I should really mention: the reason you have to start forcing the vinegar in is because of the CO2 gas being evolved as the vinegar dissolves the scale. There's only really one hole for the gas to come out of. The gas from the tank can't come out the inlet hole; remember, that left hand hole is connected to a tube that goes to the bottom of the tank. Gas that evolves IN the tank MUST come out the middle hole.

Thank you so much for your quick and comprehensive reply, very much appreciated. I think I will try to install a primary filter before it gets to the Insinkerator filter. The reason I came upon your video was that over the years the water dispensed has become only very hot and nowhere near boiling, so I'm hoping that the cleaning of the tank will solve this problem. All the best!

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Happy to assist. I can say that cleaning the tank will really improve the performance. Better temperature control and hotter water are just two noticeable outcomes. Good luck!

Thank you!!!! Holy smokes. It was gross in there and I am so happy my hot water dispenser no longer leaks. You are brilliant and saved me hundreds of dollars! I appreciate you sharing this information.

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Glad to be of assistance!

Holy Smokes Bat Man! I installed mine roughly a year ago, going to have to do this. Thank you for this video sir!

thank you for posting this - mine had a bit of junk, but no lime build up. There was also a leak I didn't know about, but it appears re-seating the lines did the trick.

Excellent video. Thanks Derek. I have the newer model (in the UK) with the touch-panel controls, but the fittings are the same, as is the principle. I found it lot easier to fill up the tank with the descaling fluid as I found a 100ml syringe the end of which fits perfectly into the left and right connectors. I was also using citric acid and not vinegar, because I had a bunch of it lying around. I used a pyrex jug to mix the acid: two loads of 1l and one load of 1/2 litre, with about 2-3 tablespoons of citric acid per litre. It took me less than 5 minutes to fill and tank using this method. The more modern tank is also more convenient as the cable comes out of the side, is it's easier to stand it upright. This means you can easily do the job in the sink so you don't have to use another bowl. I did try taking the unit to pieces to see whether I could get better access to the stainless steel boiler tank inside, but other than giving it a bit of a clean inside, there's not a lot you can usefully do here (this model doesn't seem to come apart in the middle like the older version).

@derekryder7902

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info! I've fed back to Insinkerator design suggestions over the years. Not having the power cable come out of the bottom is a great change. Citric Acid is fine, as is any other weak acid. You could even use HCl is you dilute it enough. As you note, generally there's not much point in thaking the tjhing apart as the tank isn't serviceable. Glad to have been help!

Great video - I took mine apart about 8 months ago and discovered sooo much limescale it was unusable and had to be replaced. Great and easy to follow instructions. Can you do 'how to parent teenage children' next please....

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Seriously not qualified to answer that, based on the lack of excellence I demonstrated with mine!

Derek, thank you for the excellent video. I've just descaled mine using this technique. A couple of differences and an observation that might help others. I'm in the UK and have a different more modern unit that contains 2.5 litres. I've got a different much smaller chrome tap that provides hot or cold water. You mention to remove and descale the tap filter that's a fiddly job on your tap. My tap has a simple screw off end that provides for far easier removal, however, it's also far easier to block due to scale and is far smaller diameter (maybe only 4mm) too! This needs to be checked regularly in a hard water area as tank disturbed calcium deposits block this quickly. This can easily lead to a blown internal plastic tank (inside the unit) if your water pressure is high. Consequently, I'd recommend that owners remove this completely after cleaning as any follow-up discharge of calcium deposits (likely) will cause blockage. Once again thanks.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! There are a bunch of tap styles. The don't even make mine any more, and I'm glad they don't. The newer tap designs are MUCH better.

Thanks again Derek, just a quick update; I went ahead and fitted the Ebay purchased 1200 watt element (around £10 sterling) and it works perfectly well producing lovely boiling water....all the best!😁

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Great news!

Very nice video although I just unplugged the unit and unhooked from the wall carefully and dumped all the hot water out in the sink. The hot water actually helped me as mine was not the white deposit you have it was from a well pump replacement debris from replacing the well pump. I had to do this to all my faucets as they started getting slower because of debris plugging up the valve and strainers. used a turkey baster with a tube and then taped my garden hose (with valve at tank to keep pressure low) to it much much faster. And the pressure helped to force the debris out faster but make sure you have a valve to keep pressure low at the unit. Thanks again 🙋🏼‍♂️

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

So the reason it's best to cool it off is that the mineral salt solids fall out of solution & suspension in colder water. But sure, you can dump the water when it's hot. I would, however, worry about the heating element if I did that. Without water to dissipate the heat, it's possible that the scale will literally bake onto the element. I, too, replaced my well pump a few years back. But I have a 5 micron whole house filter right after my pressure tank. All the pump replacement did was prematurely create the need to do a filter change!

I used a short piece of tubing and a turkey baster. Keep it connected to the tubing and just replace the rubber pumper bulb when it stops free flowing and force it in. You get a lot more in it compared to a syringe.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

I love the turkey baster idea. I've though about using one, but don't have the tubing needed to connect it. But the size of it makes me want to figure out a way!

@JustSayN2O

2 жыл бұрын

Home Depot sells different diameter clear plastic tubing in the aisle that has all the millions of small brass plumbing pieces affixed to a wall display.

Cheers just did this on a different brand boiling tank and worked a treat. Just trying to get the smell of vinegar out of the house now 😂 vinegar cost me £1.40 for 2 and half litres and tesco. Definitely recommend 👌

@derekryder7902

9 ай бұрын

The chemistry is true no matter who makes it. Glad it worked for you!

If your water is not that hard, I suggest checking the faucet valve before descaling or replacing the tank. My flow dropped to a trickle. I replaced the tank. Flow was still a trickle! I then discovered that my issue was a clogged faucet valve. (We have the arm-type dispenser faucet.). Once I cleaned it out, we have full flow again. I took apart the old tank and it was pristine after 4 years of use - no scale. I wish I had trusted the water quality report from my local utility that told me our water is soft.

Thank you Derek.

I just open mines after 8 years of daily usage and it was clean, just had some little red flakes from the heating element gasket. I have a water filter feeding the tank that also provides me with filtered drink water.

