Preheater cleaning

[Wanabe1972]

Does anyone have an easy way to clean a preheater. I have an all copper parallel pre heater that I would like to clean up on the inside. I have in the past just flushed out at the end of the year and capped up on both ends for the off season. Last night I started to plumb back up and when I uncapped it it looks like green mud inside. I have heard that soaking in a salt and vinegar solution will clean copper but thought I ask before buying a couple of gallons of vinegar. Thanks Jeff

[Sugarmaker]

W1972,
If you have a tub, big enough to submerge the preheater, the water and vinegar will work. maybe half gallon to gallon of vinegar to 10 gallons of warm water? If you can flush it through sounds kike it would help too. You know its working when the copper looks like a new penny? Make sure you rinse several times too.

Regards,
Chris

[KenWP]

Can you not plug the bottom and slowley pour vinegar in and let it sit a bit and then drain and flush. You don't need the salt and it won't take much vinegar to do it.

[Wanabe1972]

Thanks Ill try the vinegar

[Hal]

I hooked the output of my pre-heater to the inlet of my feed pump to the head tank, filled the head tank part full of warm water with some pan cleaner in it, and let it run for half an hour. Then I drained everything, added clean water and rinsed it the same way, twice.