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Three Tips For Cleaning Gunk Off Of The Inside Of An Air Vent On A Hot Water Boiler

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The hot water boiler in your home isn't able to operate smoothly if it can't push out all of the air it generates in a timely matter. If the inside of the boiler's air vent pipe is filled with gunk and slime from either a recently found leak or the water vapor itself, your water boiler won't be able to perform nearly as well as it should. Remember these three tips if you want to know how to more effectively clean gunk off of the inside of an air vent on a hot water boiler.

Before Opening Up The Air Vent Pipe, Drain The Boiler's Tank

You won't be able to do much to the air vent pipe when there's still hot water vapor flowing through it. In fact, if most of your water boiler's parts are working fine, the vapor should be hot enough to give your hand a mild burn. 

After you completely drain the boiler's tank of water, wait a couple of minutes to let all the water vapor still in the boiler work its way through the system. Also, it's still a good idea to be cautious and never stick your hand in the pipe more than you have to.

Use A Washcloth For Soft Stains And A Brush With Stiff Bristles For Hard Stains

A small leak buffeted by lots of water vapor often means that a thin layer of soft gunk spreads all throughout the pipe. Fortunately, gunk like this is relatively easy to address without using anything stronger or sturdier than a wash cloth.

However, if you can see very dark stains with a flashlight, don't be surprised if your washcloth doesn't do anything to them. Caused by the waste left over by a bacteria buildup in the pipe, the only way to deal with these stains is to use something rough like a hard bristle brush.

Don't Use Anything Stronger Than Soap That Could Damage The Boiler Underneath

When you're introducing cleaning chemicals into the air vent, you have to be concerned about what's going to evade a final rinse and seep down below into the boiler. Therefore, while your job would be much easier if you used bleach or a strong toilet cleaner, it's simply not worth the risk to use anything but ordinary soap.

Even though it's relatively small, your air vent is an extremely important part of your water heating system. If you don't take care of it when you should, you'll eventually end up paying more money in heating repair bills than you have to.


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