descaling

[SRI Cleaning]

What is the proper method to descale a truckmount? i have a white magic pro 1600. The instructions i have with the TM say to do it according to the descaling product instructions and the product i have says to use the Tm's instructions. WTF? Do i just find a way to get it into the fresh water tank with water and run it through the system into a drain? does it have to cycle through for a while? Does it have to sit in the Heat exchanger?

 

[Numero Uno]

If you can shut it off from the water tank feed line...

Open your inlet water panel valve and open your hot water convenience valve and let it recirculate through...

I have been having this problem since last week when I cleaned about 11 restaurants in the Boston area, and used there water...good god never again...

Adding a ro unit high flow very soon...

well use it when ever we our away from our home base...Very,very soft water here...

 

[Dolly Llama]

What is the proper method to descale a truckmount? i have a white magic pro 1600. The instructions i have with the TM say to do it according to the descaling product instructions and the product i have says to use the Tm's instructions. WTF? Do i just find a way to get it into the fresh water tank with water and run it through the system into a drain? does it have to cycle through for a while? Does it have to sit in the Heat exchanger?

I'm not familiar enough with your TM, Tony
But if you can easily get to the fresh water box your pump draws from here's what I would do.

get all your solution line out
(cause you want to descale it too)
Plug an empty quick disconnect on the wand end of your sol line, and plug the other end to the TM

drain most of the water out of your water box.
You do that by turning on the pump and watching the level in the box drop...but..**DON'T** let it run dry!
or you can use the vac hose to suck the water out.
That's what I do.

Mix some RTU descaler solution according to directions on the jar.
Mix 2/3s to twice RTU solution as much as the water box holds.
if you water box holds 3 gal, mix 5 gal

Then fill the water box with RTU descale solution
start the TM and turn on the pump on.
Pump out about as much as you think the HX , plumbing and sol lines hold.
The plumbing and sol lines probably won't be more than a gal.
i have no clue how much your HX holds.

Then top off the water box with more descale solution, put the open end of sol line in water box now.
Start the pump and let it recirculate til the unit comes up to temp
(or to what ever max heat is recommended to go thru the pump.)
That's at least 150.
Then shut it down and let it dwell for 20 to 30 minutes.

Start back up, keep the pump off, suck the water box dry and fill with clean water. (I add alkaline emulsifier as a precaution to neutralize the acid (descaler)

Then turn on the pump and rinse everything out.
Be sure to hook the fresh water supply up and continue flushing for 5 to 10 minutes or so.

...L.T.A.

 

[breathe72]

how often do you descale Meat? Just curious.

 

[Dolly Llama]

i donno, Chris
Not very often.
maybe once every 5 to 700 hours

..l.T.A.

 

[Heathrow]

Hey Larry, while you're answering questions...
I bought a TM that had recently been descaled. The system was jam packed with what looked like very fine crushed shell - obviously some sort of calcium solid or something. Caused overheating until I emptied the filters and flushed the water out the front of the machine. I'm still trying to get the stuff out of the system. Do you know what it is? Is it partially dissolved scale build up - should I do the descaling process again to get rid of it??
My TM is running about 20 degrees higher than the dial so I'm wondering if this stuff is possibly still slowing the flow in there (still pulling small amounts of it out of the inline filters).

Whaddaya reckon?
Heathrow

 

[Dolly Llama]

yea, I'd probably descale again, Heath.

I s'pose they can get so packed up from never being descaled that one descaling can't get it all


to save some aggravation of clogged tool filters or jets,
on start up for the next few weeks after descale, flush the solution line for 20-30 seconds before connecting to the wand.

Matter of fact, i think that's good practice regardless.
We do it on every job year round.

We also cool down the sol temps before we shut down.
We'll rinse off the wand, fill the sprayer and/or emulsion tank while bleeding off the hot water


..L.T.A.

 

[SRI Cleaning]

Thanks meat! By water box, you mean my fresh water tank right? Because i dont think whatever is in my chem tank goes thourhg the heat exchanger.

 

[Tile Nerd]

Get a water softener and be done with it.

 

[Dolly Llama]

Thanks meat! By water box, you mean my fresh water tank right?

Yes, *if* it's a small one mounted on the machine somewhere.
(like a 2 to 5 gal capacity tank)

No, if it's a 60, 80, 120 gal fresh water tank

The "chem tank" where you add detergent is what I call the "emulsion tank".

You should shut that off when descaling so you're not adding detergent into the sol lines and then recirculating it into the descale solution


..L.T.A.

 

[Jimmy L]

Would a sacrificial ZINC anode attached somewhere in the water box cut down on scaling?

 

[roro]

Would a sacrificial ZINC anode attached somewhere in the water box cut down on scaling?

Probably but then you would have to worry about Anodic reaction to your anionic and cationic cleaners. :shock:

roro





just loosening your cob a little Rev.

 

[roro]

Hey Larry, should I do the descaling process again to get rid of it??

Heathrow

I would agree with Larry as I understand the unit that you bought sat unused for VERY long periods.

roro

 

[Heathrow]

Will do - it's in the diary thanks.

 

[Larry Cobb]

SRI;

Our descaling process is different from the above procedures:

1. Empty fresh water float tank.

2. Add 1 Gallon of Acid Cleaner

3. Circulate thru machine only for 30 minutes (with vac reading 10" or so)
Bleed off enough water to sanitary drain to keep temp @ 160°

4. Rinse system completely with fresh water.

5. Clean any filters in machine and descale hoses separately if required.

Larry Cobb

 

[Shawn Forsythe]

Our descaling process is quite similar to Mr. Cobb's, but not as much acid (pre-dilution strength is the variable).

We'll use straight muriatic acid in our service shop, but for customer's self use we'll sell the off the shelf products by the TM equipment manufacturers (the so-called "safety descalers").

 

[White-Magic rebuilder]

What about using CLR from the drugstore?

 

[Numero Uno]

Had this problem for first time late last week...

In my area,Tku Lance Golden for free meter...Its 30tds...

Due to the fact I was running Boston area water and Northern Ct...

Some how some where...There I am at 140 degrees if that...

Gutted everything,still nothing.Then while leaving Butler with a possibly correct thremostat and proper gasket.

They mention how it might have a slight build up in the exchanger.

Well I ran for 4 hours Friday,Sat,Sunday and monday am...

Vinegar and even some lemon juice.It was the safest off the shelf stuff.I could think of...

Tried it again monday afternoon.But only 160.

I go to a small restaurant,Monday not really dirty.Figuring I got to maybe try.Allocating other parts of the tact system.More agitation,longer dwell,etc...

I start cleaning ,go for the gum remover at the truck.Bang 190-200...

Thank you god ...Went to butler in am on Tuesday.they descaled and used an old unload er so no debris would effect rest of unit...

Now I will use that tds meter on all places,just to see what the story is.If any one ever wants to borrow it,be my guest...

But around here that has never been a concern for me or any of my competitors...

Very brutal lesson indeed...To you all in hard water areas...For what you have to go through,I tip my hat...That stuff is brutal...