Great video! Thank you!

Just bought a new house with one of these units that clearly needed to be descaled. Thanks for the how-to. My biggest question to you would be if you have such an issue with this why wouldn’t you place an under-sink in-line filter on the unit? I picked one up for $50. I changed out the faucet to a 2-in-1 for cold water too. Now I just have to change the filter at the appropriate increments.

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Speaking as a chemical engineer, you can't filter out dissolved solids like magnesium chloride. There IS a system that looks like a filter; it's a polyphosphate system. It chemically suspends dissolved mineral salts so they can't precipitate out. They only make whole house polyphosphate systems, so having one JUST for an Insinkerator is silly. Better to install one to take care of everything in your house from the hot water heater to the faucets and shower heads. But that's water treatment, not filtering. Because I'm on a well for my water, I have a 5 micron filter anyway. Filtering is not helpful for this issue.

Thanks for the great how-to. I used a small water pump to force vinegar in via the hot water port and only took a minute or so.

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Glad it’s been helpful. A pump would be awesome and make the process much faster. A pump defeats the problem that, at some point, the gas being generated (by the acids dissolving the mineral salts) wants to come out of the narrow tubes faster than gravity can feed vinegar in. But I don’t have a pump!

Love your video! Very helpful! We have reconnected all three tubes at the top of the heater, but the one that "clicks" on is leaking at the connection site. Any thoughts?

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Hmmmn... You might try cleaning it with a Q-tip dipped in vinegar. It's possible (though not common) to get scaling at that connection. Scale can happen anywhere there is a change in pressure, so connections and orifices can scale. There's also a small rubber O-ring in that connection. It could be dry; a little vaseline will help with that (a silicone lubricant would be better, but everyone has vaseline).

Great video Derek I stumbled across this video as i'm trying to figure out why the water pressure in my instant hot insinkerator has suddenly dropped! I drained the unit but no scaling or anything. Any suggestions would be very helpfull.

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Scale plates out on the innards & tubes (and orifices and anywhere there is a pressure or temperature change). Just draining the tank and finding few solids coming out doesn't necessarily mean it's not scaled inside. A common place to get scale is where the tubes (all three) enter or exit the tank. That really reduces flow. As I note in the video, compare the flowrate of the tank draining at the start and end. Is yours flowing out the tank fast like at the end of the video, or slow, like at the beginning of the video? The cleaning process is easy but time consuming (if you call an hour to fill and a few hours to soak time consuming). I'd try that and see what happens. If soaking it with vinegar for a while doesn't improve flowrate and pressure, my next target would be the tap itself. There are many tap styles, but the scale always happens in the same place: at the faucet's nozzle.

Great video. I have replace my tank twice now, always because it begins to leak, and you can see external scale built up at the bottom outside of tank. . To confirm, the vinegar will NOT harm the inner wall or workings of the tank? You also mentioned CLR, would this be another option to syringe in?

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for liking it! Having ripped one apart, I could see nothing that would be harmed by the acids in either vinegar or CLR. It's just a sealed stainless steel tank with a metal immersion heater in it. Having used CLR in descaling other things, I don't know if I would recommend using it here. CLR is a lot harder to rinse out than vinegar, and smells and tastes terrible. If you do use CLR, I would absolutely do two things: 1) Don't JUST use CLR. Dilute the CLR to at least 1 part CLR to 4, 6 or even 10 parts water. 2) Do a clean water rinse after draining it. I mention this in the video as an option to get rid of the vinegar smell. To do the rinse, just repeat the (slow and tedious) filling procedure using plain water. It will go faster because none of the tubes will be plugged, but it's still slow. I like the idea from PT below to try using a turkey baster and tubing; it would make filling it easier and faster.

Hi Derek, as I ascertained that the element had indeed blown in my Insinkerator, I took the plunge and took it apart and the build up scale was incredible...it took up almost all of the inside space. I am however left with a dilemma, I cannot find a 1300 Watt element but only 1200 Watts or 2000 Watts. I am tempted to buy the higher wattage but would you say that the thermostatic control may be compromised? Thank you in advance

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

I'm not an electrical engineer, but took some courses... The thermostatic control could be compromised no matter what you do. It could operate on a temperature sensor, in which case, it won't matter. But I didn't see a thermocouple when I took mine apart. So I suspect it's a simple "algorithm" based on-off control, where it just turns itself on and off periodically for a specific time period. No matter what, I would go with the 1200 watt element. You risk overheating otherwise. You can always turn a 1200 watt up, but you might not be able to turn the 2000 watt down far enough. And... I'm not surprised at the amount of scale in yours. I opened one +10 years ago in my office. It didn't work, and no one used it. It was literally a solid mass of scale inside. Plugged and no way for the water to flow through it.

Can anyone direct to a replacement tube for the hot water exit? The white clip broke off inside the copper.. If not, recommend a nice alternative?

Thank Derek, I'm going to try this with my Insinkerator which is about 8 years old. Just wondering if this process would reduce the need to replace the filter which is getting increasingly harder to obtain in the UK and massively expensive. I would appreciate your thoughts.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

I doubt cleaning the Insinkerator tank would have an effect on the filter. I can't think of any way to plumb an Insinkerator so the the filter is downstream of the tank. The tank output must go straight to a tap, or you'll have a whole lot of filter mass to heat up, and you won't actually get hot water out of it. Better question, though: why filter? Filters take out solids, for sure. Where I live, I'm on a well, and have to have a filter on the water coming out of my pressure tank. In the spring, my water has a lot of solids in it due to the effects of spring runoff. If you're on city mains water, you only actually need a filter if your mains system is >100 years old (which, in the UK, it very well could be). Really old piping systems often have solids issues (and some of those solids - like lead -can be very bad for you). Another reason for a filter: if you have a UV water purification system, you must pre-filter to 5 microns. I have this system, again, because I'm on a well and risk bacterial contamination from surface runoff. As noted in the answer to another question, filters don't reduce dissolved solids (like calcium & magnesium salts that are the cause of hard water). So there ARE reasons to filter, but they're not that common. If not necessary, they rank at best as a "nice to have", and as you note, can get expensive. My whole house filter only needs changing every 2-3 years, but only costs about 25 GBP.

