# Easy way to remove calcium deposits from lav supply tubes.



## agksimon (Aug 19, 2013)

A lot of my work is done on homes, served by wells or municipalities served by a community well system with hard water. The braided, flexible lav supply tubes, especially the hot side, load up with calcium deposits and close off the tube to a trickle. After removing the handle and stem from the faucet and unhooking the lower end of the supply tube from the stop, I tried blowing it out and it got some, but not all of the calcium out. I had a old brake cable from a bicycle and cut the end off it and it fit perfectly down through the faucet and supply tube and cleaned it out. Don't forget to clean out the stop too.


----------



## MTDUNN (Oct 9, 2011)

Why not just replace the supply tube and valve?


----------



## Plumbbum0203 (Dec 14, 2011)

Yea braided supply lines always leak when I touch them. In with new out with the old.


----------



## PlungerJockey (Feb 19, 2010)

Replace them. 

Do you ever have problems like that with the toilets? The reason I ask is what you are describing sounds like deteriated dip tubes in the water heaters.


----------



## victoryplbaz (May 19, 2012)

For the time it would take to clean it you can replace four!


----------



## PathMaker (May 10, 2013)

How sanitary is that practice? What kind of microbials are you inserting into your customers potable water supply by cleaning the inside of their faucet supplies with an old brake cable?


----------



## HSI (Jun 3, 2011)

Whenever I work on a flex line of any sort it gets replaced. Way to inexpensive and way to dangerous not to replace every time.


----------



## Cajunhiker (Dec 14, 2009)

*I dunno if I would try to clean*

If you try to clean, you are prolly going to use something that will damage the rubber washers or at least weaken them so that they leak pre-maturely. So, like everyone says, replace them.


----------



## agksimon (Aug 19, 2013)

Forgot to mention in my OP: I'm pretty much retired and don't keep a stocked inventory. Most of my "work" is helping out my retired neighbors, at a very reduced rate (sometimes free), usually on weekends and live a long way from any place to buy parts. Sometimes, I have to make do with what's on hand and using a bike brake cable was a quick way to solve the problem. It only takes a few months to get a calcium buildup to impede the flow on the hot side. I showed the neighbors how to do this themselves. They are all on a fixed income, barely getting by.

BTW: They don't want and can't afford a softener and salt.


----------



## BOBBYTUCSON (Feb 8, 2013)

agksimon said:


> Forgot to mention in my OP: I'm pretty much retired and don't keep a stocked inventory. Most of my "work" is helping out my retired neighbors, at a very reduced rate (sometimes free), usually on weekends and live a long way from any place to buy parts. Sometimes, I have to make do with what's on hand and using a bike brake cable was a quick way to solve the problem. It only takes a few months to get a calcium buildup to impede the flow on the hot side. I showed the neighbors how to do this themselves. They are all on a fixed income, barely getting by.
> 
> BTW: They don't want and can't afford a softener and salt.



It would be safer for them to continue to use the supplys as they are until someone goes into town and picks up new supplys rather than you using a brake cable. But if theoretically nobody goes into town for a while , turn off the angle stop and soak it in a bucket of pickle jiuce for a day.will remove a lot , but not all.temporary fix.


----------

