The Labyrinth of Limescale

Understanding, Locating, and Conquering the Calcified Culprit

Scale, it's a word that carries an air of mystery and intrigue, a term that defines simplicity and demands a closer look. While it might seem like a dry term, the realm of scale is a multifaceted puzzle, filled with mineral deposits, intricate chemistry, and solutions waiting to be discovered. In this article, we’ll begin to explore the enigmatic world of scale, unravel its mysteries, understand its origins, and uncover the methods to combat it.

Unraveling the Enigma of Scale

The term "scale," according to Dictionary.com, is described as "a coating or incrustation, as on the inside of a boiler, formed by the precipitation of salts from the water." It's not the most straightforward definition, is it? However, Wikipedia offers a more tangible explanation: "Limescale is a hard, chalky deposit, consisting mainly of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It often accumulates inside kettles, boilers, and pipework, especially in areas with hot water. You can also find it as a similar deposit on the inner surfaces of old pipes and other places where hard water has flowed."

Courtesy of MSDinc

It doesn’t sound that scary does it? But if you’ve dealt with it in your home you know that it’s a pain in the neck to try and combat. So, what does all of this mean? When rainwater goes into the ground, it dissolves minerals in the rock and carries them into your home's piping. In essence, scale is a stubborn buildup of minerals, primarily calcium carbonate, that tends to show up in various nooks and crannies of our daily lives, particularly in water-related installations.

Where Does This Mysterious Culprit Emerge?

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Having delved into the nature of scale, let's explore where this frustrating substance tends to make its presence known. Brace yourself; scale can appear almost anywhere where water gathers. We're talking about pipes, showerheads, faucets, fixtures, the bottom of your water heater, the bathtub, the toilet, sinks, and even tiles in wet areas. It doesn't stop there; it can also find its way into small appliances like coffee makers and kettles, and even humidifiers. In short, scale has a knack for infiltrating and establishing its presence wherever moisture is abundant. If your home has hard water, such as if you’re living off a well, or at a country house, you’re in even more trouble as scale will show up in your dishwasher, your refrigerator, your steam oven, and your ice maker.

The Quest to Descale: An Odyssey of Solutions

Faced with this challenging issue, the question naturally arises – how can one rid their living spaces of this unwelcome guest? Vinegar and citric acid often serve as the first-line, natural solutions, calling back to simpler times when household remedies reigned supreme. Yet, the stubbornness of scale has given rise to an entire industry, offering a plethora of products and methods for descaling.

A simple online search for descaling products can bury you with in a mountain of choices. You'll find hardware stores offering innovative DIY installations and retail giants like Walmart providing pre-packaged solutions. Don't forget the trusty old CLR Rust Remover, a tried-and-true choice found on the shelves of Lowe's. There are dozens of options, and all of them have people who swear by them.

Two of our favorite techniques for descaling are vinegar or ice & salt.

Vinegar is a technique that takes a bit of time to see it work, but it’s effective. For your dishwasher, your washer or your coffee maker, you’ll want to run varying amounts through at least once, before rinsing them with an empty run of just water.

Dishwasher - Take a dishwasher-safe container and fill it with white vinegar. Set that on the top rack of your empty dishwasher and run a regular cycle to disperse the vinegar throughout, making sure that you don’t add any detergent to the machine.

Washer - Add 1 cup of white vinegar to an empty washing machine and run it as normal.

Courtesy of Wikimedia commons

Coffee Maker - For a 12 cup pot - Pour in 4 cups of undiluted vinegar and 6 cups of water to an empty reservoir. Let that sit for 30 minutes and then run a full brewing cycle. Dump the pot, and run the 2-3 more brewing cycles of just water until the smell of the vinegar is gone.

What if you need a cup of tea right now though? Or you need to boil water right now and your kettle is the fastest method? In that case, you can dump a large cup of ice into your kettle, pour ⅓ c of water and ¼ c of salt into the kettle. Swirl the kettle around vigorously until your ice is melted, and pour it out. If you regularly descale your kettle, this should do the trick. If not, you might need to repeat the process another time or two.

The Diverse Descale Demands

It's essential to remember that not all scales are created equal, and the methods to combat them should be equally diverse. Items that can be submerged, like dishes, glasses, showerheads, and removable faucet parts, can be soaked in vinegar or cleaning chemicals overnight and then cleaned to remove the scale. An effective trick is to run vinegar through your dishwasher on an empty one-hour cycle, a solution that has proven itself through personal experience.