Do you have a filter inline on the water supply before it enters the tank? I have one in mine and wonder if that affects the amount of minerals entering the tank or is it just filtering impurities. I also have my tank sitting in a tall plastic bin to keep the inevitable leak from damaging my cabinetry.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

As noted in other comments, filters remove suspended solids, not the dissolved solids that create the hard water deposits that this treatment solved. And I’ve never had a leak. The way the tank and connections are designed, a leak is REALLY unlikely to occur.

Hi Derek I watched your video which was very informative. I have put the dispenser back in place but it’s leaking I’ve secured all tubes but it’s still leaking, any advice how to resolve this problem. Many thanks

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Where is is leaking? The three tubes that attach to the tank? One clips onto the tank; make sure the clip is secure and clicked when installed. The other two are just friction fit on the tubes. Make sure the big one is on the big tube, the little on the little tube. If they are still leaking there, check to see the tubes are still pliable. If they are weak or cracked, consider cutting 1" off the bottoms of the tubes. If they crack a bit getting them on or off, cutting the end of will get rid of the crack. Use an X-Acto knife to cut the tubes, not scissors. Now, if the TAP is leaking, not sure what to suggest about that.

@CC-tk7cm

2 жыл бұрын

Leaking tubes .... Hi Derek, a brilliant video and many thanks for all the clarity. Although I have a water softener and have no issues with hard water, I found your video really helpful as I needed to remove the tank to have it repaired! I thought that the fuse to the plug had blown, but in the end it was a fuse to the circuit board! I bought a fuse for £2.50 incl free postage and a community electrical repair service, run in our local library, soldered it on free of charge. It now works again! Insinkerator don’t do a repair service and wanted to sell me a new hot water tank at over £200. My issue, however, is that the hot water pipe is leaking, which brings me to the point of this comment. The hot water pipe has a rubber O ring on the metal valve that’s installed on the hot water tan’ on which the hot water pipe is fitted. It’s this rubber O ring , which I think is causing the leak because of the lack of seal and needs replacing. A box of 50 different size of rubber O rings is £2.40 from eBay.

Thanks for your video. After descaling my tank I used an air hose to blowout the vinegar. Without thinking I blew out the vent and blew up the small plastic venting tank. After taking off the cover I can see the crack in the top of the venting tank which I might be able to glue. Question: does pressure build in small plastic vent tank or just for condensation? Should I try gluing or throw in the towel and purchase new? Thank you for your thoughts.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Ouch. There is water pressure in the tank, the same as there would be in your pipes. Pretty sure it will leak even if you try to glue it. For future reference, you can just turn the unit upside down and let gravity do its thing. It doesn't take long.

@TonyWheeler60

2 жыл бұрын

I've blown 2 of these tanks due to the local (Swindon, UK) high water pressure and scale that had (unknown to me at the time) blocked the tap. Insinkerator (UK) do not sell the tank but I approached the local servicing person and he let me have some broken units that allowed me to swap out the plastic tank you refer to.

Great video! My system hadn't been cleaned after 10 years of service and had extreme amounts of scale throughout - far more than shown in the video. With your help I've got it running again. A few observations: 1) No need to wait 24hours for it to cool down. Simply unplug and run cold water through it for 2 min. 2) Absolutely run vinegar through the air line, or even better, replace the air cartridge if it's filled with scale (as mine was). This is the only user replaceable part. 3) On the inside of the tank, the fill line tube can get completely clogged up to the point vinegar has no effect. Taking the tank apart, removing and and cleaning that fill line was essential for me. Had to use a small metal pick to get all the junk out of that line - it was impressive. The full tube pulls straight out without unscrewing - no tools required. 4) All hot water heaters need a descaler! This is ultimately the solution. We shouldn't be taking these apart on a regular basis. amzn.to/3ZQcKN1 Thanks again for making this video - incredibly helpful!

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it, and thanks for the feedback. A few notes: 1) Mine is connected to the hot water, not the cold. So I can't run cold water through it; 2) I don't have an air cartridge (that I am aware of...); 3) When I took a tank apart (photos in the video), it was a destructive process, and I did it on a tank that was being replaced. I had to cut through welds to get it part. If newer models feature tanks that can be taken apart without destroying them, that's fantastic. My experience is that even a basically gummed up tube will get descaled in 24 hrs if you fill the tank completely with vinegar. The scale in the tube does get contacted from both above and below. It really helps to shake the vinegar filled thing every 30 min, but the chemical reaction and adequate diffusion will still occur with enough time. And I wholly agree that they shouldn't be taken apart; 4) Very interesting water softener you have linked. In Canada where I am, the device is just $100, and a 3 pack of cartridges is $75, with each one lasting 6 months. That's $50/yr to operate the thing, which is not that expensive. Nice part is that unlike a water softener, there's no backwash (I'm on a septic system and can't backwash a salt-based softener). It's cheap to descale the Insinkerator with vinegar ($10/yr plus my time), but a system like you linked would solve issues with dishwashers, taps, hot water heaters, and everything else water related. Thanks for the link; I'm going to look into it!

@scottthomasmartin

Жыл бұрын

@@derekryder7902 great to hear from you 1) smart - very efficient. Your viewers probably have it connected to cold however. 2) I guess they call it the plastic "Expansion tank" on top that contains the air vent 3) that makes sense. Mine had so much scale it was completed filled top to bottom including the expansion tank. Vinegar for 3 days with agitation didn't do much of anything. I had to chip at it with a metal pick... It was nuts. Can't believe it works now. 4) They say "replace every 6 months" for their revenue stream but I put one in on my other hot water tank 8 years ago and it's going strong on the original cartridge. Without it, it fails within 2 years. Amazing tech those descales are, and it means not having to worry about your heater... Highly recommended.

Great video! I did this last night and it made a huge difference. Only thing is, once I put it all back together the faucet is constantly dripping. Any ideas how I can fix this?

