CLR to flush radiator system

tony45 · Oct 1, 2017

Any body ever used it if so and how did it work. need any advice you might have , Thanks Tony

CalG · Oct 2, 2017

tony45 said:
Any body ever used it if so and how did it work. need any advice you might have , Thanks Tony

Yes I've used CLR.

But vinegar works better.

crazyal · Oct 2, 2017

A coworker used it and decided to leave it in for a week to eat away at the scale. The end result was it attacked some of the copper and brass parts forcing him to replace several sensors and the radiator. If it was me I would stick to a commercial product. vinegar does work but the people I know who use it say you should then flush the system with baking soda then flush it again with water. At some point it seams like just buying something designed to do the job makes more sense.

CalG · Oct 2, 2017

crazyal said:
A coworker used it and decided to leave it in for a week to eat away at the scale. The end result was it attacked some of the copper and brass parts forcing him to replace several sensors and the radiator. If it was me I would stick to a commercial product. vinegar does work but the people I know who use it say you should then flush the system with baking soda then flush it again with water. At some point it seams like just buying something designed to do the job makes more sense.

Those "products designed to do the job" require flushing as well. Neutralizing active ingredients is never a bad thing.

An entire system "flush" for a prolonged period is something only an idiot would do. Or a calculated and informed person. I'm not saying there are such people qualified as in the latter case. Your "coworker" seems to have failed the grade.

tony45 · Oct 2, 2017

Thanks for the input I will not try it, Tony

stingray1 · Oct 2, 2017

CalG said:
Those "products designed to do the job" require flushing as well. Neutralizing active ingredients is never a bad thing.

An entire system "flush" for a prolonged period is something only an idiot would do. Or a calculated and informed person. I'm not saying there are such people qualified as in the latter case. Your "coworker" seems to have failed the grade.

I agree,if the "coworker" had used CLR with a little common sense,it would probably done the job.

Industrial Toys · Oct 2, 2017

I personally have never had any luck with CLR. It never works the magic you see on TV.

antlers125 · Oct 2, 2017

I normally use dishwasher soap. I prefer the granules, but I'm sure liquid would do the job.

powerscol · Oct 2, 2017

If it is the radiator that is badly plugged, pull it and take it to the pros at a radiator shop. I had an older bronco I bought used that had an overheating problem with lots of junk in the system. Pros pulled it and boiled it out, and also did and engine block flush in their shop - fancy machine they connected up to the hoses and flushed while it ran. Money well spent as afterwords I had zero issues.