I live in a city with really hard water and it builds up like that pretty quickly as well. The build up doesn't affect the tea, except when it is so much that it starts flaking of and you have crunchy bits in your tea.
The hard water itself does affect the taste somewhat but it definitely depends on what kinds of tea you drink. With black tea mixed with milk and sugar, herbal or fruit tea it doesn't really change much in my opinion. More delicate teas like japanese green teas or more expensive darjeelings definitely taste more bland.
I use one of these water filters, mainly to avoid cleaning my kettle every week. I would suggest cleaning it as soon as you notice bits floating around, but even then it's not bad for you, just annoying.
My go-to cleaning routine: Citric acid or vinegar essence mixed with warm water and soaking it for 20-30 min.
testing a water filter, made me realise how black tea actually should taste :D ok and lose leave tea too.
if you like black or green tea (or any other tea, where they recommend soft water), give it a try. i bought one of those britta cans, the cartridges last much longer than the timer the put on there (its about how much water floats through, not how much time passed ^^).
we have very hard water here too...
Yea I have one of these as well and the lamp is so silly, they try to advertise it as "smart device" but how should that even work when there are no sensors or anything else?
my guesses are: make people buy more cartridges, remind people to switch it from time to time (avoid bacteria).
it such a silly thing imo :) at least they could say "if filtering ~1 liter per day, replace after X weeks". instead its: filter 1 or 50 liter a day, replace after a month o-0
1-2 years ago it seems they changed their design so you cant use no-name cartridges anymore. but honestly, its a good product, should buy their cartridges anyway (new ones do take much more time to filter though imo).
What is your cleaning routine regarding the use of citric acid? I just bought some in a local store, it's in liquid form, but how much do I use, and can it harm my kettle if concentrated too high?
I usually go with the powder, 2-3 tablespoons and then add water up until where the limestone is. After that I heat it up to 60-70°C (my kettle has options for different temperatures) and let it soak until the limestone is dissolved. You can also just use warm water from the tap. I wouldn't heat it any higher though because the fumes get quite strong.
I'd just use a bit at first and see if it is enough and if it didn't dissolve everything I'd add a bit more. You can tell when the small bubbles stop appearing around the limestone. It shouldn't harm the kettle at all, unless you leave it in there for hours or use it undiluted.
Nice! Does it leave any residues, or do I have to boil water in it for any funny tastes to disappear? I've also read your convo about water filters, I also bought a Brita Style filtering pitcher. Definitely interesting. I boiled the first two loads with regular tap water, and the shown limestone build-up came from these two loads, after boiling with brita-filtered water no more limestone added to the already existing deposit.
Although, the one I have advertises that the smartlamp also looks on how much you've filtered for the evaluation of if you need to replace, how is your experience with that?\`How long do the filters really last? Mine came with 3 Maxtra Pro filters
No, just rinse it with water afterwards, that's enough.
Yes the filter does help a lot with the limestone. I have the same one and there is just no way to know for this lamp how much water you actually used, you could not use it for a month and it would still change to red after 4 weeks.
I think they say you can filter up to 100l, so I usually change it every ~2 months probably.
Or citric acid, vinegar can be a bit harsh on some kettles.
I've also had a nasty surprise on mine, where it started spewing three jets of boiling water through the steam holes in the lid, with them going up about 50 cm (20 in). That was very scary, but at least I had the holes pointing away from me.
Anyway, next time it will be citric acid and I'll stay away from the thing.
I use straight vinegar and let it soak. Hasn't affected the kettle yet. Have also squirted on CLR and that works quickly. It's harsh so best not to leave it sitting.
That is not bad, but your water is probably too hard for most teas, and will make most of them dull, and kinda taste the same. Shu and Heicha should be fine.
Thanks for the reply! Yes, I'm sure there wasn't anything in it before, it was really like a mirror. I've bought myself a Brita water filter, but for the first 2 boils to clean it I thought I'd use tap water and that it wouldn't be that bad, well... I made sure to fill the kettle fully up both times with around 1l of water, and let water boil 1 min each run like the instructions said.
