Can you descale a shower pump, to "save" it?

[slashnick]

Hi,

(Homeowner, first post – apologies in advance if I'm doing this wrong) –

Is it possible to descale shower pumps?

We live in a seriously hard water area. (We have to descale our shower head every 3-6 months, by leaving it overnight in a jug of white vinegar.)

Our shower pumps last about five years, before they start making terrible noises, and then die. We are on our third one, and five years in, it is making the noises.

I have read elsewhere that they may just be getting furred up from hard water deposits.

We do have taps on both the hot and cold input pipes to the shower pump (as well as the output pipes). Is there any reason why we cannot at least *try* descaling, like this -
- close both input taps
- run the shower briefly to (hopefully?) empty the pump
- unscrew the (output) pipes at the top of the pump, fill it full of vinegar overnight, then just screw them back in, open all the taps, and run the shower?

Is there any reason not to give that a try? (Would the pump even empty the water in the first place, with input taps closed?!)

If we end up needing a new pump I expect we'll try a "limebeater" as well, but it would all seem a bit of a waste of money if it were just a hard water problem. (Yet I can't seem to find anywhere reports of people trying to descale... so maybe it's all a red herring?)

Many TIA for any opinions/suggestions –

Nick

[Gear, by the way, is NewTeam Varispeed 50 pump, Mira Gem88 mixer]

 

[ShaunCorbs]

@rpm

 

[rpm]

As you put it "try" this way. Remove the pump and empty the water into a bucket. Reconnect the end inlet pipes, fill with vinegar right to the top of the outlets and reconnect these pipes. next day or longer, open inlet valves first wait 2 minutes then open the outlet valves. This way the chamber is flooded and less chance of air locking.

 

[slashnick]

Thankyou! We will try it the way you suggest (with our friendly local plumber's watching eye too

 

[rpm]

Tbh I don`t think vinegar with help much after 5yrs but it is worth a go, limescale creates other problems such as damage to bearings and bushes which when damaged become noisy.

 

[Ric2013]

Citric acid (Wilkinsons or online, comes as a powder) might work better than vinegar? They use it for kettles.

And warm water/vinegar may speed things up.