibacterial and antiseptic, and also serves as a natural bleach. Not only is lemon great to use as a natural cleanser, but the citrus scent is also energizing and refreshing.

Don’t try to gaslight me by saying that vinegar is safe if you completely rinse it but lemon is not if you don’t. I am talking juice not pulp. As a commercial plumber, pure lemon juice was the go to to descale ice machines.

This is not a contest. The idea is to help people. I provided an alternative, not the answer to the world’s problems.

 

[maki2]

The suggestion was to use lemon juice passed through a coffe filter.

Citric acid sold as powder or in solution is not “lemon juice”. Citric acid will work fine and not be an issue for potential mold growth.

 

[suzanne]

I also prefer citric acid. If I carry the powder, I can make gallons and gallons of an acid solution in tiny batches and not have to carry so many cleaning chemicals. Much less residue than vinegar which leaves a mess if you ask me.

 

[maki2]

I also prefer citric acid. If I carry the powder, I can make gallons and gallons of an acid solution in tiny batches and not have to carry so many cleaning chemicals. Much less residue than vinegar which leaves a mess if you ask me.

^^I like that idea! Much easier for reducing storage space than carrying around bottles of distilled vinegar. Do you order it from Amazon or can you find it from local stores? Not something I have ever specifically needed to purchase before so I could have easily passed over noticing it on a shelf.

 

[Malamute]

^^I like that idea! Much easier for reducing storage space than carrying around bottles of distilled vinegar. Do you order it from Amazon or can you find it from local stores? Not something I have ever specifically needed to purchase before so I could have easily passed over noticing it on a shelf.

I dont know if this (Lemi shine citric acid dishwasher additive) is exactly the same thing, but I believe its close, and walmart and other places have it. Its basic powdered citric acid. Im familiar with it from cleaning cartridge brass, some that was very badly corroded cleaned up surprisingly well when wet soaked and tumbled a bit, I know from experience that the corrosion would not have been cleaned by the common dry brass cartridge tumblers that use crushed walnut shells. Anyway, a half teaspoon in a gallon or two of water is plenty.

Lemi shine link

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lemi-Shi...VDgKGCh2sFQ6cEAQYASABEgLPYfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds