Cleaning Your Heat Exchanger Tubes

Cleaning your heat exchanger tubes is a job anyone can do if they know how. If you are a do it yourselfer then you should have no trouble with this task.

There are several methods to clean exchanger tubes. Here are a few of them; one is to use chemicals for the cleaning. Another is to use high-pressure water system. One last method is to employ mechanical cleaning using brushes, scrapers and abrasive balls. These are the best ways to clean the tubes.

Regular cleaning of the exchanger tubes should prolong the life of the entire unit. It will help it work at its maximum efficiency as well.

Many people use a heat exchanger system to heat their swimming pools these days. Having the ability to clean your own exchanger tubes would be a good way to save money and keep your system in top working order.

It would be beneficial to clean the exchanger tubes every few months. At least inspect them to see if they need to be cleaned. If they do not need to be cleaned, and then make sure that, they are thoroughly cleaned twice a year.

In order to clean the exchanger tubes properly, they must be removed from the system. Remove any loose material that is near the ends of the tubes and inside them as well. Use a brush and push it down the tube to get the cleaning started. The brush should have good strong nylon bristles. This helps to loosen and remove any loose materials inside.

During this brushing process, you may find that there is some material stuck to the sidewall of the exchanger tube. A plastic or metal scraper will help to remove anything that is stuck to the wall. Be careful not to damage the tube. Do not use a scraper that is harder than the material of the wall of the tube.

Try not to scratch the wall of the exchanger tubes as it could cause the tube to not function as well as it should because particles could stick to the scratches in the tube. Therefore, a plastic scraper would be best.

As a last step in cleaning the exchanger tubes, you could use a water jet to force out any loose particles that were missed with the previous methods. If you have any calcium deposits on the tubes then you will need chemicals to remove them.

Now you have the basics for cleaning your exchanger tubes. Gather as much information as possible before tackling this do it yourself job.

By M. Applebaum
(ArticlesBase SC #720822)