Cleaning heat exchanger tubes
- Thread starter Nomad Willy
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
grahamdouglass
Senior Member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2012
- Messages
- 413
- Location
- Canada
- Vessel Name
- Summer Wind 1
- Vessel Make
- Marine Trader 41
Thought I would put this out there. Have any of you used Drano to clean a heat exhanger? I have an old onan genset, which I give little respect to, and used drano to clean the heat exchanger. Several years later, no leaks, works fine. I am now about to clean the heat exhanger on my Ford Lehman. I am using a CLR bath at present. How does Drano sound? Have anyone used Drano on there heat exhangers?
Drano is an alkaline material which will get the dead critters out of your heat exchanger tubes but it will do nothing for the bulk of the material which is calcium and magnesium deposits. For that you need an acid solution like Rydlyme, CLR, Barnacle Buster or just plain old hydrochloric acid.
David
David
foggysail
Guru
GOOD LUCK! There are also salt deposits in there that will not react to either an acid or a base.
My Silverton’s heat exchangers soaked in a radiator shop’s cleaning tank for 3-4 days. The only thing removed was the paint. Finally I resorted to rodding them, took less than 30 minutes to clean, flush using a hose and reassemble.
My Silverton’s heat exchangers soaked in a radiator shop’s cleaning tank for 3-4 days. The only thing removed was the paint. Finally I resorted to rodding them, took less than 30 minutes to clean, flush using a hose and reassemble.
Last edited:
