Severe limescale build-up on toilet pan

[john2k]

Apologies if this is the wrong section as I couldn't find a relevant section to post this. The water in my house has a really high amount of limescale. My toilet pans where the water comes out from the cistern through the pan has a lot of limescale vertically. No matter how much scrub it and I used domestos limescale remover etc but nothing works. Only way is to use a blade a scrape it off but that leaves scratches on the pan. I feel like if I could keep the area soaked in water then I could use kettle descaler but kettle descaler needs the limescale to be in water for a bit. So unless I can plug the pan and fill it with water then that won't work.

Can anyone suggest anything that might help?

 

[flameport]

Viakal or Cillit Bang limescale remover, soak a piece of kitchen paper in it, and apply the paper over the limescale. Leave for half an hour or so, repeat as required.
Do not use any bleach based cleaner at the same time, which includes those blocks that go in the cistern and those dreadful things that hang in the bowl.
Don't flush the kitchen paper in the toilet either.

Products sold as toilet descalers are generally useless.

 

[jeff the gasman]

Spirits of salts does the trick.
https://www.homecareessentials.co.uk/products/kilrock-spirits-of-salt-500ml

 

[john2k]

Viakal or Cillit Bang limescale remover, soak a piece of kitchen paper in it, and apply the paper over the limescale. Leave for half an hour or so, repeat as required.
Do not use any bleach based cleaner at the same time, which includes those blocks that go in the cistern and those dreadful things that hang in the bowl.
Don't flush the kitchen paper in the toilet either.

Products sold as toilet descalers are generally useless.

Thanks for this, i tried this last night. Soaked a kitchen paper in viakal and left it over the limescale on the pan, it stayed on and didnt slide off. After one hour took it off but it did not make a difference at all. Tried to scrub the limescale with a toilet brush to see if it had got loose but still hard as ever. Any other tips?

 

[JohnD]

the glaze may have become etched, in which case I never found a way to get it smooth. I've tried acids, polishes, abrasives and metal scrapers.

For a while you can use a White toilet cleaner that will not leave annoying coloured stains, but the real solution is a new pan. They are not as expensive as you think.

A water softener will prevent it happening again.

If you can get Parazone Bleach Blocks that go in the cistern, they will, over time, break up and dissolve ordinary limescale from the cistern, the rim, and eventually the pan. You probably won't believe me, but if you photograph the inside of the cistern the day you drop the first one in, then again each time you renew it, after a month or so, you will see the float becomes clean, and the scale drops off the sides and eventually washes away.

Bleach degrades rubber seals, so if your cistern has the incoming water supply entering through the bottom of the cistern, where the seal is constantly immersed in cistern water, it will eventually leak. I've seen this happen on 30-year-old seals, I don't know how quickly it happens on a new one. If the supply comes in through the side of the cistern near the top, it doesn't cause a problem.

 

[just pumps]

Kil-Rock
Little bottle with brush inside, it's a gel so just brush it on and use wood not metal to scrape it off.

 

[john2k]

Kil-Rock
Little bottle with brush inside, it's a gel so just brush it on and use wood not metal to scrape it off.

Just googled that. It seems like a brand and they seem to sell different products. Which one am I after?

 

[john2k]

Kil-Rock
Little bottle with brush inside, it's a gel so just brush it on and use wood not metal to scrape it off.

Do you mean this one: https://www.lakeland.co.uk/21274/Gel-Kilrock-Limescale-Remover-Descaler-160ml

 

[just pumps]

The gel in the little bottle with brush inside

 

[just pumps]

Do you mean this one: https://www.lakeland.co.uk/21274/Gel-Kilrock-Limescale-Remover-Descaler-160ml

That's it.

 

[john2k]

That's it.

Thanks, I ordered one and will give that a try

 

[john2k]

Kil-Rock
Little bottle with brush inside, it's a gel so just brush it on and use wood not metal to scrape it off.

Just an update.. this Kilrock-Gel is a miracle product. It literally dissolved away all the limescale. Many thanks for this recommendation. Going to be switching to this brand for general limescale cleanup tasks now

 

[just pumps]

Just an update.. this Kilrock-Gel is a miracle product. It literally dissolved away all the limescale. Many thanks for this recommendation. Going to be switching to this brand for general limescale cleanup tasks now

Glad you like it, Kil-Rock spray is good for keeping chrome shower bar mixers and taps clean.

 

[dilalio]

Killrock is part of my arsenal in the van. Great for shower heads too... Don't have to remove them

 

[john2k]

Glad you like it, Kil-Rock spray is good for keeping chrome shower bar mixers and taps clean.

Now that I've got it looking brand new. Is there anything I can add to the cistern tank to keep the water coming out with less limescale?