@jeff9940

2 жыл бұрын

Unfortunatly unsinkerator sells no parts to fix their products. I personnaly think its pollution. This lead me not to buy the pricey fh3300 or fhc3300 * * The wave series seem unfixable but maybe this video may help you kzread.info/dash/bejne/hHpkz7Kqp7WtccY.html

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

There's at least 1 video on KZread talking about fixing leaking Insinkerator taps. The same way you can get scale in the tank, you could have scale in the valve. If you have the original style tap like mine (I think it's called an HW-1), it would be tough to flush the tap's valve with vinegar. This is mainly because the valve is spring loaded. One way to descale it would be to cool off the tank, disconnect it from the tap, then take the tap out of the counter. You could then totally immerse the tap in vinegar, filling it from both sides, then let it soak. Another (easier) way would be, at the end of the tank clean, DON'T drain the tank. Reconnect it (but don't plug it in). Then run the tap. This would flush it with the vinegar left in the tank. Realize that doing it this way will continuously reduce the concentration of the vinegar as water is added to the tank. Accordingly, I would run it a bit, wait a bit to let it soak, and run it some more. Big advantage her is that you can see if the tap stops dripping. With this methodology, I would recommend disconnecting the tank a 2nd time after flushing the tap, draining it, and reinstalling it. Otherwise, it will take a LOT longer than a few days to get rid of the vinegar small and taste in the water.

I just purchased my 3rd dispenser. The first 2 developed leaks and small floods in the cabinet. Never thought of scale buildup, although it's a well-known headache with hot water storage tanks, shortening the life of the heater and efficiency. Recently added a whole house water filter, wondering if that will help. The cartridges are advertised to filter iron and mineral salts. Thoughts please.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Speaking as a chemical engineer, you can't "filter out" dissolved mineral salts like calcium carbonate or magnesium sulphate. You can only remove them by ion exchange (the way most water softeners work, swapping sodium ions for calcium or magnesium) or reverse osmosis. Filters remove particulates, and mineral salts are not present as particles. There are those who claim you can use magnets, but that doesn't work either. It would not surprise me in the slightest if mineral salt buildup in the tank eventually resulted in leaks. Mineral salt deposits happen where there is some kind of change: pressure or temperature. They form on taps because of a change in pressure. There are both pressure changes (at the inlet & outlet tubes) and temperature changes in the tank. Plug up enough stuff and keep putting water pressure into the device and you'll get leaks. The simple (if time-consuming) process of descaling will prevent that.

@waltcachia2721

2 жыл бұрын

@@derekryder7902 The video and explanation was a big help in understanding the chemistry and the fix. My only question (for myself), it the heater worth all the time in maintenance for a cup of tea. The unit itself retails $260 and more depending on the model. We have onsite septic. Water softeners are not permitted by the township. Many thanks

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

@@waltcachia2721 Glad to have helped. I have a septic system as well, and we have no storm sewer system, so water softening is not an option for me either due to backwash issues.

Thanks for the video. The one I have only gets to 170f. Should it be getting too 200f. I have is set the the highest temp setting. If so is there a fix? Thanks.

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

As I mentioned in another comment, as you scale up, you lose heating efficiency. Step 1 would be to clean out the scale following the procedure in the video. I bet after cleaning you’ll get back to 200°. But I would also be that you’re really scaled up, so I would recommend using cleaning vinegar instead of regular vinegar, and soaking it overnight.

Hi, My Insinkerator, about 8 years old and has never been de-scaled. The water flow volume is fine. The issue I'm facing is lots of air sputtering as the hot water is dispensed. You answered another commenter's question about this and recommended de-scaling, which I will indeed do. But first here are some related questions . . . Why not use your syringe to force ALL the vinegar in, from the beginning of the procedure? Why wait until gravity no longer drains vinegar through the funnel? Seems you would save a lot of time. Why not use a much larger syringe? Amazon sells them as large as 300 ml ! Why not fill the tank only 1/4 or 1/3 with vinegar, pick it up and shake it all around and drain, rather than fill the tank completely full of vinegar? Why not unscrew the aerator to remove the screens and flower part, rather then work upside down into it with a mirror and sharp tools? Wouldn't de-scaling the three tubes that connect from the top of the Insinkerator up to its faucet solve the issue of de-scaling the faucet? Thank you for an excellent presentation !

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Whew! LOTS of questions! I'll try to hit them all. 1) The syringe is slow and painful (75 ml at a time when I need to add 2,500 ml). Gravity's just easier. 2) Bigger syringe? Sure. As mentioned, I'd LOVE to find a bigger syringe. I haven't found one. Remember, the one end has to fit in the portals. Turkey basters are big but don't fit. 3) REALLY good question. The scale MUST soak in vinegar for several hours to dissolve. It takes a lot of time to dissolve it (and a stronger acid would be good and faster, but I worry about the chemical reaction with the tank parts, so no 10% HCl for me). You fill it to soak all the surfaces, including the tank's top. Just partially filling it and shaking it won't achieve that. First, because of insufficient contact time. Second, because the acid gets used up in the dissolution reaction. Don't use enough acetic acid and you won't get all the solids off. Hold it upside down to descale the top, and the vinegar will pour out. So you HAVE to fully fill it to clean the whole thing. 4) You can't unscrew my aerator. As noted, it's not designed to be serviced. All parts are friction fit. Other tap designs may be different, but I can't speak to them 5) I've never figured out a way to get vinegar into the tubes leading to the taps. But I'm not convinced they need descaling anyway. Scaling occurs at locations of pressure or temperature change, and that's not in the tubes. The faucet itself dosn't need descaling; the spout does. Hope that answers your questions!!

Liquid descaler for kettles is usually recommended to add to how water so I am thinking to speed it up , empty tank a little then add some liquid descaler. Shake a bit and rinse. Just an idea. I guess insinkerator would say if that filter is changed regularly or water treatment is used on the inlet then this would not be necessary.

