Drinking tea or coffee containing various mechanical impurities in the drinks cannot be considered an enjoyable activity. Also, the frequent change of equipment does not cause positive emotions, which is quite good in appearance, but the heating element is damaged, and replacing it is comparable in cost to purchasing a new product. All such manifestations are not secret. Lime in the kettle clearly indicates the presence of contaminants in the water. Let's see how harmful they really are.
What is scale?
Let's look inside the kettle. The brown or yellow precipitate found there can be removed and placed under a microscope. At high enough magnification you will see crystalline growths that look quite nice. What are they made of?
Most materials on this topic say that scale in a kettle is formed from calcium and magnesium salts. When heated to 40°C, the corresponding carbonate compounds begin to transform into solid deposits. An increase in temperature activates this process.
However, if you study the available data in more detail, you can find out about the possible presence in: Fe 2+, NH+, Mn 2+, Zn 2+, Cu 2+, Ni 2+, Al 3+, HCO3, HsiO-3, Cl-, SO2-4, NO3. This list of cations and anions is not complete. Water contains organic and inorganic impurities, sulfates, chlorides, silicates and many others. Some of them are deposited in scale along with magnesium and calcium carbonates (MgCO3, CaCO3).
Thus, it can be argued that in each individual case we will be talking about the special composition of the layer. Scale in a kettle is a set of many chemical compounds, the effect of which on equipment and living organisms will be different.
What happens to the equipment
The rate of growth of the scale layer depends on the concentration of certain impurities in the working fluid, its temperature, and the quality of the surface of the heating element. When purchasing a new product, this process is not quick, but it is accelerated after several incorrect cleanings were carried out using metal scrapers, abrasives and harsh chemicals.
If such procedures are not carried out, then more and more time and power will be spent on boiling each time. However, the main danger is overheating of the working elements. Scale in a kettle may have thermal conductivity that is tens of times less than that of the metal of the heater body. Working in this mode can quickly damage the equipment, even if there is not the slightest complaint about its quality.
What harm does scale cause to the human body?
Some materials that promote the benefits of untreated water claim that the impurities present in it are completely harmless. Calcium, for example, is used to “build” tooth enamel.
Of course, the body needs a lot to function properly. But why pollute it with unnecessary impurities, when everything you need can be obtained with regular food? Excessive amounts of hard salts in drinks leads to clogging of blood vessels and the formation of kidney stones. Don't forget about the other impurities mentioned above. Such a “cocktail” will not bring any benefit, that’s for sure.
Let's consider an ordinary everyday situation, the absence of the owners of the house during the weekend, or for a longer period of time. Porous formations are ideal places for the accumulation of bacteria and microorganisms. Some of them are destroyed only by prolonged boiling, at least 20 minutes. This process does not, however, remove permanent hardness, heavy metals, and various harmful and dangerous chemical compounds. They are also capable of accumulating in such porous media.
It should be noted that water with a high content of calcium and magnesium salts is tasteless. You should not brew tea and coffee or create other drinks based on it. It inhibits, for example, the development of enzyme extraction processes from dried tea leaves and spoils the natural taste and aroma. In practice, it will take longer to brew. Experts advise paying sufficient attention not only to the choice of tea varieties, but also to the composition of the liquid and preparation methods. They do not recommend hard water for consumption, since with its help all efforts will be in vain, and it is simply impossible to obtain an ideal result.
How to remove scale from a kettle?
If you have carefully read this text, you have already noticed that mechanical influences should be eliminated if you want to slow down the rate of scale formation. If these growths need to be eliminated, then this can be done using different methods:
- Lemon acid. One standard sachet will be enough for the procedure. But it’s better to let the water boil for at least 15 minutes;
- Food vinegar (9%). It is diluted in a kettle with water in a ratio of one to two. It is necessary to ventilate the room well during such cleaning, since the specific smell quickly spreads throughout the apartment;
- Raw potatoes, soda combined with vinegar essence. The specific proportions of the ingredients differ in different recipes, but in any case, a good rinsing of the kettle after completion of the process is necessary, as well as a sufficient duration of the boiling process. Sometimes you will need to perform such operations multiple times, additionally using a sponge.