Additionally, there's a thriving market for spray-on descalers, catering to those searching for quick, hassle-free solutions. The array of choices in this category can leave anyone feeling somewhat bewildered.

Conquering the Scale Beast: A Whole-House Approach

While we've explored individual solutions and targeted remedies, there's a compelling case to be made for a comprehensive approach to scale eradication. The idea of descaling your entire household's plumbing might sound like a formidable task, but it promises long-term freedom from scale's tyranny. A comprehensive guide from Landmark Home Warranty suggests such a technique, offering a detailed blueprint to tackle the scale epidemic at its roots. We can’t say whether it works or not, having not tried it ourselves, but if anyone out there has, we’d love to hear!

But what about the major appliances in your home? Your dishwasher, your water heater, and your washing machine are all at risk of falling prey to the scale. These appliances are not only essential but often expensive to replace. When scale infiltrates their systems, it can lead to decreased efficiency, increased energy consumption, and even costly breakdowns.

If you're facing issues with your major appliances due to scale buildup or any other problems, Appliance Rescue Service is here to help. Our team of experts specializes in appliance repair and maintenance, ensuring that your appliances run efficiently and smoothly. Don't let scale disrupt your daily life. Reach out to us at our website or give us a call at((214) 599-0055), and we'll take care of your appliance concerns. With our help, you can keep your appliances running like new and enjoy peace of mind in your home.

Additional Reading

Why Aren’t My Dishes Getting Dry?

Dishwasher Tips: Help Your Dishwasher Clean Better – Just in Time for the Holidays!

Icemaker Not Making Ice? This Could be Why

What Appliances Do You Need For a Tiny House?

And Which Can You Cut Out?

If you’re looking at building your own tiny house, either as a real estate investment, as a space for guests, or just as a home away from home, appliances are something to consider. Due to their very nature, a tiny house can’t handle full-size appliances for every single type of appliance. The question then becomes “well, which ones do I need to keep, which ones do I get rid of, and which ones can I get in smaller sizes?” Those questions are where we come in. For this post, we’re assuming that this is an actual ‘home’ with a kitchen of some sort, not just an extra bedroom, office, or hobby space. So let’s dig in and find out just how much you can squish into a tiny home! 

Dishwasher

We’re biased, we’ll admit this up front. To us, a dishwasher is a must-have. Fortunately, you can get dishwashers of all different sizes. You can have a full, cabinet size, or even drawer sized dishwasher. 

Full dishwashers usually measure in at = 24 x 35 x 24 (Lx Hx W

A ‘thin’ or ‘cabinet’ dishwasher typically measures about = 24 x 18 x 24

While a drawer dishwasher is a bit more flexible in its size, this one from Fisher & Paykel was 24 x 17 x 23. 

Sink

A sink is another nonnegotiable, but that’s due to food safety as much as anything. Especially if you give up having a dishwasher, you’re going to need somewhere to wash food, pots and pans, and your table settings. Not to mention all the other ways we use our kitchens. To us this is another one where you can’t really skimp, and we advise getting a double basin sink. However, if you just don’t have the space, the smallest kitchen sink we could find is this one from Kohler, which is 15 x 15 x 9. 

Refrigerator 

Refrigerators are one that you absolutely could get away with, but only under certain conditions. If you’re going to live mostly off of vegetables you eat the same day you buy them, or pantry staples, we could see that working. There are also several different sizes available, with the absolute smallest refrigerator being able to hold no more than a few cans of soda. For practicality’s sake though, let’s assume that you want a small, under-the-counter refrigerator. A good brand to look at here would be something like RCA. They have several different sizes and versions of mini-fridges. 

Freezer

Freezers are... Complicated. On one hand, if you’re not going to have a refrigerator, you will probably want a freezer of some sort for long-term food storage. You can also get a normal side-by-side or top and bottom refrigerator/freezer combination unit if you’re willing to give up the space for one. You can also get an under-the-counter freezer or a chest freezer. The benefit to a chest freezer is that you get right into the habit of a tiny homeowner, using a space for multiple things. Depending on how large a chest you get, you can put it to work as a table as well as storing food. Keep in mind though that you can’t put too much weight on the top or it can cause the lid to bow, ruining the seal. So it can be done, just check the manufacturer’s guidelines with your particular freezer. 

