Stove top pot: how to de-scale

[kmmuellr]

So after a winter of running nearly 24/7 w/ my wife's teapot on my stove, its got quite the layer of scale in it. What's the best way to get rid of the scale now that the heavy burning season appears to be done? I live in the 'burbs of Detroit, so we have relatively soft water, however it was still enough to scale it up!

Not the end of the world if I have to buy her a new tea pot, but for something we use so in-frequently if I can clean it up I'd rather do that!

Kevin

 

[homebrewz]

Even soft water still has some ion concentration present within it.

Try washing it with white vinegar. The acetic acid should dissolve all of that stuff. You can try heating it to speed up the reaction.
Rinse it thoroughly to get rid of the vinegar taste (if you use it for tea water).

 

[zzr7ky]

+1

I use my big stainless "Spagetti" pot. I have ot swab it out with a splash of vineger fairly often. That much build up may need to sit a while, setting it on the stove might speed it up also.

 

[savageactor7]

We've got 30 years of experience and never could get our stove water pots clean even with using commercial 'lime away' products. Some well waters just have the right combination of minerals.

edit to add

With the top on this container the crud doesn't show...and that suits us fine. We got this at a Hearth shop...before then we used all sorts of pans, tea kettles etc but eventually they all showed the hideous mineral deposits...

...pay no attention to that thermometer.

 

[SteveKG]

We've had zero luck with vinegar, heated or not. We have used the "lime-away" solutions and they do work. However, patience is required as they must soak in it at least overnight and sometimes longer. If you use it before things get too bad, it does not take as long, though I always seem to forget to......

Our use for said teapots is to have a constant source of hot water during the day, and this water comes straight from the tap [well water]. For drinking [coffee and tea], we have a separate teapot that is filled with water from the reverse osmosis system and it never gets any scale, regardless, as the water is almost completely mineral-free.

 

[vvvv]

We've had zero luck with vinegar, heated or not. We have used the "lime-away" solutions and they do work. However, patience is required as they must soak in it at least overnight and sometimes longer. If you use it before things get too bad, it does not take as long, though I always seem to forget to......

Our use for said teapots is to have a constant source of hot water during the day, and this water comes straight from the tap [well water]. For drinking [coffee and tea], we have a separate teapot that is filled with water from the reverse osmosis system and it never gets any scale, regardless, as the water is almost completely mineral-free.

Good points + dont forget the lime-away can evaporate so a sealed container might help.

 

[Peter B.]

When all else fails... Muriatic acid... available at most hardware stores.

Set the pot outdoors while soaking... and don't 'linger over' the fumes.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

--

On a side note, I'd never use a cast iron pot or pan for a humidifier... that is, if I _ever_ wanted to cook with it again.

Peter B.

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[tickbitty]

I have been using one of my regular stainless revere ware pans and don't want it to get scaly, so I have been adding a big squirt of lemon juice to the water and then now and then stick it in the dishwasher. It has seemed to stay pretty scale free that way. Our "city" tap water is heinous and smells like a swimming pool, undrinkable as far as I'm concerned without one of those Pur filters on the faucet.

 

[billb3]

I put mine in the closet.

You're gonna clean it to make scale again ?