If desired, you can use special household chemicals, and even carbonated drinks containing acid in low concentrations. There are many similar tips, but they are all associated with rather lengthy procedures and the need to take precautions. Toxic fumes from aggressive substances must be removed effectively. They can not only remove scale from the kettle, but can also damage some elements of its design, which should also be taken into account.
“Fighting windmills” and more reasonable methods
The technologies listed above make it possible to combat the manifestations, but they do not eliminate the very cause of the problems. If you use them carelessly, you can quickly damage the equipment and cause harm to your own body. It is much more convenient to install a specialized water treatment unit at home. Here you just need to decide on a suitable model:
- Reverse osmosis. An installation operating on the basis of an appropriate membrane will purify water perfectly, so comments are unnecessary here;
- Reagent techniques. You should study exactly the features of each device and its backfill. In most cases, such technologies are used only for the preparation of process water.
Magnetic transformation. With its help, the transformation of hardness salts is carried out. The new shape of the crystals does not allow them to join together and form scale in the kettle. The most effective are electromagnetic devices. They are able to generate a more powerful field that operates over long distances. This feature can be used to protect other equipment in the apartment, not just the kettle.
All of us drink tea or coffee at home. And to prepare them, we boil water and, always, scale forms in the kettles. This is a natural process, since water contains many different mineral salts and when boiling the water partially evaporates, the concentration of salts increases until the moment when they can no longer be dissolved and they precipitate. It is this sediment that forms scale.
While in dissolved form and in small concentrations most mineral salts are invisible, in solid form, when scale has formed, some differences become noticeable. This is exactly what this post will be about.
White precipitate. Found on the bottom and walls, it also often appears on the top of teapots. Typically caused by calcium and magnesium salts. Does not pose any particular harm to health.
Everyone has encountered it and there is no escape from it.
Yellow or brown color. It can be pronounced, but more often it is not so pronounced and looks rather darkish yellow.
Typically caused by iron salts. This iron is trivalent, and as a result, it is not necessary for the body, unlike divalent iron, which is necessary for the synthesis of hemoglobin; rather, on the contrary, it is slightly harmful. But, for any noticeable effect in an adult, the amount of iron that needs to be “drinked” is so large that a person is more likely to suffer from water than from the iron dissolved in it. Plus, the human body, in case of an acute lack of divalent iron, can use trivalent iron, restoring it to divalent.
But, nevertheless, frequent consumption of water with a high iron content can have negative consequences for children and for people with a tendency to hemochromatosis.
Blue or blue color.
This photo shows my kettle. In general, this is what prompted me to write this post.
The bluish or bluish color is due to the copper content. If a precipitate of this color begins to form in your kettle, just like mine, it means the copper content in the water is quite high. This is usually caused by copper pipes being used somewhere in the water supply. Copper is unhealthy and can cause heart problems.
If possible, it is better to use store-bought water instead of such water for preparing food and drinks.
Close-up of my sediment. It is not recommended to drink such water. Water is suitable for washing clothes, baths, showers, and washing dishes, but you should avoid drinking it.
The result will not be immediate; copper, like most heavy metals, will take time to accumulate in the body, but the result will appear - it’s a matter of time.
Lead.
Worth mentioning, since everyone has heard about its dangers.
Lead salts are usually white, so it is not possible to determine the presence of lead by the color of the scale.
But, nevertheless, there is a way that will suggest its presence.
