CLR?

[phoxie]

Just saw a commerical about CLR, a calcium remover solution. Had a thought, would it work on removing any deposits for raw water cooled engines? If we ran this thru the engines, would it help clean out any deposits? Just wondering.....

[hellosailor]

Yes, it works. So does citric acid, and since KoolAide contains lots of that, so does KoolAide. All sorts of stuff works, given enough time, heat, concentration.

[jackdale]

Vinegar will probably work as well.

[Minnewaska]

We used to use diluted vinegar to clean corrosion off diving regulator parts. Leave it soaking too long and metal began to disappear. It's surprising.

Be careful with slow descaling methods. If your cooling system is heavily scaled, you run the risk of chunks of scale coming off and blocking passageways, which then makes it very hard to get acids to them to dissolve it away.

I am told there are commercial products that work like miracles, but I don't have personal experience to recommend one. I'm only thinking that I would want the scale to be obliterated on the first dose. If you flush frequently, this wouldn't be a concern.

[BubbleheadMd]

Atomic-4 owners often use a diluted muratic acid solution for dissolving scale as a regular part of preventive maintenance. You can visit the moyer marine forum for more details.

[JimsCAL]

I've used CLR for that and it does work, but only for mild scale. A better choice is oxalic acid (available in hardware stores) or Rydlyme (commercial descaler available online) for more serious scaling problems.

[HUGOSALT]

Phoxie would certainly work as stated above...

Rydlyme Marine descaler seems to be product of choice...non corrosive wont harm gaskets etc.
but have to remove zincs in raw water systems. Have used with good results, Very good for most of us back yard mechanics.

Flushing/cleaning motor with Diluted Muriatic Acid should only be use in the hands of knowledgable and experienced..
I have used for numerous non boat applications...Do not use on boat motor.
Muriatic Acid potent/dangerous if not used correctly...Can fry ones lungs if
inhaled.
Search archives... I am sure there are in depth detailed threads on subject.

[travlineasy]

I wonder if CLR will work on removing rust stains from sails?

Gary

[thekeip]

I've experimented with "FSR", Fiberglass Stain Remover, a Davis product. The blue gel can be applied with a short trimmed acid brush to the stain. This assumes that we're talking about Dacron fabric. Don't let any gel get to your cringles, and always neutralize the stain area with Windex. Anyway, the experiments proved successful.
Howard Keiper
Berkeley

[Minnewaska]

Originally Posted by HUGOSALT

....Rydlyme Marine descaler seems to be product of choice...non corrosive wont harm gaskets etc.......

This is the commercial stuff I hear works great. I couldn't remember the name since I've never used it personally.