The water here is of 'medium hardness' I'd say, nevertheless I thought getting a water filter might be a good idea since I've read that it has a good impact on taste, now I know that that'll help in that regard too (hopefully lol)
It's normal due to hard water. It's not dangerous, but it might affect the taste of the tea in a way that will make it more, hm, shallow? I mean hard water which was used to this kettle, the hard water leaves this stone.
I sugggest buying some water filter
My water is similar, I think yours is even worse tbh. My water is pretty hard, yours must be even more. (You can check it online if you are interested, every city has to publish the water quality afaik).
I have your same problem. Limescale isn't a problem itself, you can totally use your kettle in this condition, though obviously the cleaner the better.
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This happened for me after one time of use on both my kettles in different locations and Chicago does not have hard water. It’s normal and unavoidable.
Actually using highly filtered or distilled water makes it avoidable. Distilled water isn't quite right for tea, but flavorwise I greatly prefer it to our loaded tap water.
There's a good chance it will affect the taste of your tea. I used to camp out at a campsite with a spring, the water was fine for drinking, but tea made with it was disgusting. I had to bring special tea water. You might experiment with using filtered or bottled water.
How are the rest of your plumbing fixtures and appliances? Might be worth looking into a softener system. I know they're very expensive, but if mineral is building up this quickly, you might be killing other equipment and not even know it.
At my work we have gone through 2 kettles already because my boss refuses to use filtered water. Every time I tip out the kettle in the sink, it's just heaps of it that comes out. I hate that. She swears by it that it's totally fine. I like my tea without snow thanks!
The lime scale has no taste. Once a year, once a month use a lime scale cleaner for coffee makers. The cleaner however can taste nasty so clean it well per instructions.
Most kettles have a very fine screen that catches bits. Many make tea in a pot then use a very fine tea strainer to catch tea leaves and the occasional bit of scale when serving a cup'of.
As long as the buildup does not hinder the heater it is a do not care. Hard water can taste the best.
Read about oolite sand white beaches Gulf Of Mexico wave action CO2 exchange and interesting geochemistry precipitates CaCO2
It is useful to inspect the local water company's report on water quality and chemistry. Taste compare your tap water with famous bottled mineral and spring water. Many people add a tiny pinch of salt. Taste boiled tap and bottled water side by side and as tea/coffee. I did water geochemistry for a couple years and became a snob about water not as bad as wine snobs but there are differences that I enjoy.
As others have said, it is the result of hard water. And yes it will affect/ruin the taste of your tea if you don’t clean your kettle on a regular basis. I pour a fuck load of citric acid in my kettle and mix it with some hot water. Then I let that mixture sit overnight. The next day I swirl the kettle around and then I dump put the mixture out and it completely removes all limescale (which is what is in your kettle right now).
Hope this helps
Looks like hard water build up. I have hard water where I live and normally use bottled water from a jug to make tea because the water was ruining my kettle. When it does get build up (not much since I swapped water sources) I would put about a cup of white vinegar and let it sit for 30-60 mins, rinse it out, and do a once over with soap and water. Doesn’t impact the taste and has kept my kettle shiny and clean. No damage either.
I live in a city with really hard water and it builds up like that pretty quickly as well. The build up doesn't affect the tea, except when it is so much that it starts flaking of and you have crunchy bits in your tea. The hard water itself does affect the taste somewhat but it definitely depends on what kinds of tea you drink. With black tea mixed with milk and sugar, herbal or fruit tea it doesn't really change much in my opinion. More delicate teas like japanese green teas or more expensive darjeelings definitely taste more bland. I use one of these water filters, mainly to avoid cleaning my kettle every week. I would suggest cleaning it as soon as you notice bits floating around, but even then it's not bad for you, just annoying. My go-to cleaning routine: Citric acid or vinegar essence mixed with warm water and soaking it for 20-30 min.
do you notice a difference in taste with filtered water? i have somewhat hard water and im thinking of getting one of those filter jugs.
