Limescale in elec. shower

Kat1170

This is less than a week's worth of limescale in my showerhead. Shower is an ordinary electric Triton. The scales are 1-2mm and like concrete. I'm guessing that they are from the shower heating element as although I have lime elsewhere, kettle with hidden element, it is a soft kind that can be cleaned off by hand.

It blocks the holes in the showerhead leading to a sudden, much hotter than expected, shower. I have to dismantle the shower head at least every half dozen showers.

Is there anyway of cleaning the shower element

Sleeper12

You really need a water softening system for your home. Everything with an element in your home is costing more to run because of the limescale. These appliances will need repair or replacement years before they would if you had a water softening system.

In the meantime you can buy a replacement heating can for around €100. A whole new shower would be better value at €240 in woodies. New shower comes with a new shower pole, hose and head

Kat1170

Only elements in the house are a kettle and the shower. Have a replacement shower ready to go from Amazon for the last two years. Didn't think I'd get what is now about eight years from this one. I'll persevere with cleaning it weekly for now. Thanks for the reply 👍

Wearb

Dishwasher? Washing machine? Cylinder immersion? Instantaneous water heater?

People sometimes have more than they think.

Juwwi

We used to have the same problem , if you take the shower head off the hose altogether ,l used to then leave the hose on the floor of the shower tray and run the shower on cold and then turn it onto the hot setting and then back to cold and keep doing this it helps to get the limescale off the element ,, it wont fix it long term but you'll get a little longer before the shower head clogs up again , you'll be amazed at the amount of limescale that will come out .

John.G

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119451387#Comment_119451387

As a matter of interest, with a cleaned shower head, how long does it take the water to reach its normal working temperature after switch on?.

Kat1170

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119451426#Comment_119451426

Washing machine, hadn't thought of that but use limescale tablets, they seem to be doing their job 👍

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119451518#Comment_119451518

15-20 seconds I'd say.

John.G

Limescale Loss of Efficiency.jpg

Seems pretty normal as limescale has "great" insulating properties, the heating element will just keep getting hotter and hotter until eventually it burns out, it's amazing really that you've got 8 years from one judging by the amount you flush out. I've seem photos of lime

Limescale Effect.docx

scaled HW cylinders heated by a immersion where the cylinder was "1/2" full of limescale but the heating element itself wasn't too badly fouled up, probably due to the shock effect of very rapid heating of the element knocking off the limescale from the elements in very small pieces, the thousands of bits it the cylinder were formed to the shape of the element coil diameter. Post#5 bears this out?.

Limescaled HW coils due to their much lower temperature (60 to80C) will not shock the scale off and due to their very low temperatures and the limescale insulation effect will eventually transfer almost no heat to the water in the cylinder.

The second attachment was my observations taken around 4 years ago (shower ~ 16/17 years old now), nothing to boast about but I have a 50 year old cylinder immersion still going strong.

Kat1170

At the moment it just seems to block the cold side and will scald you if you're not careful when the limescale builds up.

No teenagers in the house, just myself at the moment so one quick shower a day is most likely reason it hasn't burnt out yet.

Its a Triton Seville off Amazon, cost about £60 on a black Friday sale, have a replacement there ready to go whenever this one packs in.

Only £84 on Amazon at the moment. Simple electric non powered showers here are ridiculously over priced last time I looked.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll just keep weekly cleaning it and when it goes, it goes. Seems to be the most cost effective route for now.

👍👍👍