Washing Machine

In our Deep Dive on Washing Machines, we showed you many different varieties of washers, how they work and what makes them different from each other.  We stand by what we said then about all-in-one washer/dryers being an option, although not one we would typically suggest.  Instead, if you’re looking for something, we would suggest getting a standard or even a small washer. 

A standard washing machine is typically = 28 inches or 2 feet and 4 inches wide

A small washer might come in at = 20 or 21 inches.

Dryer 

For a dryer, this is entirely dependent on how much energy you want to spend on a regular basis. You could use a clothesline outside in good weather, and then a hanging system inside in cold or poor weather. Or you can get a dryer and have to find a way to work around it for space consideration. Like we mentioned in our Dryer Deep Dive, you’ll have to have double the amount of space in your dryer that you do in your washer or else you won’t be able to effectively dry everything from a single load. 

Stove

Here is where you really get to be creative. Options for a stove replacement are many and quite varied. It really comes down to how creative you can get. You could even replace many of your pots and pans, freeing up cabinet space for other things if you plan it right. With one or two multifunction Instant Pots you could replace the need for 90% of your pots, as well as a stove. 

Other options include one or two electric burners, which make for a portable stove. This way if it’s not in use, you can store it away. You can also use slow cookers to great effect, although we will point out that you can get an Instant Pot with the same function built-in. 

Oven 

Here again, you get to play around and get creative. Do you want a full oven? Or would you rather devote that space to cabinets? Do you have a wall that would otherwise be unused that you could install a built-in oven into? What about a toaster oven that doubles as a rotisserie? Toaster ovens can be surprisingly large and serve remarkably well as replacements to a standard oven.  

When it comes to outfitting a tiny home, it proves to be as much of a creative puzzle as the rest of the house is. What can you give up? What can you live without? What do you have to have in order to accomplish the basics of life? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. We want to hear from you--what could you live without OR how have you structured your tiny home? 

If on the other hand your kitchen has gone kaput or your washing machine has washed out, we’ve got your back. We can repair any and all of your major home appliances whether it’s full size or meant for a tiny home.  You can get hold of us by calling us at ((214) 599-0055) or you can set up an appointment on our contact page.  

Additional Reading
Washer Deep Dive

Dryer Deep Dive

This tiny kitchen has a small oven and an under the counter refrigerator. Instead, they opted for a large farmhouse sink to make cleaning up easy.

This tiny home on the other hand has a full size sink, but no oven whatsoever. It has just a stove top, as well as an interesting pull-out counter at the end.

This example has a smaller sink, but they have a full oven and stove top built into the cabinet, along with a vent hood.

Set It and Forget It Rice Dinner

Stuffed Full Of Flavors And Textures

Time for a set it and forget it dinner! We've done a bunch of "easy" dinners in a row, but the common denominator with all of them is that they require you to be present and, well, actively cooking them. This one breaks that mold. All you do with this one is dump it into the slow cooker (or instant pot, if you'd rather), give it a stir, and allow it to cook. The end. It's that simple. As long as you plug the thing in and turn it on, you'll come home to dinner. And if you use one of those fancy crock pot liners, you won't even have a pot to wash!

Ingredients:

2 links smoked turkey sausage (we like Oscar Meyer brand)

1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted; your choice - can substitute margarine)

2 cups brown rice

4 1/4 cups water

1 can kidney beans, drained

1/2 yellow onion

1 celery stalk

1 bag frozen peas and carrots

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard powder (please do not substitute seeds)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon fennel (optional; very strong stuff, and occasionally difficult to find)

salt and pepper, to taste

Tools:

Crock pot, crock pot liner (optional), knife, cutting board, colander (fine mesh), measuring cups and spoons.

Start by chopping your onion, celery and turkey sausage. Don't worry yourself too much about the idea of mixing meats and veggies at this step - the turkey sausage is precooked, so you have no cross contamination worries here.

We like to have big chunks of onion for this recipe, tiny crescents of celery and thin rounds of sausage. The variation in shape, size and texture helps make up for the fact the rest of this meal will be, for the most part, quite soft.

If you choose to use a crock pot liner, now is a good time to place it. Be sure to follow the package directions so it doesn't melt in and ruin your dinner! We love the liners because of the time savings on cleaning, but we will acknowledge it's an extra, technically unnecessary expense.

