Bain Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Today is the first truly cold day this winter, so I decided to fire up my humidifier, a Honeywell TruSteam. Almost predictably, the error lights illuminated and the thing refused to operate. There was scale in all the water ports, and the heating element was nearly completely coated with gunk. The instructions say to use a scouring pad to clean the element, but that's nearly impossible due to the small grooves, especially since the element can't be removed. My solution? Fill a plastic tub with vinegar and let the thing soak. Does anyone have a better idea, though? The humidifier is only two years old, and the filter was replaced last season, so it's not as if there's years and years of neglect to contend with. Click to Enlarge 32.12 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I don't have a solution for you, but I predict that the vinegar won't work. What about a small wire brush? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Fabry Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Try Lima Away or CLR. Or, make some pasta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted January 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Well, but the vinegar actually did the trick, and the humidifier is working like it's supposed to. Interestingly, this is only the second occasion I'm aware of in which Jim Katen was wrong. The other occasion was when he told me I had a bright future ahead of me and would no doubt be a tremendous success. Click to Enlarge 43.25 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgbinspect Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Well, but the vinegar actually did the trick, and the humidifier is working like it's supposed to. Interestingly, this is only the second occasion I'm aware of in which Jim Katen was wrong. The other occasion was when he told me I had a bright future ahead of me and would no doubt be a tremendous success. Click to Enlarge 43.25?KB That's impressive - clean as a whistle. I wouldn't have expected it to do that well myself. [:-thumbu] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Vinegar works great for that....I thought everyone used it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Well, but the vinegar actually did the trick, and the humidifier is working like it's supposed to. Interestingly, this is only the second occasion I'm aware of in which Jim Katen was wrong. The other occasion was when he told me I had a bright future ahead of me and would no doubt be a tremendous success. Click to Enlarge 43.25?KB Well, I guess I've got to stop buying the cheap-ass on-sale vinegar from the remainder bin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Any vinegar should work. I use cheap white stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Yeah, Vinegar is acidic as hell. I use it all the time to descale the coffee machine. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Fabry Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Off the shelf white distilled vinegar contains 5% acetic acid. We buy around 400 gallons ( the smallest quantity available) every other year of specially brewed to order 17% acetic acid white vinegar to use for weed control in our organic blueberry operation. It also dispatches the rubber bits in a back pack sprayer rather readily, and if you get it on your skin, it's best to at least wipe it off. Our rows are 600 feet long. One sprays down one side and then back up the other. By the time you get back to the top of the row, the stuff on the other side is visibly browned and wilting. The vinegar plant is close enough for me to pick up the product. There are cases of empty bottles that re-sellers send to the plant with their label already affixed. A plant employee inverts the cases into a machine. The upside down bottles pass over an air jet that helps to clean out any debris that didn't fall out. Then the bottles are tipped upright, filled, capped and at the other end of the line replaced to their box. Store brands and gourmet vinegars with fancy labels are all filled from the same tap with the same product- often for the same customer trying to exploit both ends of the market demographic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Vinegar is powerful stuff, if you give it time to work. When my wife started as a concrete tech the tool kit they gave her hadn't been cleaned in years. She soaked it in vinegar, and scrubbed it a couple times a day, for about two weeks. Now, her test pot is almost shiny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Well, but the vinegar actually did the trick, and the humidifier is working like it's supposed to. Interestingly, this is only the second occasion I'm aware of in which Jim Katen was wrong. The other occasion was when he told me I had a bright future ahead of me and would no doubt be a tremendous success. Click to Enlarge 43.25?KB Well, I guess I've got to stop buying the cheap-ass on-sale vinegar from the remainder bin. Bain's Xtra Strenth Coil Cleaner. It should be hitting the shelves down your way in a month or two. []Kentucky Koil Kleaner. Look for the jug with the triple X. (3 K's crossed out) [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 The water in my town is really hard. Cheap white vinegar works very well for the coffee maker and the stainless steel interior of the dishwasher. You need to let it sit a while, or work it a bit with a soft toothbrush. Good and cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HVACMASTER Posted March 15, 2012 Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Get reverse osmosis filter for the steam or get rid of it. We have a 5x5 box full of removed tru steams at the warehouse. Juice aint worth the squeeze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.