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Clean/Decalcify a Faucet Aerator - PEP BB plumbing.sand.tiny.cleanfaucet

BB plumbing and hot water - sand badge
posted 1 year ago
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This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in Plumbing.

In this Badge Bit, you will fix a clean/decalcify a faucet aerator.  (Note that this BB is part of a 6-part choose your own adventure list BB called the Tiny List. You must complete six Badge Bits in the Tiny List.)



Here are some articles on how to clean a faucet aerator:
  - Clearing a Blocked Faucet Aerator
  - How to Clean a Faucet
  - Unclog a Kitchen Faucet Aerator
  - Slow Water From Your Faucet? Clean the Aerator

And here are some videos on cleaning a faucet aerator:






To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
 - clean/decalcify a faucet aerator

To show you've completed this Badge Bit, you must provide:
  - a before picture of the running faucet with view of the aerator
  - an in progress shot of you cleaning/decalcifying the faucet aerator
  - an after picture of the running faucet with view of the aerator
  - a description of the method (and cleaners, if any) of cleaning
  - OR a 2-minute video of you doing this
COMMENTS:
 
Erik Pehoviack
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Location: Hemingford Nebraska
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posted 11 months ago
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Approved BB submission
I chose this as my first attempt at the 6-part BB. Here it is.

Here's a before shot of the calcified aerator.



The first step in cleaning our aerator was to rinse off debris from the plumbing. This was caught in the strainer and dumped outside.



After rinsing the aerator and spray wand were soaked in white vinegar to dissolve the buildup. This bag sat in the sink and allowed me to zip up against the hose.



After a long soak the aerator was scrubbed with a stainless steel brush.



I also scrubbed the sprayer with the brush.



A nice clean aerator for the kitchen sink!



A nice clean sprayer as well!

Staff note (Mike Haasl) :

I certify this BB complete!

 
Mike Haasl
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posted 10 months ago
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Approved BB submission
I just took a shot at this one myself.  The faucet wasn't calcified but it was plugged up with debris.  I cleaned it out mainly with water in another sink but also soaked it in hydrogen peroxide just to cover all my bases.  The improvement in flow is hard to see but that's because when it first was noticeable, I rubbed the underside of the aerator which improved it a bunch (but didn't really fix the issue).
Before-(after-rubbing-aerator-with-finger-to-get-it-decent).jpg
Before (after rubbing aerator with finger to get it decent)
Before (after rubbing aerator with finger to get it decent)
Gunk-on-top-side-of-aerator.jpg
Gunk on top side of aerator
Gunk on top side of aerator
Gunk-on-bottom-side.jpg
Gunk on bottom side
Gunk on bottom side
Soaking-in-hydrogen-peroxide.jpg
Soaking in hydrogen peroxide
Soaking in hydrogen peroxide
All-done-.jpg
All done!
All done!

"Hundreds of years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in or the type of car I drove... But the world may be different because I did something so bafflingly crazy that it becomes a tourist destination"

Staff note (Nicole Alderman) :

I hereby certify that this badge bit is complete!

 
Carolyne Castner
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posted 6 months ago
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Approved BB submission
Yesterday I was working on a big project (couch repair!) and decided to clean the faucets off as well. Our area has really hard water (usually scores a 15+ in water tests) with lots of calcium deposits from the underlying limestone. I pulled the aerators from the kitchen and master bathroom, as well as the kitchen sink sprayer. Realized there was a BB for doing the shower head as well so decided to do them all together.

Soaked all the pieces in 9% white vinegar for about three hours while I worked on the couch repair. I was able to flake off all the buildup with my nails after the soak, so it worked really well!

Added some rubber gaskets and plumbers tape to the leaky sink tap and it now works wonderfully.

IMG_0219.jpg
Kitchen tap before
Kitchen tap before
IMG_0220.jpg
Sprayer Before
Sprayer Before
IMG_0221.jpg
Sprayer guts
Sprayer guts
IMG_0222.jpg
Eeeew
Eeeew
IMG_0223.jpg
Kitchen tap aerator, pretty clean filter
Kitchen tap aerator, pretty clean filter
IMG_0226.jpg
Bathroom tap before
Bathroom tap before
IMG_0227.jpg
Bathroom tap aerator, lots of buildup
Bathroom tap aerator, lots of buildup
IMG_0229.jpg
Bathroom tap filter, a bit of stuff
Bathroom tap filter, a bit of stuff
IMG_0230.jpg
Bathroom tap aerator, look at all that gunk!!
Bathroom tap aerator, look at all that gunk!!
IMG_0231.jpg
Vinegar
Vinegar
IMG_0232.jpg
All parts soaking
All parts soaking
IMG_0244.jpg
Sprayer after
Sprayer after
IMG_0245.jpg
Clean aerators
Clean aerators
IMG_0246.jpg
Kitchen Sink
Kitchen Sink
IMG_0247.jpg
Bathroom sink
Bathroom sink

I Solemnly Swear I am NOT the crazy cat lady!
*but not for a lack of trying!

