Hard water deposits, water lines and vinegar

[Lennie]

Can I use vinegar in my fresh water tank to remove hard water deposits? Cleaning out the cold water fitting in my lavy faucet didn't fix the low flow issue. The fresh water tank is slow to drain, it probably has a build up too. I know vinegar can discolor brass, which I think the fittings are brass, but does it damage it.

I believe my fresh water tank is 20 gallons.

[traveler]

I don't believe it would cause any damage as I use white vinegar on almost everything. The deposits are calcium carbonate and vinegar works very well also lemon juice. I use it on my Nalgene hiking bottles in a 1 to 1 mixture of vinegar and water, also I cleaned by shower head by putting the mixture in a plastic bag and tying it over the head. You have to give it time to work. If it's rally bad let it sit overnight. The problem you might have is getting it sufficiently rinsed.

[Lennie]

Thanks for the response. It's bad, I'm going to try it. It may take a while to get the vinegar smell out but I'm already buying water for cooking or drinking so hopefully it won't be too bad. Should I bypass the water heater? The hot water line doesn't seem to have an issue at this time.

[ManWonder]

Originally Posted by Lennie

Thanks for the response. It's bad, I'm going to try it. It may take a while to get the vinegar smell out but I'm already buying water for cooking or drinking so hopefully it won't be too bad. Should I bypass the water heater? The hot water line doesn't seem to have an issue at this time.

If the water heater is not an issue I would bypass it - saves 6 gallons by doing so.