Why does only my upstairs toliet fur up with limescale?

[create]

When we moved in the fetching avacado toliet upstairs was thick with manky grey limescale. The nasty dark blue one downstairs was OK though.

Not I have smart (boring?) white ones upstairs and down, but still the upstairs one is much more prone to limescale. How can that be?

[Grockle]

Dunno but mine does it too. Brand new loo (well, about 9 month old) but looks fairly manky after a couple of days. I hate to bleach it all the time but it's the only thing that gets rid of the marks. I wonder if the wAter pressure is lower upstairs?

[Cutiecat]

I have the same problem. I just don't understand why one loo is always worse. I end up chucking loads of harpic down it. About once a week I pop a milton tablet in it. Does wonders.

[fiorentina]

I also have this problem, thought it was just us as it had been annoying me! No suggestions though I'm afraid for how to rectify it.

[HettyAmaretti]

I wonder if it might be because the upstairs loo is used less (mine is anyway) - water sits for longer giving limescale time to build?

Bleach is no good on limescale. Doesn't remove it, just turns it back to white so you can't see it. limescale remover once a fortnight will stop it building up constantly.

There's probably some sort of block you can buy to put in the cistern against limescale.

[HettyAmaretti]

meaning fortnightly limescale remover will remove the buildup before it gets too bad, not stop it building up in the first place.

IME limescale is attracted to limescale, once you've got a bit it builds up exponentially.

[HettyAmaretti]

Am I very, very wrong

[fiorentina]

It's a fair point. I actually wondered if the pipework to the upstairs was more limescaled, but I also have no idea?!

[Lizcat]

The harpic fizzy tablets are great because they actually do the bits you can't see.

[HettyAmaretti]

yy, as do thicker liquid ones.

[PigletJohn]

If you get the Parazone Bleach Blocks that go in the cistern, you will find that over time they dissolve away the limescale in the cistern itself, and prevent any more forming on the pan. They also slowly clean out the waterways in the rim of the pan, sop the strength of the flow improves. You will have to clean the pan as well with a Harpic or other limescale remove as the slightly acidic water fromn the cistern will only lie below the watermark in the trap, and most of the limescale will be above it. I presume it works because the blocks generate a weak HCl solution. BTW when using harpic or similar, use the loo brush to push the water down the trap and lower the water level first.

When the limescale layer is removed trhe pan will be more clean and shiny and less able to attract soil.

If you look in the cistern after a few weeks you will see what I mean and will be surprised to see it actually works.

BTW the chlorine does cause the rubber in any seals to perish faster, though they will still last several years. If your cistern has a water supply that goes into the cistern to the ballcock through the bottom of the cistern, there is a thick rubber washer here that will drip when it perishes. If the water supply is through the side of the cistern, it will be above the water level, so not exposed to the chlorine solution, and would not drip anyway. Changing the washer is a simple maintenance job.

This does not work with other cistern blocks which just give a colour or scent to the water.