There are many descaling products sold in stores. Most of them are made with citric acid. In general, based on the reaction of scale to these products, one can guess its composition. Calcium and magnesium salts dissolve easily, lead salts dissolve difficultly. As a result, if you have a white sediment and you have to spend 3-5 or more sachets of product to remove scale, while your friends/relatives/acquaintances have the same product removes the same amount of scale from the first sachet, then this is a serious prerequisite to the fact that your scale is formed by salts of heavier metals. In this case, it may not hurt to find out the place where the water is analyzed and do a test
A review of the incoming questions shows that scale formation is a problem.
Washing machine, water heater, and other household appliances: indeed, scale forms on all heating elements and on surrounding objects. The amount of its formation depends only on the hardness of the water and the temperature. Limescale is harmful to household appliances. Heating elements give off less heat and overheat, rubber products break, pipes have a reduced cross-section, etc. Therefore, repairs are needed. We won’t go into technical difficulties and clutter ourselves with scientific research. Our job is to decide at the everyday level. For those who want to go deeper, there is scientific literature. Scale is the formation of insoluble salts. These are mainly calcium and magnesium salts. These elements are present in all water, and, consequently, scale forms when using any water. Scale and water hardness category are easily determined by the kettle. There are no problems with descaling the kettle. The most common methods are citric acid or potato peelings. They are poured into a kettle of water and boiled, repeating this several times. I do not recommend using active acids; after all, this is a food item. All household appliances where water is heated are susceptible to scale. It is most difficult to deal with scale in an iron, coffee machine and instantaneous water heater; here it is better to prevent its formation. For irons and coffee machines, I recommend using boiled water. For instantaneous water heaters, use chemical or magnetic water softeners. There are no problems with washing machines, dishwashers, storage water heaters. You can soften the water and descale it, or wait for a breakdown, sometimes it will be cheaper. But breakdowns happen at the most inopportune moments.
How to deal with scale? Prevent, or rather reduce, the formation of scale by softening the water. There are several ways to do this. This is a chemical method using regeneration salts. Calgon, which is widely advertised, can be used in washing machines. You can read a short article: Do you need calgon for a washing machine? . But these are expensive ways to deal with scale; it still forms. I believe that these methods should be used to clear your conscience before household appliances. A modern method of reducing scale formation is magnetic water softeners. I don’t know the exact indicators about their use, only advertising brochures. At one time, there was widespread advertising about the use of magnets in water disinfection, treatment of diseases, increasing crop yields, and so on. In modern times they have remained silent about this.
Igor (Orthia) Part 2
The prevention of scale formation has been sorted out, you can use it successfully. No matter how hard we try, scale still forms. It is very easy to see. There is a light coating in the teapot. In a washing machine, unscrew the filter, there you will see a gray sediment, or, if you drain it into the bathtub, you will notice this sediment in the drained water, you can take out the heating element (I do not recommend it). Now you need to remove the scale. It is often recommended to clean the washing machine with soda ash and vinegar. This is very harmful; rubber products (pipes, seals) are destroyed. Acid solutions are good at descaling, but again they destroy, or rather, make rubber products inelastic. How to find the golden mean? I hope you still remember that the products that are added during washing are intended to reduce the formation of scale and do not remove it. To remove scale you should use an anti-scale cleaner. Its replacement is citric acid. The bulk of anti-scale agents available in stores are based on citric acid. They need to be used regularly, as they cannot remove stubborn deposits, and increasing the concentration is fraught with consequences for rubber products. I use a professional anti-scale agent based on sulfamic acid. It cleans scale perfectly, I use it alone
once every two years, maybe once a year, if the water is very hard, or if you wash frequently at elevated temperatures. In the top photo there is a heating element that has worked in a washing machine for EIGHT years, no products were used. Traces of overheating are clearly visible on it, these are the consequences of scale. This picture also shows a heating element covered with scale, the machine is older than 5 years, no traces of overheating were found on it. Read the article: Self-repair of the LG WD80150NU washing machine
. I wrote everything you need to know about scale in everyday life. Now it's up to you to decide. What to do? 1) Reduce scale formation, and live peacefully for some time, spending a significant amount of money on it. 2) Periodically descale, you will still have to spend money. When using a professional anti-scale agent, it costs approximately 200 - 300 rubles per year. 3) Do nothing. Wait for a breakdown. Repairs to replace the heating element of a washing machine cost from 1,500 to 3,000 rubles, after about 5 to 10 years. Modern machines last a little over 5 years before major repairs. See the article Choosing a washing machine. A storage water heater is even simpler, they need to be washed, cleaned, the magnesium anode changed at least once every two years, and the heating elements on them are not very durable. In my opinion, it raised all the questions. I hope I was of assistance.