@derekryder7902

4 ай бұрын

I really think that's a function of how often you descale it. Vinegar IS a liquid descaler. All descalers are low concentration weak acids (acetic, formic, lactic, gluconic, etc). All descalers work better when they're warm, as the chemical reaction is accelerated by heat. But it's all about concentration. Adding a bit of liquid descaler won't add enough acid to dissolve all the salts if it hasn't been cleaned in a while, or if your water is very hard like mine. If you descaled it weekly, sure, a small amount of liquid descaler would work. But the process, while not difficult, is annoying and time consuming enough that no one wants to do it very often. As mentioned in the reply to other comments, you can't filter out dissolved solids. If you have a reverse osmosis system for your house, or a water softener, this process isn't necessary. I can't speak for current Insinkerator documentation, but mine says nothing about water treatment, and claims incorrectly that unit is "maintenance free".

My Insinkerator boiler stopped working - it tripped the circuit on the electrics. I had never noticed any problem with scale etc, but I started following this video to see if that might help. When tipping it upside down it made a lot of cluttering noises. I ended up taking the tank apart and found over 1Kg of scale clogging it up. I have cleaned it out but suspect the element is damaged which is what caused the trip.

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Probably. When too much scale builds up, the element has to work too hard, and can pop a circuit breaker. It's amazing how much scale can build up without noticing it!

Thanks for this very through video . You had all the questions I wanted to know about answered . I'm not sure I want to do all that work Unless I have to? At least I have options now. :)

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

It's not hard. It just takes ~3-4 hrs. But it makes a HUGE difference.

Great video, i read on a forum not to fill your steam iron with vinegar as it messes with the rubber seals and innards etc. thereby causing leakes. Is there no suxh conern with hot water boilers? Appreciate informed responses. Thanks.

@derekryder7902

9 ай бұрын

Having opened the tank, there's nothing inside that vinegar can damage.

@emkay1365

9 ай бұрын

@@derekryder7902 thanks Derek

Do you know how to get rid of air in the tank? The faucet responds very slow( like 10 to 15 seconds) for the water to come out, once the water is out, it splashes everywhere, not in a steady flow. Any suggestions how to fix it? My husband installed the unit 4 years ago.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

That there is a delay of 2-5 secs for water to come out isn’t unusual. Longer than that is indicative that cleaning is necessary. It says that the space for air in the tank has been reduced by scale build-up. Splashing is also indicating that cleaning is needed. Clean the tank according to the video.

Just went through the process. Unfortunately for me the flow out of the tap is still weak. But I have another issue now since reconnecting everything. I have a leak coming out of the top of the tank and it doesn’t seem to be filling either. I’m only getting water (cool) from the filter that I also have attached. Not sure what’s wrong. I never had to shut off the water originally so that’s not it.

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Hmmmn.... not sure how you can get a leak from the top of the tank. Having taken one apart, the tank is spot welded. More likely leaking from the tubes or connections. I would start by re-doing the vinegar soak (lots of scale = the need for lots of vinegar to dissolve it). I would then look at the tubes leading to/from the tap and water line. What sort of shape are they in? I would also look at the tap itself. Get a mirror and lookn up the spout without the diffuser in it. Make sure that's clean. Attack it with a Q-Tip soaked in vinegar.

Thanks for the great video Derek. My problem is I have water from the tap BUT it's not hot at all. I'm going to try the vinegar. Any other ideas? Cheers

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

As I mention in a few comments below, the more the scale has built up (and it likes to build up on the element), the less your tap will heat up. Do the vinegar, but I would expect a LOT of scale. Accordingly, I would recommend using cleaning vinegar instead of regular vinegar, AND let it soak overnight. That should make a big difference. But I would also suggest that if it just helps and doesn't make it back to "normal" do it a second time. If the first clean DOESN'T help, then see the comment below from a gentleman who replaced his element.

@nickferrence8593

Жыл бұрын

@@derekryder7902 . Thanks so much Derek I'll see if the vinegar makes a difference. The unit is at least 8 years old. Cheers Nick

Thank you Sir. This is what i needed.

Can you use add regular Coffee Descaler to the Vinegar? Thanks for the Video

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Interesting question. Not sure what’s in coffee descaler. I’m betting it’s just a mix of weak acids, and am sure it would work. I like plain vinegar because it’s cheap and won’t leave anything behind. Products like CLR are better at removing scale, but are difficult to rinse out, and stuff tastes like CLR for a while. Strikes me that a product labeled “coffee descaler” would not leave stuff behind, as you would notice it in your coffee afterwards. But if you can get it for a good price, it should be fine.

@7755ian1

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, but needs two sachets..

Derek, i am still having intermittent gas bleeds when turning on the facet. Any ideas would be appreciated thank tim

@derekryder7902

5 ай бұрын

Hmmmn… just to be clear, you descaled it, and when you turn on the tap it sputters a mix of water and gas. Am I correct?

Can you elaborate on the steps you took to get InSinkErator to provide you an entirely new tank? ("In fact, the solids were so bad coming out of the unit InSinkErator sent me an entirely new tank.") Thank you.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Not much in the way of steps. I called and complained that there was more white stuff than water coming out of the tap. I sent them pics, too. They sent me a replacement.

I've used baking soda and vinegar to clean drains. It bubbles. Is it possible to do this in this case?

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

You get bubbles when you add baking soda to vinegar because the acid in vinegar is reducing the salt (baking soda) to release carbon dioxide. That's the exact reaction you need in the Insinkerator - but you need the vinegar to react to the mineral salts deposited from your water, NOT the baking soda. Adding baking soda will make the vinegar NOT WORK to clean your Insinkerator. Use pure vinegar. DON'T mix it with baking soda!

Why is my Insinkerator sputtering and spitting? (even after being unplugged for 24 hours) cold or hot..I cannot locate any loose or leaking input or output lines. Would descaling help?

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

It sputters and spits because of steam build up. The steam builds up because of scale. The scale offers nucleation sites for the steam bubbles to form. There's a tiny pipe that's supposed to equalize pressure, but it gets blocked by scale, and can't handle the amount of steam that forms when there's a lot of scale build up. Sputtering and spitting ALWAYS indicates a descaling treatment is needed. And make sure to descale the tap itself as part of the process. I mention that in thew video, but don't show it. Spray CLR on a toothbrush and scrub the tap's hole AFTER you have removed the screens and flower-shaped defuser. There are multiple tap designs; if yours is not like mine, you'll have to figure out if you can remove enough parts to get at the tube's exit. If you can't, just soak and scrub the faucet with CLR as best you can. Hope that helps.

