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Unread 06/24/2009, 08:53 PM   #1
singold
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Vinegar to clean powerheads

I've seen some pictures and discussion on using vinegar to clean powerheads. Was wondering what ratio of vinegar to water do people use and how long it takes when running powerhead in the mixed water with the ratio of vinegar/water mix for them to essentially clean themselves?


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Unread 06/24/2009, 09:06 PM   #2
mnml
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i do 50/50 if there's a lot of coraline on it. let soak for 1 hour then brush off with a tooth brush.


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Unread 06/24/2009, 09:10 PM   #3
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I have spare powerheads so cleaning one isn't a get it done issue.

Once a powerhead is replaced I tear it down, scrub all accessible parts with a toothbrush and put it in a 100% vinegar soak. 100% may seem excessive but I recycle the vinegar for several cleanings. If you don't have a spare powerhead a little effort can get the job done in ten or fifteen minutes.


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Unread 06/24/2009, 09:11 PM   #4
singold
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Thanks


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Unread 06/24/2009, 10:14 PM   #5
jenglish
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I generally let it run about half an hour in 50/50 with very hot water.


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Unread 06/24/2009, 10:25 PM   #6
drummereef
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I've cleaned them in 100% vinegar as Agu states as well. Works faster and won't hurt a thing.


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Unread 06/24/2009, 10:40 PM   #7
lombard0
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Some very stubborn "stuff" will still take time to take it off even if 100% vinegar is used IME. That's why I used a diluted glacial acetic acid (99+% acidity) with 50/50 ratio and with water. Works better for me so far. But I only use it with plastic and metal parts of the pump, and not the rubber parts.


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Unread 06/24/2009, 11:50 PM   #8
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I've read vinegar can ruin suction cups.


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Unread 06/24/2009, 11:57 PM   #9
jenglish
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I have used 5:1 muriatic acid..... I would advise that only for the toughest stuff as it is quite hazardous to work with and can pit metal impeller shafts.


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Unread 06/25/2009, 06:36 AM   #10
will16
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Quote:
Originally posted by mnml
i do 50/50 if there's a lot of coraline on it. let soak for 1 hour then brush off with a tooth brush.
I do the same exact thing. I usually also disassemble and scrub all the parts while I'm at it.


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Unread 06/25/2009, 08:09 AM   #11
waterworld2
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I have always used 50/50 on all except the most stubborn to remove debris and Iwill use straight on those. This also works well to soak your heaters in to remove scale build-up. The scale build-up insulates the heater from the water making it less efficient.
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Unread 06/25/2009, 08:19 AM   #12
Sugar Magnolia
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Quote:
Originally posted by Whys
I've read vinegar can ruin suction cups.
Suction cups? What are those? Suction cups wear out very quickly is saltwater anyway. Replace them with a magnet style holder.


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Unread 06/25/2009, 10:09 AM   #13
Tswifty
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Quote:
Originally posted by Tswifty
Also, if anyone isn't familiar with how I clean my pumps and powerheads, here are a few pics:

I use white distilled vinegar and a small tank.

No large bottles were available, so I had to use smaller ones.



I usually clean them in 100% vinegar solution, but since I picked up smaller bottles, I added water to fill up the rest of the tank.



Let it mix for a few hours, with the pump on low. Then I scrub it with a toothbrush to get in between the grates, and any tougher coraline encrusted areas clean. Rinse and dry off... then pop it back in the tank.



Before:



After (forgot to take a pic when it was outside the tank):




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Unread 06/25/2009, 10:40 AM   #14
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Pictures are worth 1000 words. Thanks Tswifty


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Unread 06/25/2009, 12:52 PM   #15
snorvich
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Quote:
Originally posted by Agu
I have spare powerheads so cleaning one isn't a get it done issue.

Once a powerhead is replaced I tear it down, scrub all accessible parts with a toothbrush and put it in a 100% vinegar soak. 100% may seem excessive but I recycle the vinegar for several cleanings. If you don't have a spare powerhead a little effort can get the job done in ten or fifteen minutes.
Likewise as he said above. Some of my pumps are cleaned by running them in a bucket with 100 percent vinegar. But like Agu, I recycle the vinegar and buy generic stuff from the super market.


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Unread 06/25/2009, 12:58 PM   #16
Toddrtrex
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Quote:
Originally posted by Whys
I've read vinegar can ruin suction cups.
Back when I used suction cups, they would get ruined by soaking overnight in a 50/50 solution. Ended up being mis-shapened, and wouldn't hold any more.

But, like "Sugar Magnolia" said, they wear out quickly anyways, I haven't used any in years.


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Unread 06/25/2009, 01:53 PM   #17
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It was just a warning guys (that includes you Sugar ). I don't use sucky-cups either, but at $6 per magnetic clip, I assume some others still do.

All I'm saying is try not to soak the suction cups in vinegar.


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Unread 06/25/2009, 01:56 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally posted by Tswifty
Tswifty, that's pretty small for an out board motor. Couldn't you find anything bigger?

Not to be place too close to computer equipment. I can't image what the magnetic field must be like on that thing.


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Unread 06/25/2009, 03:58 PM   #19
otrlynn
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Quote:
Originally posted by Toddrtrex
Back when I used suction cups, they would get ruined by soaking overnight in a 50/50 solution. Ended up being mis-shapened, and wouldn't hold any more.

But, like "Sugar Magnolia" said, they wear out quickly anyways, I haven't used any in years.
Well, Koralias have a sort of "suction cup", as well as mount magnetically. Anyway, I remove the rubber "suction cup" from the pump prior to soaking it in 50/50 hot water and vinegar. I usually disassemble them and let them soak overnight, which minimizes the elbow grease required. I have several in my tank, so I do half of them at a time, leaving the other half in the tank. I do the second half the following night using the same cleaning solution. I soak my Stealth heaters in the same solution, though I do not use hot water--just being cautions with that. I don't know if hot water would do any damage to them--probably not, but why take a chance.


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Unread 06/18/2017, 01:58 PM   #20
kevinr621
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I purchased a used reef tank and I am in the long process of cleaning it up - Question is if I fill it up with a 50/50 mixture of distilled vinegar and tap water and use my powerheads to circulate will the vinegar harm my new powerheads at all?


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Unread 06/18/2017, 02:01 PM   #21
Stolireef
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinr621 View Post
I purchased a used reef tank and I am in the long process of cleaning it up - Question is if I fill it up with a 50/50 mixture of distilled vinegar and tap water and use my powerheads to circulate will the vinegar harm my new powerheads at all?
Nope, won't hurt them a bit.


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Unread 06/18/2017, 02:02 PM   #22
Stolireef
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Another option that's a little stronger than Vinegar is CLR. I think CLR has some surfactants in it so you want to be certain to rinse well but I find that it works much faster than vinegar and it's not as scary as working with muriatic acid.


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I want to burn twice as bright and half as long. Oh, and a full tank crash is just an excuse for a new build.

Current Tank Info: 125 Rimless Leemar, Apex, Trigger 30 Elite Sump, Vertex 180i Skimmer, 2 X Gen4 Radion XR30W, BM Doser, 2xMP40WES, 2xTunze 6095, Sicce Syncra 4.0.
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