How not to clean a washing machine!

[rustic]

Quite a few of you over the years have the impression that I am a very sensible person, however, today you might have to reevaluate that thought. :doh

With my current condition, I have been told to reduce some of my medication, and had some radiotherapy treatment, and the effect has been remarkable.
I can now do jobs and not collapse in a heap through fatigue. Side effects of medication can not be ignored....:eek:

Bosch Dishwasher.
So, yesterday I thought time to strip down the dishwasher, as it was clunking on start up, basically the water float switch was triggering, shutting off the supply as the water couldn't get into the dishwasher quick enough...
So removed all the gunk with caustic, rebuild and run a rinse and check for leaks before putting the side cover back on. Success all working fine no clunks.:thumb2

Washing Machine.
Now with the knowledge and success of the previous day, this morning I set about cleaning the washing machine. So in the early hours of this morning, during my spells of insomnia, I looked up how best to clean a washing machine.
Pour in a cup of bleach and engage cleaning cycle.
Started ok, bit of foam in drum, I told the wife, she said a "bit" of foam will reach other parts of the machine...:thumbs
Sat down for 10 minutes...
Disaster... There was foam a foot deep for at least a square metre around the washing machine.

So the washing machine clean turned into a floor cleaning process, and I mopped the floor into the mop bucket, and then poured the excess onto the drive to kill off some moss...

So after two rinses, the machine is virtually foam free...
Success..
As a side effect, we have a clean floor and part of the drive algae free.
How one job can create others...
We have all done this, not often I admit to them though.:augie:augie

Moral of the story.
Don't believe everything you read on the internet...:doh

Note, attached pic taken off internet, to give an idea what it was like lol...
Uncle Rustic

[rayf3262]

For future reference, ask your local pub landlord for some beer line cleaner.
It's bleach without the detergent and perfume.....

[quixote]

Oh, how I sympathise! Just for information, adding washing-up liquid to the detergent drawer will NOT help clean manky overalls :o:lol:lol

[Monaro Pete]

Three jobs in one :thumb2 :lol :lol

I put a little disinfectant in the wash draw once a week along with the detergent when I do the towels.
This keeps the washer clean.

[macabethiel]

Oh Rustic that made me LOL I can imagine the feedback I would get from "Her Indoors" if we had a Foam Party in our Kitchen.

For what its worth Calgon do a proper cleaner that you use periodically in your washing machines. It was not cheap so have only used it once so far.

I put one for Dishwashers in ours a couple of weeks ago and afterwards the Wife kept moaning about the funny smell. It was a sort of Hot Mica / Shellac scent for about 4 days.

[rustic]

Milton is maybe a better alternative to bleach lol...:doh

Re calgon or similar, we live in a soft water area, so very little limescale, what we get is a build up of grotty old detergent due to low temperature washing etc.
The softeners are also a breeding ground for bacteria too

Disinfectant might reduce bacteria, so good advice.

The handbook states to do a high temperature cleaning wash every 40 washes, but time flies... I have written it down on the calendar. lol


Central Heating Boiler NEXT !
Next big task... back flush the cast iron heat exchanger on the old Potterton boiler, I have tried several bottles of boiler silencer etc but the boiler still " kettles" Last flush, around 7-8 years ago cured it, but the black gunge etc must lie at the bottom of the boiler, and is probably not letting the heat get to the water...
There is a drain cock part way up the boiler, so this is where the inital flush will start. Wash out all down stairs rads as they are all fed from above.
Put in a system cleaner, then flush, then add inhibitor.

I will look at products sold by Screwfix or Toolstation, unless anyone can recommend suitable products.
It is a gravity fed pumped system, with 9 rads downstairs and 8 upstairs, I'm still tempted to put a couple in the garage too.
As the kids have left home, not all rads are in use, but are cracked open to allow some circulation.
Heating system all, as installed in a new house 20 years ago, so house well insulated and double glazed.
If anyone can add anything, it would be much appreciated.

Rustic

[Monaro Pete]

Uncle.
The disinfectant works well. I had the smelly laundry problem a few years back (obviously bacteria) & thought of this. Never looked back.

[solarman216]

Re your heating system Rustic, to descale the boiler in order to stop it kettling is not an easy process, the more aggressive products that work are the devils own to fully flush from the system, and if even the smallest diluted amount is left behind it has a very adverse effect on the inhibitor, personally I would disconnect the boiler and create a small closed pumped loop with a small header tank to which descaler can be added,the existing boiler drain should be changed for a lever full bore ball o fix valve to which a hose can be fitted, the feed from the temporary header needs a similar valve fitted, but I will stop here as not sure if with your meds etc you can do all of this, if you want more info let me know with a PM and I will go into far more detail, I am sure someone will suggest "power flushing" yea right is my responce to that, Rick

[rustic]

Re your heating system Rustic, to descale the boiler in order to stop it kettling is not an easy process, the more aggressive products that work are the devils own to fully flush from the system, and if even the smallest diluted amount is left behind it has a very adverse effect on the inhibitor, personally I would disconnect the boiler and create a small closed pumped loop with a small header tank to which descaler can be added,the existing boiler drain should be changed for a lever full bore ball o fix valve to which a hose can be fitted, the feed from the temporary header needs a similar valve fitted, but I will stop here as not sure if with your meds etc you can do all of this, if you want more info let me know with a PM and I will go into far more detail, I am sure someone will suggest "power flushing" yea right is my responce to that, Rick

Hi Rick, thanks for the advice, I can see what you are saying, no wonder later aluminium heat exchangers only last 8 years. I do not intend to replace the boiler lol, I could be on my third one now lol...