The part about pouring the vinager in the cup could also have been faster. But good job. I'll do that on mine.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

It's a slow process!!!

Can i ise CLR. I use this for cleaning what do u think. Good stuff

@timmiller4979

5 ай бұрын

Or would be more corresive to the internal mechanism

@derekryder7902

5 ай бұрын

You can, and I have. But I don't recommend it at all. The issue isn't how corrosive it is (it's a mix of weak acids. Vinegar is acetic acid which is a weak acid). CLR works. The issue is rinsing it out. It's VERY hard to get the CLR "flavour" out of the water. I noted at the end of the video how you could rinse the tank out after using vinegar, but it's not that necessary as the vinegar smell will go away quickly. But you HAVE to rinse out the CLR and you MUST rinse at least three times. That turns a time consuming process into a VERY time consuming process. Rinsing the tank out involves feeding in water just like you fed in vinegar. It goes in faster, but it still takes forever. You could just hook the tank up, DON'T plug it in, then turn the tap on and run it for 20 min. Waste of water, and the tap needs to be manually held open. The one time I used CLR, I rinsed the tank twice and still had residual odour for days. Swore I would never use CLR again. But it's you're call.

If you have an espresso machine that you need to descale anyway, how about pumping hot descaler solution from the water tank of the espresso maker out of the frother wand, directed into the exit port of the Insinkerator dispenser? Fill it until it back flows. Compressed air would speed up the initial emptying and final emptying of the Insinkerator unit.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Hot vinegar is going to work faster. But the problem is the byproduct of descaling is carbon dioxide (foam and fizz) - and there's a lot of it. Hot vinegar = more gas. That gas has to exit somehow. That's why the gravity addition of vinegar I'm showing slows and eventually stops; the gas has to come out one of the three holes. Forcing vinegar in rapidly under strong pressure (like the steam valve from a cappuccino maker) would result in a whole lotta gas, and I'm betting would create literally jets of vinegar squirting out.

@paulh6591

2 жыл бұрын

@@derekryder7902 Hi Derek, thanks for responding. The product I have for my Rancilio Silvia is called Dezcal, by Urnex. It's a powder of citric and sulfamic acid. About once a year I mix it in the holding tank and use the machine's pump to draw it into the boiler, where I let it sit for an hour before pumping it out. It doesn't foam up buy I don't know if it is as effective as vinegar.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

@@paulh6591 Whether it's acetic acid (vinegar), citric or sulfamic acid, or even lactic acid, gluconic acid (CLR) or any other ingredient, the dissolution of mineral salts by acids results in release of carbon dioxide. Depending on the acid, it's either 0.5, 1, 2 or 3 parts of CO2 for each part of acid. For acetic acid: CaCO3 + 2(CH3COOH) → 2Ca(CH3COO)2 + H2O + CO2

@JeffreyStop

Жыл бұрын

@@paulh6591 : Have you had any issues with your process (using espresso machine decalcifier and pump)?

@paulh6591

Жыл бұрын

@@JeffreyStop I tried it and it seemed to work out, though I never opened the Insinkerator tank, neither before or after, to verify how efficacious the treatment was. But my Rancilio Sylvia espresso machine was overdue for a de-calcification treatment anyway, and I figures that same super-hot citric acid water could do double duty after being in the brass heating tank of the coffee machine. The Insikerator has quick-disconnects so the process was quick enough, I just let it soak for a few hours before flushing it out.

My unit packed up so I decided to open it up and take a look inside. It was so scaled up its volume has diminished by 50%. It’s a shame I can’t show the picture I took.

@derekryder7902

5 ай бұрын

Not particularly surprised. If you haven't descaled it regularly, and it's been in service for a while, it could take +5 back to back treatments to get rid of all the scale built up inside.

I have well water so have a whole house water treatment system that softens, chlorinates, etc. so no filter on my insinkerator. About 1 month ago the water started tasting and smelling somewhat metallic. Will descaling help the taste?

@derekryder7902

8 ай бұрын

Hmmmn... I'm on a well, too. I can't imagine scale deposits (which SHOULD be stopped by a softener) giving any taste. They're mineral salts. They MIGHT have a flavour in large quantities, but you would see particulates at that level (like I show in the video). Here's a suggestion; start by just draining the tank. Unplug it and let it cool overnight, then disconnect it and drain it. If solids come out, then it needs descaling. If the water comes out without any solids, your softener is working and any taste you're getting isn't from the Insinkerator.

@chrissteele5493

8 ай бұрын

Thank you @@derekryder7902

@chrissteele5493

8 ай бұрын

I finally had the courage to take the unit off and drain it. Black like charcoal sprinkles came out of the unit. The water line going to the unit is split between the refrigerator water and the unit. The refrigerator water is fine. Do I need to replace my unit or is there something else I can do?

@derekryder7902

8 ай бұрын

@@chrissteele5493 Again, hmmmnnn... "Black charcoal like sprinkles" are most likely from a failed activated charcoal bed filter that's part of your whole house system. All refrigerators have filters that would remove them; the Insinkerator does not. Do you have a charcoal filter as part of your system? Most filters are NOT charcoal, just fabric mesh particulate filters. But some whole house systems use charcoal to absorb bad flavours. You noted a bad taste started; a failed charcoal filter would cause that when it failed. The only way you could get "black charcoal like sprinkles" from your Insinkerator is if the heating element started failing and flaking off. It's a VERY short path from the heating element flaking to it failing entirely, especially because of the volume of "sprinkles" you have. Flaked off heating element bits would not be uniform size. I think it would have failed by now. So my best GUESS (and only a guess) is that you have a charcoal element somewhere in your whole house system, and it failed. Check your fridge filter. I'll bet it has "sparkles" in it too, and it will clog soon. Or you could just replace any replaceable cartridges in your whole house system. All filters in those systems are one time use, replaceable parts (you don't back flush them). Hope that's helpful!