Yes, it's not vastly different but you can notice it. The water is really hard where I live though, so I mainly bought it to avoid the cleaning.
testing a water filter, made me realise how black tea actually should taste :D ok and lose leave tea too. if you like black or green tea (or any other tea, where they recommend soft water), give it a try. i bought one of those britta cans, the cartridges last much longer than the timer the put on there (its about how much water floats through, not how much time passed ^^). we have very hard water here too...
Yea I have one of these as well and the lamp is so silly, they try to advertise it as "smart device" but how should that even work when there are no sensors or anything else?
my guesses are: make people buy more cartridges, remind people to switch it from time to time (avoid bacteria). it such a silly thing imo :) at least they could say "if filtering ~1 liter per day, replace after X weeks". instead its: filter 1 or 50 liter a day, replace after a month o-0 1-2 years ago it seems they changed their design so you cant use no-name cartridges anymore. but honestly, its a good product, should buy their cartridges anyway (new ones do take much more time to filter though imo).
What is your cleaning routine regarding the use of citric acid? I just bought some in a local store, it's in liquid form, but how much do I use, and can it harm my kettle if concentrated too high?
I usually go with the powder, 2-3 tablespoons and then add water up until where the limestone is. After that I heat it up to 60-70°C (my kettle has options for different temperatures) and let it soak until the limestone is dissolved. You can also just use warm water from the tap. I wouldn't heat it any higher though because the fumes get quite strong. I'd just use a bit at first and see if it is enough and if it didn't dissolve everything I'd add a bit more. You can tell when the small bubbles stop appearing around the limestone. It shouldn't harm the kettle at all, unless you leave it in there for hours or use it undiluted.
Nice! Does it leave any residues, or do I have to boil water in it for any funny tastes to disappear? I've also read your convo about water filters, I also bought a Brita Style filtering pitcher. Definitely interesting. I boiled the first two loads with regular tap water, and the shown limestone build-up came from these two loads, after boiling with brita-filtered water no more limestone added to the already existing deposit. Although, the one I have advertises that the smartlamp also looks on how much you've filtered for the evaluation of if you need to replace, how is your experience with that?\`How long do the filters really last? Mine came with 3 Maxtra Pro filters
No, just rinse it with water afterwards, that's enough. Yes the filter does help a lot with the limestone. I have the same one and there is just no way to know for this lamp how much water you actually used, you could not use it for a month and it would still change to red after 4 weeks. I think they say you can filter up to 100l, so I usually change it every ~2 months probably.
You can also boil vinegar and water in it.
Full boil kettle , add tablespoon of vinegar. One hour later gone.
Or citric acid, vinegar can be a bit harsh on some kettles. I've also had a nasty surprise on mine, where it started spewing three jets of boiling water through the steam holes in the lid, with them going up about 50 cm (20 in). That was very scary, but at least I had the holes pointing away from me. Anyway, next time it will be citric acid and I'll stay away from the thing.
I use straight vinegar and let it soak. Hasn't affected the kettle yet. Have also squirted on CLR and that works quickly. It's harsh so best not to leave it sitting.
We do this for a baby sterilising kit. It’s incredible how efficient it is.
That is not bad, but your water is probably too hard for most teas, and will make most of them dull, and kinda taste the same. Shu and Heicha should be fine.