Staff note (Mike Haasl) :

I certify this BB complete! And another air badge for you

 
D. Logan
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posted 4 months ago
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Regarding the method I used: after I removed the aerator I sprayed it with vinegar and scrubbed it and the faucet with a toothbrush. Once it was loosened and the larger bits removed I soaked it in vinegar. After the last of the bubbling was done, I scrubbed and rinsed the components before reattaching them.

Postscript: I would never let my faucet get this bad. I did one of the ones at my workplace so the difference would be clear.
20200828_074026.jpg
Before
Before
20200828_074403.jpg
Work in progress
Work in progress
20200828_074854.jpg
Finished
Finished

Outdoor and Ecological articles (sporadic Mondays) at http://blog.dxlogan.com/ and my main site is found at http://www.dxlogan.com/

Staff note (Mike Haasl) :

I certify this BB complete!

 
Rebecca Blake
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Location: New Braunfels, TX, Zone 8b, multi-generational suburban homestead
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posted 3 months ago
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Approved BB submission
The build up on the faucet was so bad I couldn't get the aerator off! So, if you need me to take it off for this badge, let me know.

I tied a bag full of vinegar to the faucet and let it soak. When I removed the bag, I scrubbed the aerator with a brush.
Clogged-Aerator.jpg
[Thumbnail for Clogged-Aerator.jpg]
Bag-of-Vinegar.jpg
[Thumbnail for Bag-of-Vinegar.jpg]
Un-clogged-Aerator.jpg
[Thumbnail for Un-clogged-Aerator.jpg]

Hill Country Dream: Pending

Staff note (Mike Haasl) :

I certify this BB complete! If you do want to get it off, use something like a thin leather glove to protect it as you grab it with pliers and unscrew it.

 
Ash Jackson
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posted 3 months ago
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Approved BB submission
I used the "take the aerator off and dunk it in pure vinegar for twenty minutes" method.
IMG_20201003_180332.jpg
Before
Before
IMG_20201003_180947.jpg
Removal
Removal
IMG_20201003_180954.jpg
Who's been putting rocks in the plumbing again?!
Who's been putting rocks in the plumbing again?!
IMG_20201003_181005.jpg
Dunked
Dunked
IMG_20201003_192811_1.jpg
After
After

My PEP Badge Tracker - An easier way to track your PEP Badge Progress. | Wait, wait, wait; What is PEP? | How Permies.com works.

Staff note :

Certified

 
Julie Harris
Posts: 167
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posted 2 months ago
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His faucet has gunk all over it and figured I could take it off with vinegar while I soaked the aerator.  No such luck; it's eaten into the (cheap) faucet.  Guess I'll add changing out the faucet to the (very long) list.
aerator-01.jpg
before
before
aerator-02.jpg
running water
running water
aerator-03.jpg
removing the aerator
removing the aerator
aerator-03a.jpg
surprisingly not as much gunk as I anticipated
surprisingly not as much gunk as I anticipated
aerator-04.jpg
starting to love the smell of vinegar
starting to love the smell of vinegar
aerator-05.jpg
scrubbing the gunk off/out with a toothbrush
scrubbing the gunk off/out with a toothbrush
aerator-06.jpg
all clean
all clean
aerator-07.jpg
much better water flow
much better water flow

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing.

Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Haasl approved this submission.

 
Leigh Tate
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posted 1 month ago
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Approved BB submission
Today, I cleaned the faucet aerator in the kitchen bathroom. I used only white vinegar and a rag.

Aerator and water flow before.

It wasn't too bad. Some white flecks on the inside.

A little gunky looking on the outside.

Soaking in vinegar for about 20 minutes.

After.

Blog: https://www.5acresandadream.com/
Books: http://kikobian.com/

Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Haasl approved this submission.

 
Opalyn Rose
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posted 4 days ago
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Approved BB submission
Here is my submission for the Plumbing & Hot Water - Sand - Clean and Decalcify a Faucet Aerator BB.

To document the completion of the BB, I have provided the following:
 - a before picture of the running faucet with a view of the aerator
 - an in-progress shot of you cleaning/decalcifying the faucet aerator
 - an after picture of the running faucet with a view of the aerator
 - a description of the method (and cleaners, if any) of cleaning

I rinsed the grit out of the filter then soaked the aerator in a white vinegar bath. I also used a silicone scrubber after soaking.

Before: there seems to be a big air bubble in the water flow and some water squirts/sprays to the front of the sink.
After: the water flows more evenly and does not squirt/spray to the front.  :)
1.jpg
before photo
before photo
2.jpg
before (aerator screen)
before (aerator screen)
3.jpg
before (aerator outlet)
before (aerator outlet)
4.jpg
after soaking two aerators and a shower head in vinegar - smile
after soaking two aerators and a shower head in vinegar - smile
5.jpg
after (aerator screen)
after (aerator screen)
6.jpg
after (aerator outlet - some of the chrome is coming off)
after (aerator outlet - some of the chrome is coming off)
8.jpg
after - improved flow :)
after - improved flow :)

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Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Haasl approved this submission.

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