We will show you how you can decalcify both unscrewable and permanently installed mixer nozzles on faucets without complications.
Descale a tap with vinegar
Vinegar has been the number 1 home remedy for lime in the household since grandma's time. Acetic acid dissolves lime by releasing protons to the carbonate ions, which then react to form carbonic acid and then break down into water and gaseous carbon dioxide. You can therefore best use table vinegar or concentrated vinegar essence to prevent limescale build-up on fittings.
Required material and tools
material: plastic bag “,“ a piece of tape “,“ table vinegar or vinegar essence
Tools: Possibly slotted screwdriver “,“ hammer “,“ small chisel ““, “cloth or pot sponge
Step by step instructions
1. Remove coarse limescale deposits
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If the head of the faucet is so calcified that thick crusts have formed, it makes sense to first remove them mechanically. To do this, you can carefully knock them off with a slotted screwdriver or a small chisel with a hammer. To avoid scratching the head piece, hit down from the top.
2. Try to unscrew the aerator
Some faucets have an aerator that can be unscrewed. Examine the head of the faucet for a shoulder to the faucet pipe that might indicate a thread. If this is the case, the head piece, including the aerator sieve, can probably be unscrewed. Because it is stuck in the calcified state, use a pipe wrench to help.
3. Descale the unscrewable aerator
If the head of the faucet with the internal aerator can be unscrewed, you have it easy: lay Simply dip the entire headpiece in a cup of table vinegar so that the headpiece is completely covered is. In harder cases, take vinegar essence and dilute it in a ratio of 1: 2 with water.
4. Prepare vinegar bath in plastic bag for fixed cock heads
With faucet head pieces that are permanently connected to the tap pipe, you have to bring the necessary vinegar bath to the tap. You can do this with a simple, tight plastic bag that you fill with table vinegar or vinegar essence water.
5. Attach vinegar bath
Fill the bag with a vinegar or Amount of vinegar essence water equivalent to about half a cup. This is usually enough to completely immerse the tap head in it. Pull the filled bag over the tap head and stick it to the tap pipe with adhesive tape.
6. Let absorb
How long the tap head has to rest in its vinegar bath always depends on the degree of calcification. If you want to be on the safe side, it is best to leave it on overnight. With moderate calcifications, 1-2 hours can be enough. Just take a look every now and then to see whether the lime has already dissolved significantly.
7. Remove leftovers
Small residues usually stick after the vinegar bath. But because they are already loosened, they can usually be easily removed mechanically. Use a cloth or, if necessary, a pot sponge so as not to leave any scratches on the tap head.
Possible problems and common questions
The valve head can be unscrewed, but cannot be loosened
If the tap head can clearly be unscrewed - for example, if a thread is visible or you have already unscrewed it - it is often still firmly in place with heavy lime incrustations. In that case, you can loosen the lime by wrapping a cloth soaked in vinegar. Otherwise, attach a vinegar bath here as well.
How strong does the vinegar concentration have to be?
Given the many vinegar home remedies and vinegar cleaning agents on the market with different concentrations, one can get unsure. Ultimately, however, you can adjust the concentration of the vinegar bath emotionally to the degree of calcification. Orientation values are table vinegar (5%) for moderate calcification and a 1: 2 solution of vinegar essence (25%) and water for strong calcifications.
The aerator sieve is loose after descaling
Sometimes the aerator sieve is so used up by age and limescale that it was only held by the limescale. After loosening, the severed edges can be noticeable. In that case you have to replace the aerator. You can find replacement aerators in plumbing stores. Pay attention to the correct thread size.
The aerator is decalcifying, but the tap is still dripping
The aerator is visibly decalcified, but the tap is still dripping or has problems with the temperature control? Then it could be due to calcification further inside, more precisely to a calcified cartridge. You can remove the cartridge by removing the lever handle and also decalcify or replace it.
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The professional alternative
If you don't feel like home remedy methods or they don't work well, you can of course also use ready-made products from the sanitary ware market. On the one hand, there are foaming descaling sprays that save you the need to attach a vinegar bath.
The Kalk Weg-Spray from HG, for example, has a good effect according to the customer reviews on amazon.de, at least with normal degrees of calcification. With it you can cover the faucet with decalcifying foam that gets to all places without any other aids. However, you should not use it with natural stone tiles on the bathroom wall.
If you really want to use the natural, simple home remedy of vinegar, you can consider attaching a vinegar bath in a glued-on one If the bag is too fiddly, you can also use a silicone balloon specially made for this purpose with a strap try. However, the tap tube diameter must be sufficiently thick so that the filled balloon will hold.
Do you have tap water with a lot of hardness and are simply fed up with the fact that the faucet is constantly calcifying? Then you can also consider whether you want to afford a limescale filter in the supply line to the tap. Such a filter is usually simply integrated under the sink in front of the cold water supply hose. There are also complete sets including a tap.
