water heater cleaning question

[Yonner]

Has anyone here any experience of cleaning a water heater using vinegar or similar?
We regularly use vinegar to clean the kettle, and I wondered if the same principle could be used on a larger scale. We have easy access to the water inlet and outlet on our heater, so can divert it from the fosse.
I'd be interested in your experiences.

[Nomoss]

With some difficulty, due to the location and access to it, and after draining it via safety valve, I removed the flanged assembly containing the heater element and thermostat of ouf 100L Ariston water heater two years ago, when the element burned out shortly after replacing it.

The interior of the tank was remarkably clean, but the tube contaning the element had a huge cal deposit on the outside.

I scraped most of this off and removed the rest with a weak, around 8% hydrochloric acid solution. Maybe vinegar would be as good.

I replaced it with a new, slightly larger, element and a new anode, as the old one was wasted.

I thought about doing this every year, but it's still working fine, so I think I'll just wait until I have to do it again.

While we were without the main water heater I bought a small (15L, 2kW) water heater from Brico Depot https://www.bricodepot.fr/catalogue/cha ... /prod8528/, which I plumbed in in parallel with the main one, with valves to enable either one to be in service at any time.

This is also handy for getting a limited amount of hot water after being away for a spell, as it produces hot water very quickly.

[Yonner]

Thanks for that, very encouraging.
Great idea on the mini system along side it.
Our main water heater only heats for the shower and bathrooms- we have a 15L unit for the kitchen- so we should be able to manage without it for a short while.
Thx again.

[A.N.Other]

Per Nomoss it's the element which suffers from calcium build up because that's where the heat is concentrated, same as a kettle furring up principally on it's base. The tank itself should remain virtually clear.

[Nomoss]

Our water heater is a steatite type: https://www.atlantic.fr/Chauffer-l-eau/ ... e-steatite.
Over a period, calcium deposits flake off the enamelled tube, and together with spent material from the anode, which is quite bulky, they can build up to a significant depth at the bottom of the tank, affecting heat transfer to the water.
This means that the flanged plate carrying the components must be removed periodically for maintenance.

[Yonner]

I'm still in the research stage, I'm not sure what type ours is ( Hadn't heard of statite types) I'll research some more.
thx again.