revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Vinegar or citric acid will do it
Or as you are up a French mount, some cheap as chips Spar cola.

Any acid will break it down quite quckly ....

ZRX61 wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 3:55 pm

KungFooBob wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 11:18 am Do what the septics do, boil your water in the microwave

That's because 110v kettles take a week to get *almost* to the boil. Expats bring 240v kettles from the UK, put a clothes drier/welder plug on them to run them at 220v.

They could use a stove top kettle

Get one of these instead...

https://ducati.cuisine-barista.com/

KungFooBob wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 11:18 am Do what the septics do, boil your water in the microwave

I didn't think the Americans knew how to boil water. Based on my trying to find a decent cup of tea over there.

Mr Moofo wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 5:11 pm Vinegar or citric acid will do it
Or as you are up a French mount, some cheap as chips Spar cola.

Any acid will break it down quite quckly ....

When I was up hte mountain I didn't need the descale the kettle

But I'm not sure I can bring myself to buy any kind of cola !!

KungFooBob wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 6:13 pm Get one of these instead...

https://ducati.cuisine-barista.com/

Not sure it's worth it - no probs with my coffee machine so unless the ducati jobbie makes a decent cup of Yorkshire Tea, not worth the money !!!

Trinity765 wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 5:36 pm

ZRX61 wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 3:55 pm

KungFooBob wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 11:18 am Do what the septics do, boil your water in the microwave

That's because 110v kettles take a week to get *almost* to the boil. Expats bring 240v kettles from the UK, put a clothes drier/welder plug on them to run them at 220v.

They could use a stove top kettle

Still slow unless they have a decent induction hob.

Noggin wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 7:46 pm

Mr Moofo wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 5:11 pm Vinegar or citric acid will do it
Or as you are up a French mount, some cheap as chips Spar cola.

Any acid will break it down quite quckly ....

When I was up hte mountain I didn't need the descale the kettle

But I'm not sure I can bring myself to buy any kind of cola

Do you want a cheap way to descale it or not?

Buy and boil bottled water only.

Felix wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 11:06 pm Buy and boil bottled water only.

Or get a Brita water filter instead. I use one for all the water that goes in the kitchen kettle and the (now abandoned*) coffee machine.

Unfortunately, at £3.50-£4.00 a filter (if you use actual Brita filters) - a filter lasts a month - it's not the cheap solution that was requested.

*Gone back to filter coffee.

I have always lived in a hard water area and as far as I am aware it's not dangerous just annoying.

Mr Moofo wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 10:58 pm

Noggin wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 7:46 pm

Mr Moofo wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 5:11 pm Vinegar or citric acid will do it
Or as you are up a French mount, some cheap as chips Spar cola.

Any acid will break it down quite quckly ....

When I was up hte mountain I didn't need the descale the kettle

But I'm not sure I can bring myself to buy any kind of cola

Do you want a cheap way to descale it or not?

Now I'm gonna have to see the difference between buying cola and buying citric acid

Felix wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 11:06 pm Buy and boil bottled water only.

But, it's mountain water, just has a bit extra!!

Count Steer wrote: Mon Dec 08, 2025 8:07 am

Felix wrote: Sun Dec 07, 2025 11:06 pm Buy and boil bottled water only.

Or get a Brita water filter instead. I use one for all the water that goes in the kitchen kettle and the (now abandoned*) coffee machine.

Unfortunately, at £3.50-£4.00 a filter (if you use actual Brita filters) - a filter lasts a month - it's not the cheap solution that was requested.

*Gone back to filter coffee.

I am considering that - mostly for the coffee machine. I suspect the cheapest option will be citric acid for the kettle - cos it doesn't need doing "that" often, it's just a smidge annoying when there's bits of scale in the bottom of the mug!! I always used to leave the last little bit of tea because of that, just out of practice cos haven't had to worry about it for so long being up high

Trinity765 wrote: Mon Dec 08, 2025 9:33 am I have always lived in a hard water area and as far as I am aware it's not dangerous just annoying.

Me too. It's not any kind of danger or risk I'm thinking of, it's purely the annoyance of getting scale in that last mouthful of tea . Need to practice leaving the last bit again

We live in a hard water area and my approach is multi-stage:

1. Make sure the kettle has a mesh filter in front of the spout so you don't get the bits going though
2. Get a little iron wool ball thingy to chuck in the kettle to attract the limescale. Got from La Range for a quid or so
3. Use the Oust stuff that the Count mentioned. Not only is it 100% effective at making the kettle like new, but fun too to see how close you can get to exploding the water out of the kettle without quite doing it.
4. Not give too much of a shit.

We live in a hard water area and I descale the kettle weekly, I use Kilrock descaler that I buy in Savers, works brilliantly. Boil kettle half full, transfer to sink, tip some descaler in and try to judge how much to add to get it to foam to the top but not actually over, leave five minutes, rinse, back to new again.

Zimbo wrote: Mon Dec 08, 2025 5:59 pm We live in a hard water area and I descale the kettle weekly, I use Kilrock descaler that I buy in Savers, works brilliantly. Boil kettle half full, transfer to sink, tip some descaler in and try to judge how much to add to get it to foam to the top but not actually over, leave five minutes, rinse, back to new again.

The manufacturers can dress this up however they like, it's still just citric acid.

As with most "branded" items, they're not inventing new chemical elements. They're just rebranding existing well known agents as often as not making them worse with colourings, perfumes and dilutions.

Having said that if WD40 (paraffin) ever did make an aftershave, I'd be first in the queue.

I'd be lost if they invented an aftershave that smells like WD40 or CastrolR

Done before Christmas, but still a shiny inside on the kettle

Fanx boyz for being my mumsnet type advisors

Noggin wrote: Fri Jan 02, 2026 8:12 am Done before Christmas, but still a shiny inside on the kettle

Fanx boyz for being my mumsnet type advisors

Which method did you use in the end??

Count Steer wrote: Fri Jan 02, 2026 9:27 am

Noggin wrote: Fri Jan 02, 2026 8:12 am Done before Christmas, but still a shiny inside on the kettle

Fanx boyz for being my mumsnet type advisors

Which method did you use in the end??

I got some citric acid from Amazon (couldn't be arsed to deal with people in an actual pharmacie!) - looked up the amount needed for a kettle and reduced by a third (cos my kettle is teeny tiny!) and boiled it, left it to cool

Wiped out with a kitchen scourer thingy (wiped, not scrubbed!) and all done

I just noticed this morning that our water supply has changed again

Every now and then the water changes flavour a bit and the kettle stops furring up - that's come to an end

water = a rock smoothie according to Hannah Fry