Best regards, Sergei.
Tags: Is it possible to drink water from a kettle with limescale?
Does soda really descale teapots? Can I then drink water from this kettle? It will explode...
What harm does scale cause when consumed through a kettle? ... Scale in the kettle clearly indicates the presence of contaminants in the water. ... The brown or yellow sediment located there can be removed and placed under ... elements of its design, which should also be taken into account.
Is it harmful to drink water that forms scale in the kettle? ... In principle, no, because all the scale is on the kettle... And not in the stomach. ... the stomach is not a teapot.
Is it harmful to drink water that forms scale in the kettle? | Topic author: Vladimir
Sasha In principle, no, because all the scale is on the kettle... And not in the stomach... And in general, the scale is ordinary chalk and limestone.... It is not recommended to drink such water raw... That's all..
Anatoly I think that it cannot be brought to such a state!
Ivan stomach is no teapot
Mikhail harmful, not harmful, but where to go? We order bottled water, but there is even more scale than from tap water! will settle, the scale will settle... and drink, don’t dry out!
Fedor Add silicon or shungite to the water, add. cleaning And try to drink less boiled water, it is dead - ballast in the body, only living water carries energy and takes part in processes. Very good Honey water is useful, it both cleanses and nourishes. You will live a long life.
Ruslan it’s harmful, but what can you do if there’s such water in the tap?
Nikita very harmful! ! it is forbidden!!
...Who is not afraid of scale? | Question-Answer | Arguments and Facts
Jan 3, 2010 - Is it possible to drink water from a kettle with limescale? They say that it contains heavy metals harmful to the body. T. Grishina, ...
How to descale a kettle: 7 ways - KitchenMag.ru
Aug 28, 2014 - In the struggle for health, for the ideal taste of tea and coffee, the most important thing is the quality of water. Scale in a kettle can easily ruin...
Scale in a kettle causes housewives a lot of problems: it worsens the consumer properties of water, changes the taste and color of tea, scale deposits increase the boiling time of water, and lead to overheating of the heating element. But most importantly
scale is unsafe for our health, and if you can still put up with excessive energy consumption, then you don’t have to put up with the other consequences of scale.
Scale formation
We all know from chemistry course that water is an electrolyte - a solution of many salts. Salts of the alkaline earth metals calcium and magnesium give water a property called hardness of water. The more such salts in the water, the higher the hardness.
When heated, calcium and magnesium bicarbonates decompose to form an insoluble precipitate (calcium or magnesium carbonate (Ca(Na)CO 3) and carbon dioxide. During the chemical reactions of carbonate formation, the insoluble precipitate captures metal ions from water, most often iron, also in water organic particles (clay) are constantly present.The combination of these three components (carbonate, iron ions, organic matter) produces scale flakes, which is why the taste and aroma of tea are lost, because these are organic compounds.
How dangerous is scale for the body?
Newly deposited sediment, especially if the water has increased hardness, is easy to notice in boiling water or on its surface. The heating elements are gradually covered with these flakes, the top layer of scale is soft, it can be scraped off with your fingers, but closer to the heating element the sediment becomes very hard and can only be scraped off with sandpaper (this is not recommended).
The heating element and the walls of the kettle with traces of settled scale look scary, but just imagine how much scale did not settle, but penetrated inside the body? Once it enters the bloodstream, it spreads throughout the body and causes many problems: it is deposited on the walls of blood vessels, causing them to lose flexibility; absorption capacity in the intestines is impaired and food is not completely absorbed; Carbonate crystals in the kidneys cause urolithiasis, etc.
