Another Wedge of Lime

The saga of dealing with the lime in the well water continues. This time it was the increasingly spattering upstairs bathroom sink faucet. I couldn't set my classes on the vanity to wash my face w/o them getting all spattered with water and it could get you, albeit lightly, right in the crotch if conditions were just right... or just wrong.

I had been taught that plumbing parts such as the aerator were to be hand-tightened only, but this one was on there so good I thought the skinflint* former owners had managed to buy a faucet where it wasn't removable. Then I noticed that there were flat sides on it indicating a place for a wrench to grab. Eureka!

I also had a rag to protect the fixture from the wrench.

I grabbed the channel lock wrench, a Pyrex dish, good old white vinegar, a toothbrush used for household cleaning. Later I added the probe; you'll see why.

Oopsie! Apologies for the blurry shot, it's too late to take another. You can see the chunks of lime that fell out just from removing the aerator.

I added enough vinegar to the Pyrex bowl to cover the parts, then soaked them for a few minutes, then brushed off the thinner layer. Soaked again, then went after this guy with the probe. Soak, probe, soak, probe, until free of lime scale.

How did water get through there at all?

And finally they were clean!

I noticed those small bits on the edges of the gray piece as I was photographing, so picked them out with the probe real quick before reassembling.

Finally, I put it all back together and gave it a test run.

Works like new!


*I know that wasn't a nice thing to write, but I'm getting more and more frustrated with having to live with, clean up, and/or fix their cheap shortcuts, some of them dangerous and/or illegal. Sigh.