Last time, I emptied the header tank, and did a full drain down and connected the hose pipe to the boiler drain, at up to 60 psi, ( I wouldn't subject the line more than 10-15 psi...we have good pressure here, and put about 3 gallons in, then drained the same pipe into the road, as our house is about 4 feet higher, more fall and that.... did the wash out about a dozen times until the water ran clean.
I could put some cleaner in from an equivilent header tank... 2.5 litre container lol. near the ceiling and top up until the water level was just above the boiler.
I would be happy that no cleaner would go outside the boiler, a dozen flushes might clear it after lol. I have a small 12 volt pump that I can connect just to circulate the cleaner, just to keep it moving, and to get the best of the chemical, so possibly a more practical way that I can do a similar job to what you suggested.

Now what chemicals to use?
Rustic

[don simon]

Is the washing machine now clean?

[rustic]

Edit for above, forget the pump, only one accessible way in and out for the cleaner :doh so I will have a larger header tank, say 5 litres, and raise and lower it to agitate the cleaner.
:thumb2

I am fairly confident I can do this.
:thumb2
Wife on hand to open taps etc.
I will also tarp up the whole area in the study, and last time I had a dustbin in there and various lengths of plastic pipe to direct the water to the bin in case lol...

What is important, is to have a good plan, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail lol.. So true. :thumb2
Rustic

[rustic]

Is the washing machine now clean?

It really is, shame to use it now lol, but it has done two washes since, on whites lol... in case of any stray bleach.:augie

[don simon]

It really is, shame to use it now lol, but it has done two washes since, on whites lol... in case of any stray bleach.:augie
I don't see what the problem is then.... Job done... :rolleyes:

[rustic]

I don't see what the problem is then.... Job done... :rolleyes:

When I do the boiler clean, I will not be reaching out for the bleach lol...:thumbs:thumbs.

Rustic

[don simon]

When I do the boiler clean, I will not be reaching out for the bleach lol...:thumbs:thumbs.

Rustic
Wait and see, the end might justify the means. :augie

[solarman216]

OK Rustic I can see from your reply you understand the problem, Fernox DS9 was very good, do not know if it is still available, but I had good results in the past but 20 plus good flushings were needed until a PH test ran good, Rick

[rustic]

OK Rustic I can see from your reply you understand the problem, Fernox DS9 was very good, do not know if it is still available, but I had good results in the past but 20 plus good flushings were needed until a PH test ran good, Rick

This is what I was thinking...

Fresh water flush of everything, run heating.
Drain down, dose the boiler only with Fernox DS40 leave for ? not sure..
Maybe flush, add some more DS40 to boiler, refill And only run on hot water heat exchanger, run for a few days. Note how quiet boiler has become, if not leave a few more days, max a week.
Then add last bit of DS40 and run through rads etc for a few days, add neutraliser, then flush flush flush.
Then add a suitable inhibitor.

Thoughts?

Rick I really appreciate your help and advice on this, many thanks.
I do wish that one day we could share a Malt or two lol.
:thumb2
Richard

[solarman216]

These chemicals need heat to work, hotter the better, towels over rads etc to limit heat into building, and yes love to have a malt or two one day, Rick

[macabethiel]

How did the boiler get so scaled up? My old central heating system was primatic so could not add any sort if inhibitor I managed to squeeze 26 years out of the Baxi Bermuda. For the last 3 years of its life I stopped it kettling by changing the pump wiring so that it kept on pumping when not calling for heat. So when CH was ON so was the pump as the kettling was really bad when the boiler thermostat switched off due to residual heat and when it was warming up. I ran the CH 24/7 in the winter just turning down the ropmstat at bedtime. Downside was the HW would cool down quickly.

[rustic]

How did the boiler get so scaled up? My old central heating system was primatic so could not add any sort if inhibitor I managed to squeeze 26 years out of the Baxi Bermuda. For the last 3 years of its life I stopped it kettling by changing the pump wiring so that it kept on pumping when not calling for heat. So when CH was ON so was the pump as the kettling was really bad when the boiler thermostat switched off due to residual heat and when it was warming up. I ran the CH 24/7 in the winter just turning down the ropmstat at bedtime. Downside was the HW would cool down quickly.

I guess keeping the pump running, keeps the debris in suspension.
I think our issue is more the black magnetite that was suspended settles out at the lowest point with the lowest flow rate.
The pipework to/from the boiler is 23 mm and the feeds 15 mm then 10mm microbore.