@chrissteele5493

8 ай бұрын

Thanks you. That makes sense. In addition to our whole house system we have another filter for our refreigerator and instant hot water line. Probably wasn't needed but they caught my husband when he was busy and he gave them the go ahead to install. We changed the filters on that system right before the problem started with the hot water. The filter company said that sometimes there are sprinkles for a short while after filters are changed. I also called insinkerator and was told I needed to replace the unit. It was 6 years old. Would have liked it to last longer but went ahead and replaced it. Next time we change the filters I will figure out a way to bypass the instant hot until the water is clear. Thanks again for your help. BTW you were correct there wasn't any white sprinkles. @@derekryder7902

What is the bottom hole for. Mine is leaking water.

@derekryder7902

8 ай бұрын

My tank doesn't have a bottom hole, and neither did my previous tank that I took apart. Assuming there isn't actually a hole (and there shouldn't be), the most likely reason for leaks is the connections at the top of the tank.

Nice video. Doesn't your diffuser unscrew off the tap?

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Nope. My diffuser is fixed, and I show how to remove it in the video. Insinkerator says you don't need to clean it, so you "can't" remove it. Except you can.

@bigbaboo-3937

Жыл бұрын

@@derekryder7902 interesting. I have the one that looks like a regular spout. It will come off.

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

@@bigbaboo-3937 Insinkerator made several kinds of taps. They (thankfully) no longer make mine. The design was not the best and a bit awkward to use (for instance, the diffuser was not removable). The newer designs are better.

Insinkerator instructions say the left tube is the Inlet ? and the middle one the outlet???

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Yep. I think at one point I misidentify them. The thing to remember is that the left tube goes all the way to the bottom of the tank, and has a flow restrictor in it. The middle tube just goes into to the top of the tank.

My problem is with the tap itself. I'm going to flush the tank, but then will refill it with fresh vinegar, reconnect it, and flush the tap in stages with the vinegar. (Kind of like you do with coffee makers. Run a bit of vinegar into the works, then wait an hour, do it again, and so on.)

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Great strategy! Repeated treatments are good. Just make sure you fill the whole thing.

Update: once plugged in it keeps tripping the gfi safer on the outlet so not sure what’s wrong with the unit now…..

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Tripping the GFI suggests a short.

Thanks Derek, I'm sure this will be very helpful to alot of folk....However, you made a mistake saying that the connector that clips on is the HW supply. The center line is the supply. The blue connector is the cw supply...

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Yeah... at one point I misidentify them. At at least 2 others, I get it right. My bad.

Doesn't the inline filter prevent this happening?

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

No. Filters remove suspended solids. Mineral deposits occur because the salts dissolved in the water precipitate out. Dissolved solids can't be filtered out (but they can be removed by reverse osmosis). Simple experiment: put a bunch of water in a pan and boil until all the water evaporates. What's left are the salts.

What about a cheap aquarium pump from harbor freight? Could do this way faster

@derekryder7902

8 ай бұрын

A pump COULD work, and is not a bad idea. Just watch at the start; often they're so clogged with scale that it's actually hard to get vinegar in at the beginning. A pump may have too much discharge pressure. You're also trying to force a bunch of fluid in fast, and I suspect you'll run into back pressure problems due to the CO2 that's being evolved. But I'm cheap, and a syringe works just fine, and (in my case) was free. But if you have an aquarium pump and want to try it, I'd love to know how it worked!

@Hyundairobitdog

8 ай бұрын

@@derekryder7902 thanks for the video

@derekryder7902

8 ай бұрын

@@Hyundairobitdog Happy to help; hope you found it useful!

Instead of a syringe pick up a $10 brewers hand pump. Cut an inch section of the silicone tubing so you can join the two and bam, fill your tank with vinegar in 5 min instead of 40.

Here's what I have done, switch off power and drain 1 litre from tank upside down into sink, add 0.75 litre warm water mixed with a liquid descaler through feed entry pipe and outlet pipe, cover pipes whilst frothing happens. Wait 10 min, drain, refit and flush through. Apply power. 25 mins total and £1.50 for descaler.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Cleaning is important, so good job! Commercial descalers are just weak acids, and as long as they don't leave residue (CLR does), they're fine to use. Often, they work faster than vinegar. However, scale forms on all surfaces of the tank. By only putting in 0.75 l, only the bottom third of the 2.5 l tank gets descaled. It will be better, but it won't be great.

Great vid, thanks, but wow, seems like a PITA do regularly!

@derekryder7902

9 ай бұрын

Thanks! It's actually not that bad; an hour every 6 months. And it works, so is worth the investment.

I used a thief and also made much quicket

Hi, don't you have a filter?

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

As noted in a response to another comment, you can't filter out dissolved minerals. The minerals come out of solution when the water is heated (reduced solubility), or when there is a pressure change (through an orifice). Only reverse osmosis or a water softener can manage dissolved minerals. The former removes them; the later uses ion exchange to swap ones that come out of solution (calcium and magnesium salts) for ones that don't (sodium salts).

@markyyyyyyyy321

Жыл бұрын

@Derek Ryder sorry I looked at other comments I must've missed it. My Insinkerator system has a water filter before the tank. It recommends replace after 6 months but the water is still tasting fine 11 months later.. I think 6 months is too soon tbh. They would say that to increase sales!

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

@@markyyyyyyyy321 I live in the country and use well water, so have a 5 micron filter for my whole water supply anyway.

@markyyyyyyyy321

Жыл бұрын

@@derekryder7902 Nice

Here's a tip - you don't need to waint 24 hours for the tank to cool down - just unplug and run water through the instant hot tap until it's lukewarm (a couple of minutes).

@derekryder7902

8 ай бұрын

Someone else mentioned this; that won't work on mine (and most that are properly installed). Mine is connected to the hot water line, which is consistent with the installation instructions. The "coldest" you can get it is the temperature of your hot water from the hot water tank, so ~120° F/50° C. That's MIGHTY hot still. In addition, the heating tank is wrapped in 1" thick styrofoam. It takes FOREVER to cool down. If I just unplug mine, 8 hrs later the water is still over 120° F/50° C. Hitting a hot element with cold vinegar is bad for the heating element, and you risk damaging it. Just take the time to let it cool.

