What so people use to get crud and algae off of powerheads? I always though to soak in vinegar. Any other suggestions? I have heard some talk about peroxide. Anyone think it will work for powerheads?
Vinegar is a mild acid @ ~ 5% acid. The acid will react on the calcium carbonate to remove it. You could use it full strength, for faster effect. If you wanted something stronger you could use Muriatic acid, which is usually sold in concentrations of 15% or 30% at Lowes. Obviously you would use less and dilute it, and more care should be taken while using it. I wouldn’t only soak my PH’s in vinegar, but I would run them too.
+1 vinegar
Hi Matt , well when i have greenery and calc deposits on a small to medium pump, i first soak it or usually run the pump in a half bucket of water with a cup of bleach. that digests the green stuff. a little tooth brushing afterwards cleans and exposes the carbonates so i can then run the pump in a acid bath of half a bucket of water and a cup or two of vinegar or a couple ounces of HCL. that cleans off the deposits. only a couple hours all together. a quick FW rinse and then back into service.
unless its a really big pump and blows all the water out of the bucket. then use a bigger bucket or more water. i usually put the bucket in the bath tub to contain any incidental splash.
Same here, vinegar. I usually submerge the pump in a 50/50 water/vinegar bath and run the pump in it overnight. Next morning I give it a quick scrub with a scrubbing pad, rinse it off and I’m done.
Running the pump in a bucket of vinegar water cleans the impeller and magnet cavity too. so it runs free again.