How to clean a thermopot from scale and prevent its occurrence

Posted by administrator | Sep 1, 2022 | Home appliances | |

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Like an electric kettle, a thermopot boils water and needs to be descaled regularly. This can be done at home using special products or regular citric acid. Cleaning the device from limescale deposits that settle on the walls, the spiral and the thermopot covering the heating disk is a prerequisite that will help avoid breakdowns and ensure a long service life of the device.

Scale on the walls of the device and heating elements helps to shorten its service life, spoils the taste of water, and has a harmful effect on human health. How to clean a thermopot from scale at home using various means and do it correctly, you will learn from this article. Below are very useful tips on how to prevent limescale from appearing in electrical appliances.

Where does scale come from and why is it dangerous?

Such deposits are formed due to poor quality drinking water. Due to the fact that it goes through many stages of purification, inclusions of calcium and magnesium settle in tap water. During boiling, they turn into dangerous carbon dioxide, which is why a solid alkaline precipitate of lime is obtained. It settles inside the device.

Scale is fraught with the following problems:

• water heating is slow;
• increased energy consumption;
• loud noise when the equipment is operating;
• unpleasant taste.

You will be surprised, but the first cleaning will need to be done a few months after using a completely new device. It is then that it will not be difficult to notice that different light and dark stripes began to appear inside. So it's time to act!

Ignoring the problem will result in the unit having to be replaced. But all that was needed was to carry out the correct cleaning work. We'll tell you how to do this correctly.

Preventing scale formation

The main cause of problems with the operation of a thermopot is low quality water. To extend the life of the equipment, it is advisable to use filtered or bottled. The one that flows from the taps contains a lot of calcium and magnesium. During the boiling process, these elements are converted into a solid precipitate with lime and carbon dioxide. Deposits settle on the heating disk and the walls of the electrical appliance. As a result, the equipment becomes covered with a light coating, which is difficult to remove.

Important! Tap water with metal impurities is the main reason for the appearance of scale in thermopots.

Even if cleaning filters are used, plaque may still appear. Sometimes you need to look inside the thermopot to understand whether cleaning is needed or not. If the device operates with deposits on the walls or bottom, energy consumption increases, the water heats up too slowly, the device makes noise during operation, although it did not do this before. Also, the water usually acquires a characteristic unpleasant taste.

Since it is impossible to prevent the appearance of scale 100%, you need to regularly check for deposits on the walls and bottom of the device. If you ignore the maintenance requirements for a long time, you can lead to the failure of the device. A clean heating disk is the key to the health of the thermopot.

Professional help

You can clean the thermopot from scale either using special detergents or using proven methods from the people. In the first case, we are talking about professional tools (take SVOD-TVN as an example). Such preparations are sold in the household chemicals department. What are they good for? The composition of the products includes substances that fight against corrosive manifestations, organic and inorganic acids.

List of advantages:

• gentle removal of plaque without damaging the inner surface;
• health safety.

However, to comply with the last point, the device should be rinsed thoroughly. This diligence is necessary to ensure that chemical residues do not damage the sealing elements.

Another recommendation is to follow the instructions exactly, especially maintaining the required time for the product to completely remove scale.

Helpful information

Tips that will be useful to all owners of thermopots:

1. 
   When processing the device, do not use metal sponges or sharp objects. They can damage the inner surface of the device.

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2. Preventive cleaning is carried out at least once a month. Folk remedies are used for this purpose.
3. In order to remove a thick layer of scale, they resort to the help of professional household chemicals.
4. If cleaning liquid has been poured into the device, household members must be informed about this in order to avoid accidental poisoning.
5. After completing cleaning, it is better not to just rinse the device, but to boil it. The first water is not used for drinking, it is drained.

You can learn about descaling from various household appliances here.

Effective folk remedies

Such methods are popular because they are available in every home and do not require special material costs. The most popular are table vinegar, citric acid, baking soda, cucumber pickle, and carbonated drinks.

Cleaning with acetic acid

To remove scale from a thermopot with acetic acid, simply fill the flask with a solution made in the proportion of 1 liter of water to 50 ml of vinegar. All that remains is to bring the vinegar to a boil and leave the contents for a couple of hours.

When cleaning with vinegar, you can avoid a specific odor: to do this, just boil it with the lid open . Of course, you will have to thoroughly rinse the unit more than once. This method will help to cope even with old deposits.

Citric acid with soda

If there are not too many deposits, you can descale the thermopot with such a popular remedy as citric acid mixed with soda. You need to pour water inside, then add 20 g of baking soda and stir everything. Boil and leave to cool. After half an hour, the contents are drained and the unit is filled with water again. Now boiling should take at least 25 minutes.

After the procedure, the contents are drained, the flask is rinsed, and the device is wiped dry with a sponge. If the result does not suit you, then the procedure should be repeated.

By the way, you can use each substance separately.