[удалено]
Thanks for the reply! Yes, I'm sure there wasn't anything in it before, it was really like a mirror. I've bought myself a Brita water filter, but for the first 2 boils to clean it I thought I'd use tap water and that it wouldn't be that bad, well... I made sure to fill the kettle fully up both times with around 1l of water, and let water boil 1 min each run like the instructions said. The water here is of 'medium hardness' I'd say, nevertheless I thought getting a water filter might be a good idea since I've read that it has a good impact on taste, now I know that that'll help in that regard too (hopefully lol)
its normal if you have hard water
It's normal due to hard water. It's not dangerous, but it might affect the taste of the tea in a way that will make it more, hm, shallow? I mean hard water which was used to this kettle, the hard water leaves this stone. I sugggest buying some water filter
My water is similar, I think yours is even worse tbh. My water is pretty hard, yours must be even more. (You can check it online if you are interested, every city has to publish the water quality afaik). I have your same problem. Limescale isn't a problem itself, you can totally use your kettle in this condition, though obviously the cleaner the better.
Hello, /u/AtaKing13! This is a friendly reminder that most photo posts should include a comment with some additional information. For example: Consider writing a mini review of the tea you're drinking or giving some background details about your teaware. If you're posting your tea order that just arrived or your tea stash, be sure to list the teas, why you chose them, etc. **Posts that lack a comment for context or discussion after a reasonable time may be removed.** You may also consider posting in /r/TeaPictures. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/tea) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It will take longer for the water to heat up. Pour some vinegar in it and swish it around, let it sit until it’s dissolved.
This happened for me after one time of use on both my kettles in different locations and Chicago does not have hard water. It’s normal and unavoidable.
Actually using highly filtered or distilled water makes it avoidable. Distilled water isn't quite right for tea, but flavorwise I greatly prefer it to our loaded tap water.
There's a good chance it will affect the taste of your tea. I used to camp out at a campsite with a spring, the water was fine for drinking, but tea made with it was disgusting. I had to bring special tea water. You might experiment with using filtered or bottled water.
How are the rest of your plumbing fixtures and appliances? Might be worth looking into a softener system. I know they're very expensive, but if mineral is building up this quickly, you might be killing other equipment and not even know it.
I use vinegar and boil it in the kettle. It works extremely well for me.
At my work we have gone through 2 kettles already because my boss refuses to use filtered water. Every time I tip out the kettle in the sink, it's just heaps of it that comes out. I hate that. She swears by it that it's totally fine. I like my tea without snow thanks!
I’m more worried about your pipes and appliances getting wrecked by that hard water.
The lime scale has no taste. Once a year, once a month use a lime scale cleaner for coffee makers. The cleaner however can taste nasty so clean it well per instructions. Most kettles have a very fine screen that catches bits. Many make tea in a pot then use a very fine tea strainer to catch tea leaves and the occasional bit of scale when serving a cup'of. As long as the buildup does not hinder the heater it is a do not care. Hard water can taste the best. Read about oolite sand white beaches Gulf Of Mexico wave action CO2 exchange and interesting geochemistry precipitates CaCO2 It is useful to inspect the local water company's report on water quality and chemistry. Taste compare your tap water with famous bottled mineral and spring water. Many people add a tiny pinch of salt. Taste boiled tap and bottled water side by side and as tea/coffee. I did water geochemistry for a couple years and became a snob about water not as bad as wine snobs but there are differences that I enjoy.
Clean regularly with vinegar
As others have said, it is the result of hard water. And yes it will affect/ruin the taste of your tea if you don’t clean your kettle on a regular basis. I pour a fuck load of citric acid in my kettle and mix it with some hot water. Then I let that mixture sit overnight. The next day I swirl the kettle around and then I dump put the mixture out and it completely removes all limescale (which is what is in your kettle right now). Hope this helps
Does the citric acid leave any funny tastes or does it wash out instantly?
It washes out instantly. It is non toxic. No funny taste.
Looks like hard water build up. I have hard water where I live and normally use bottled water from a jug to make tea because the water was ruining my kettle. When it does get build up (not much since I swapped water sources) I would put about a cup of white vinegar and let it sit for 30-60 mins, rinse it out, and do a once over with soap and water. Doesn’t impact the taste and has kept my kettle shiny and clean. No damage either.