Crystal like build up

N

navman

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Vic, I have 2 Raritans electric crown heads (SALTWATER USE). For some reason in one of my heads I get a real bad build up in the head, the discharge part of the pump and the elbow leaving the pump. The duck bill will become harden and not pliable. This effects the performance of the operation, I end up using high amounts of water.
Today I cleaned out the head and the lines so it now flush's better, but only until the build up comes back. It is really a hard crystal clay like stuff, more then likely from the salt. What do you recommend I use to keep this stuff from building up?

I will also need to replace the elbow where the duck bill sits in, I noticed a crack.
The serial number of the head is 0004 0205.
Thanks
 
Use vinegar or a mild acid solution once a month. Let it sit in the lines for a couple of hours.
 
What product do you use to clean the head? Some products are hard on rubber-like components.
 
White vinegar works well; pour a cup (8 oz.) weekly into the toilet bowl, the last thing at night before going to bed. The buildup is calcium carbonate from dissolved minerals in your incoming flush water. It is a grayish-white, and grainy; it can get hard as concrete when it's been there awhile. It adheres to the inside of all the plumbing fittings that it contacts.

The elbow fitting is Raritan part # 1222AW; you should be able to order one through BoatFix, but it will be a special order, necessitating a call to Mike (603) 856-8841, ext. 252. You also may be able to order one through Fisheries Supply in Seattle.
 
White vinegar it is, thanks for the assistance and the part number.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Vic Willman

White vinegar works well; pour a cup (8 oz.) weekly into the toilet bowl, the last thing at night before going to bed. The buildup is calcium carbonate from dissolved minerals in your incoming flush water. It is a grayish-white, and grainy; it can get hard as concrete when it's been there awhile. It adheres to the inside of all the plumbing fittings that it contacts.

The elbow fitting is Raritan part # 1222AW; you should be able to order one through BoatFix, but it will be a special order, necessitating a call to Mike (603) 856-8841, ext. 252. You also may be able to order one through Fisheries Supply in Seattle.

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Vic, forgot to ask you something, what you describe is what I was scraping out of the head and discharge of the head & hose. Will the white vinegar desolve what build up is left or just keep it from getting worse?
Thanks
 
It'll eventually dissolve it, and will keep additional buildup from forming. Calcium carbonate is the same material as egg shell, and vinegar will dissolve that, too. It just takes a while, thus the suggestion to add it weekly. It's cheap and it's non-toxic, and it does work (albeit slower than some would like).
 
Just letting ya know the head is working much better, I'm happy.
 
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