removing hard water buildup (Mart: house, live, softener)

[dpope22]

I have very hard water in my house which has clogged up my new shower head in a couple of months and has contributed to a lower than normal water pressure. The house is 15 years old and does not have a water softener (nor is looped for one). If I install a water softener, my existing pipes would still have limescale deposits in them. Has anyone had any experience with products that claim to remove limescale deposits from water pipes?

I've found a bunch of products that look like they are junk, such as the magnetic attachment to your main inlet pipe that removes limescale deposits. I've also seen this device HydroCare USA which claims to remove limescale deposits by using radio waves. Has anyone used this device before?

[millie61]

To clean the shower head soak paper towel in white vinegar wrap it around the head then put a plastic bag over it. Leave for a couple of hours will remove it all. Also great for hard water on anything else, I put white vinegar in my electric kettle boil it then rinse it out.

[scuba steve]

Sanivac is number one at removing hard water buildup. I tried a bunch of stuff before this and none came close.

The alternatives to water softeners (magnets, radio waves, ...) are gimmicks. I did an experiment with the magnets for a few years and they had no effect whatsoever.

[banker]

In our last house which didn't have a water softener - we used "The Works". It was fabulous. We had never heard of it, but a friendly neighbor shared this secret with my wife. It is available at HEB and Wal-Mart.

http://www.theworkscleans.com/limeosol.html

[TXtrkgrl]

Originally Posted by banker

In our last house which didn't have a water softener - we used "The Works". It was fabulous. We had never heard of it, but a friendly neighbor shared this secret with my wife. It is available at HEB and Wal-Mart.

The Works® :: Limeosol

The works is some awesome stuff!!! It is all I use when cleaning my shower .

I have found that the works in the spray bottle seems to do better than the one in the squirt bottle (like the lime away comes in).

[Chaka]

We live by vinegar, which does wonders.

[banker]

Originally Posted by TXtrkgrl

The works is some awesome stuff!!! It is all I use when cleaning my shower .

I have found that the works in the spray bottle seems to do better than the one in the squirt bottle (like the lime away comes in).

My wife says the same thing. The spray bottle is better.

[banker]

Originally Posted by Chaka

We live by vinegar, which does wonders.

Vinegar does wonders - used to use it in my coffee maker when we didn't have a water softener. But it stinks.

The Works smells much better and works better than Vinegar for things other than hard water build up.

[TexHwyMan]

Yep, I can also attest to vinegar for removing hard water deposits. I generally remove the shower head and soak it in a bowl of white vinegar overnight. For cleaning hard water and soap scum stains on tubs, a Magic Eraser works pretty well.

[V3rtigo]

don't worry about the buildup in the pipes until you have a water softener. it will fix a lot. the deposits won't be that bad after 15 years anyways.