How to clean a kettle
To get rid of scale you need to use only soft water. Humanity has invented quite a few ways to “soften” water - boiling at the water treatment stage, adding various reagents to water (soda ash, slaked lime,...), ion exchange methods, electrodialysis, reverse osmosis, distillation. They all have their drawbacks:
- complex from a technical point of view;
- too expensive;
- remove all salts making the water essentially dead;
- environmentally unsafe.
In addition, these methods are applicable only on an industrial scale, at the stage of water treatment (tap water). Spring and well water (from artesian wells), which, by the way, has a hardness tens of times greater than in open sources, does not undergo any water treatment, so there is always more scale in the kettle at the dacha.
You need to get rid of scale in your kettle regularly, but how can you do this without harming your health? Manufactured household chemicals are often neither effective nor safe.
It turns out that you can get rid of scale using simple, and most importantly safe, methods.
METHOD No. 1. Fill the kettle with water and dissolve 1 tablespoon of citric acid (about 20 grams) or 100 ml of acetic acid in it, boil and leave for 1-1.5 hours. After this, the scale will become so loose that it can be removed with a sponge. The following happened: acid and scale (alkaline compound) have opposite properties, mixing and heating of these two substances forms acid salts, which are complexing agents, and they led to the decomposition of scale. In this simple way, using organic acid you can get rid of scale.
METHOD No. 2. Another even more original way is that instead of acid, you can pour ordinary Fanta, Cola or other lemonade into the kettle. The further algorithm of actions is the same: boil, let stand, scrape off the loosened scale. Any lemonade contains fruit acids, which are added to give it taste, as a preservative or acidity regulator.
It is important to understand that constant consumption of fully purified water helps flush minerals from the body. Therefore, ordinary drinking water must have a physiologically complete composition (recommended mineralization 200-500 mg/l) and a pH level acceptable to the stomach (7-8 units) - so as not to wash away, but to introduce useful substances into the body.
Scale shows that the water is saturated with useful minerals - calcium and magnesium
Scale: what is it?
Some beneficial substances in water - such as magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) - can precipitate harmlessly when boiled. You see this sediment in your kettle - scale. It can be easily removed from the kettle using citric acid or special descaling products.
Calcium- the main building material for bones, teeth, nails. It is also necessary for muscles, participates in metabolic processes, helps reduce vascular permeability, increasing the body's resistance to infections and toxins.
Magnesium participates in maintaining the normal function of the nervous system and heart muscle, has a vasodilating effect, promotes the removal of cholesterol from the body and the absorption of calcium.
SanPiN standards “Requirements for drinking water packaged in containers” clearly define the level of saturation of bottled water with calcium and magnesium. For calcium this is no more than 130 mg/l, for magnesium - no more than 65 mg/l.
It is important to pay attention to the color of the scale:
- milky white, slightly yellowish scale forms in the kettle if the water is rich in calcium and magnesium;
- bright white scale is a sign of the presence of chlorine in the water, in this case you should take care of the quality of the water you drink - excess chlorine is harmful to the body;
- Reddish scale can be seen if there are a lot of iron compounds in the water.
Evgenia Nikitina
technologist
With us you can choose the water that suits you best
“Protera” and “Protera Light”: what to choose?
For daily use - drinking, brewing tea and coffee, cooking - Protera water (with a blue cap) is perfect. It contains 29 mg of calcium and 10 mg of magnesium per liter, as well as other useful substances. By drinking this water, you will receive the necessary microelements in sufficient quantities.
If your coffee machine or other equipment is sensitive to scale formation, you can use Protera Light water of low mineralization. Its calcium and magnesium content is reduced. However, we recommend that you use this water only for coffee machines, since water with reduced mineralization does not provide you with the full range of essential nutrients.