@jackmorgan709

8 ай бұрын

these REALLY shouldn't be connected to the hot water line, especially if you have a tank water heater! You might be ok on a tankless with copper plumbing but modern pex piping leaches alot of chemicals with hot water. For tank heaters you may be exposed to high levels of magnesium or aluminum which are contained in the protective anodes of the tank.

@derekryder7902

8 ай бұрын

@@jackmorgan709 Speaking as a chemical engineer, the solubility of aluminum in water is mighty close to zero, and much less than the amount of aluminum naturally present in the human body (www.lenntech.com/periodic/water/aluminium/aluminum-and-water.htm). Magnesium is what makes hard water hard, and you'll get massive amounts from eating something like oysters, so isn't an issue either (www.lenntech.com/periodic/water/magnesium/magnesium-and-water.htm). Being concerned about either is not based in science. There IS research showing that minuscule amounts (parts per billion) VOCs can leach from PEX piping, but the research shows that's temperature independent. Flush it with "cold" water as you suggest, or connecting it to the cold line, isn't any different than with hot. Your concern doesn't have anything to do with the Insinkerator, it has to do with you house's plumbing lines. The laws of thermodynamics support the manufacturer's recommendation to connect an Insinkerator to the hot water line as a source. And flushing a hot insinkerator with cold water, or adding cold water to an Ininkerator full of near boiling water, will eventually damage it due to thermal shock to the heating element.

company makes no replacement parts (INSINK AERATOR) so you have to learn to fix yourself. Best to replace with a different brand next time on these hot water units

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

You can buy replacement tanks and replacement taps, but you're right, not parts that I'm aware of. Somewhere in this thread there's someone who replaced innards of the tank somehow.

Instead of waiting 24 hours for it to cool down why not unplug the power and then run water through the device until it is cold?

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

Several reasons. 1) It's REALLY well insulated. You have to clear out the hot water, and cool down the metal, too. 2) Most (mine included) are connected to the hot water line. By the time you flush out the 180° water, it would be filled with 125° water.

@MilesScout21

2 жыл бұрын

@@derekryder7902 Oh interesting. Mine is plumbed to the cold water line. That may assist with reducing scale build up

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

@@MilesScout21 Whether it's plumbed to the hot or cold line won't change scale build up. All those solids are in the water, and while solubility of mineral salts like calcium carbonate does vary with temperature, it's not that much between cold tap water and hot tap water. Those salts get deposited where there is "change" - a change of pressure (nozzles, tap gates) or a large change in temperature (the heating element in the Insinkerator tank). See this link for solubility of calcium carbonate vs temperature. wiki.olisystems.com/wiki/Calcium_Carbonate_Solubility

@7755ian1

2 жыл бұрын

@@MilesScout21 seems odd anyone would connect one to a hot water side, very strange.

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

@@7755ian1 Actually, no. It should be connected to the hot water line. You're starting with warmer water, so expending less energy to get it to near boiling. In truth, your hot water tank is more energy efficient (fewer BTUs to heat up that volume of water). The idea behind this device is that by only heating up 2.5 l of water, it's more energy efficient than putting a kettle on a burner.

Oh my lordy 45 minutes to fill it up... Please just hook a 3/8 hose up to the cap of the vinegar bottle and squeeze it lol I bet you could fill that thing up in 5 minutes doing it that way. Just have to figure out a way to get a good seal to that vinegar lid... perhaps some glue or silicone would do the trick.

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Told ya it took a long time. Patience, patience. Reality: the input/output tubes get plugged. So trying to force the vinegar in faster may not actually work. On the bright side, it will perform better after cleaning!

😨😰!!!

wow wish i would have seen this before the damn thing just died. arghhhh..

@derekryder7902

7 ай бұрын

Sorry for your loss. You can't bring everything back to life, but you might be able to bring a scaled up one back from the dead unless the heating element died. Just soak the heck out of it in vinegar and it might still work.

Avoid all this by installing Reverse Osmosis system and you will never have to deal with this

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

Yes, maybe. RO systems where I live are ~$1,000 US for a whole house system, installed. They require a 5 micron prefilter (consumable; replacement cost of ~$50/2 years). Calcium and magnesium (the metal ions in hard water) are particularly tough on the RO membrane- they cause the soft, supple membrane to become hard and brittle, and eventually prone to cracking. Accordingly, a water softener in front of an RO system is smart, as it greatly reduces the amount of calcium & magnesium the filtration system has to contend with. With hard water, the membrane will need replacing within three years, but soft water can extend this part’s life up to three times longer. The minuscule sodium content contributed by the softener is easily removed by the RO system. But where I live, a water softener isn't practical because I have no stormwater system and backflush would have to go into my septic tank. So RO membrane replacement ($350) is required every 3 years. Personally, I'll take washing it with $3 of vinegar every 6 months. But your point is taken; I just don't think it's a cost effective solution.

I think descaling this tank is useless and time consuming because scale is not toxic and scaling does not reduce its performance. Its unlike an espresso machine. The life span is snyway 5 to 7 years.

@derekryder7902

2 жыл бұрын

The life span is a lot longer than 5-7 years if properly maintained, which Insinkerator didn't design for. Speaking as a Chemical Engineer, scaling absolutely reduces performance. It reduces the heat transfer, requiring more electricity to achieve the same temperature increase. It physically clogs taps, reducing flow rates. It eventually fills your tap output with solids, which chemically affect everything from baking times to the way materials dissolve in the water.

Thx for this info! My insink erator has a good flow but water all of a sudden went from hot to lukewarm. Does it mean it needs to be descaled? Thx 🙏🏼

@derekryder7902

Жыл бұрын

My first answer is always “clean it” unless you’ve been cleaning it already for some time. Water flow rate isn’t an indicator of scale buildup (though it can plug the tap itself and slow the flow). So many Insinkerator issues are solved by cleaning scale out.