Help from cucumber pickle

The vinegar contained in the marinade helps remove the problem. The brine is boiled for 20 minutes - during this time the scale should come off. To ensure that no characteristic odor remains, after draining the contents, the device should be rinsed thoroughly under running tap water.

Carbonated products

The use of drinks like Coca-Cola, Sprite, Pepsi-Cola and so on also shows good results. You need to do this.

1. The drink is left open - this is necessary so that the gases come out of it. Usually 20 minutes is enough.
2. Now pour it into the thermopot to be cleaned (fill half of the internal space). All that remains is to boil.
3. Drain and remove the residue with a sponge.

A small but important recommendation is that it is better to choose Spryte for cleaning as it is dye-free. Pepsi and Coca-Cola will need additional cleaning to remove their dyes.

How to remove with household chemicals?

You can deal with scale using professional cleaners, which are sold in household chemical stores and online markets. The most effective formulations:

1. Topperr for kettles and water heaters. For 1 liter of water you will need 100-120 ml of solution. The liquid is heated to 50 degrees, left for half an hour and drained. The container is boiled with clean water. The product is non-toxic and is gentle on device parts. The cost of 250 ml of solution is 145 rubles.
2. Filtero anti-scale tablets for teapots and thermopots. The device is filled 3/4 with water and brought to a boil. Place the tablet inside and leave for 20 minutes. If the plaque layer is thick, use 2 pieces. The solution is drained and the thermopot is rinsed with clean water. The cost of 6 tablets is 110 rubles.
3. Mellerud for quick descaling. Pour 0.5 liters of water into the device and add 120 ml of solution. Bring the mixture to a boil, leave for 15 minutes, and drain. Rinse the device with plenty of clean water. The cost of 500 ml of solution is 282 rubles.

It is unacceptable to violate the manufacturer's instructions. Professional household chemicals contain acids, which can damage the walls of the thermopot during prolonged contact.

Emergency cleaning

In advanced cases, you will need to act in a special way. One of the following methods will come in handy.

1. Add a tablespoon of baking soda to a thermopot filled with water. Then the solution is boiled for at least half an hour, followed by draining and washing.
2. Water and citric acid are added to the thermopot. All this boils for half an hour. The solution is drained.
3. You can add a tablespoon of acetic acid and boil for half an hour. Drain the contents and rinse the device.

How to descale a thermopot with citric acid

A good and safe way to clean a thermopot at home is to use citric acid and soda. If there is only a little scale, it is enough to clean the device once every 10 days and you will not have to spend money on expensive cleaners.

The whole process is as simple as possible, just follow the step-by-step instructions:

The advantage of cleaning a thermopot or electric kettle with citric acid is that it is odorless and environmentally friendly for humans. The downside is that this method is only suitable for small stains.

Helpful advice! From personal experience, I can recommend cleaning the device once a week. Just citric acid and boiling once is enough to make the inside of the device look like new. In addition, this product is safe not only for humans, but also for the device.

Some Important Recommendations

Before cleaning the thermopot, read the following rules - this will help you carry out the cleaning correctly and without harm to the equipment.

1. When using vinegar essence, it is not necessary to boil it - just add the product to the water and wait until the scale dissolves completely.
2. It is not advisable to use concentrated food acids. And strong ones like sulfuric and hydrochloric acid are completely prohibited.
3. There is also a taboo on the use of abrasives, for example, a wire brush or sandpaper - this can simply break the heating element.
4. It is better to use filtered water - this will delay the appearance of scale.
5. After cleaning with any means, pour clean water into the thermopot, boil again and drain. Remove any unwanted residue. Better yet, do this several times.

Careful treatment of the device and timely preventive measures are the key to its long and effective service. Any user can do this type of cleansing.

Cleaning the thermopot with special means

The most reliable and easiest way to remove scale from a thermopot is to use a special cleaning agent. It is sold in any hardware store or household chemicals department.

The process itself is short and, regardless of the chosen means, this is the standard procedure:

• Pour water into the container of the device;
• Add the required amount of cleaning agent. They are all liquid solutions;
• Turn on the appliance and bring the water to a boil;
• After turning off, leave the water with the cleaning agent diluted in it for 10 minutes. During this time, all limescale deposits will completely dissolve, and the hard deposit will move away from the surface of the walls and the heating element.
• Then pour out the water and the remaining deposits, rinse the flask well with clean water, take a new one and boil it once, pour it out. After that you can use it.

Attention! Be sure to strictly follow the instructions for use. Aggressive substances, if overexposed, can damage individual parts of the device.

Baking soda

This remedy is used in cases where the plaque is insignificant. The instructions are:

1. Water is poured into the thermopot (to the top).
2. For each liter, take 1 large spoon of soda.
3. The mixture is thoroughly mixed.
4. Then you need to boil the solution and drain it, then rinse the thermopot.

If the scale is not completely gone the first time, you need to repeat the procedure again. Soda is not a very effective remedy; it only copes with a small layer of scale. But it does not leave any odors and, moreover, disinfects internal surfaces.