Drain your kidney beans through the colander and rinse them thoroughly. We don't want that canned taste transferring to the rest of the food (but we're using canned anyway, because we also don't want the time and effort of cooking from dry).

Once the beans are drained, pour them into the crock pot. You may need to readjust the liner a little after this step, assuming you've used one.

Measure out your rice and give it a quick rinse in the colander you just emptied. Just like veggies, make sure you wash off your rice! People often seem to skip this step, but any produce not marked "washed and ready to eat" technically deserves this extra attention. You may need to use a spoon (or your fingers, no judgement as long as they're clean) to get the rice back out of the colander and into the crock pot - expect this step to take a moment or two.

Now that you have your rice and beans in the pot, start adding your vegetables and the turkey sausage. It doesn't really matter what order you do them in, since we're going to give this all a good stir soon - but we prefer to get the frozen peas and carrots into the pot first because they're more likely to bounce. Somehow, peas in particular always seem bouncier when they're cold.

After all of the meats and veggies have joined the starch party already in the bottom of the crock pot, measure out your water and add it in. Make sure you don't rush here and measure inaccurately. Too little water means crunchy rice, and too much water will lead to a porridge-like substance that only smells like food.

Now it's time for you to add the spices. If you come across anything in the list of spices you don't like, feel free to substitute. This recipe is flexible and very forgiving. Assuming you use the suggested spices, toss them in the pot and give everything a good stir. Make sure the chunks of dry mustard, in particular, have dissolved (too much mustard in a bite can really put you off the rest of the meal). Now add in that chunk of butter, cover everything over, and set the crock pot on low for about eight hours.

After your workday is over, you'll come home to a hot meal with minimal effort. And even if you didn't use a crock pot liner, you'll have next to no dishes! 

Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook if you decide to give this a try! We’d love to hear how it goes and anything you add to it. 

If on the other hand your stove is giving you trouble and that’s the reason you need a set it and forget it meal, we can still help. Give us a call at ((214) 599-0055)  or visit our appointment page.

What Tools Do You Have to Have In A Small Kitchen

And How Small Can You Get?

How small can you make a kitchen and still call it a kitchen? That’s what we were wondering last week and decided to look it up. While we enjoy our spacious kitchens with full-size appliances and lots of counter space, we know there are people who don’t. People who love the idea of living in a tiny house or an RV. They still need a fully functional kitchen though. That is where this week’s post comes in. 

What to Keep

Let’s start off with the things we won’t budge on. A full size sink and either a coffee pot or tea kettle. The sink is needed because there is nothing worse than trying to scrub a burnt cookie sheet and spilling water all over because your sink is too small. So, a single or double sided sink, it’s your choice. We’re going to stick to a double though, as it means more space for dishes to dry. An added point of having a full sink means you don’t have to have a dishwasher under the counters. Now, while you can certainly have a wide range of options for both tea kettles or coffee makers, we will wager that a large percentage of the population relies on one or both to get through the day. 

What to Cut

Now that we have the two that have to stay, let’s look at what we can cut. Take a look at your range or stovetop. That? It’s at least 30” by 22” of wasted space. If you’re not cooking for many people a single or double electric burner can work just fine. Plus, when you’re done it can easily be stored away in a cabinet. 

What about the oven though? Roast vegetables, cookies, breads, heck, even a turkey. How can you do without those? Easy, you don’t have to. Toaster ovens are an option, and, having tested them, they can most certainly handle everything we rattled off. They cook as well as a standard oven, but they take up ¼ of the space. As an added bonus, you’ve also eliminated the need for a toaster. 

Moving on, let’s look at an Instant Pot. Whether you go for the name brand or not, what matters are the features. With an Instant Pot you can replace 90% of your pots and pans. Just like the electric burner, you can unplug it and stash it away when not in use. The only thing we haven’t tried on ours yet is the ability to make yoghurt. Everything else that we’ve tried from air fryer donuts, to corned beef, to rice has turned out perfectly. 

The last appliance we’ll look at is the Foreman grill. Our team was split on this one. We eventually decided to call it as an “if you have the space” item. On one hand, this makes cooking many different meats very easy. You can also unplug it and store it away when not in use. We don’t feel that it’s a “have to have it.”  So, if you can, if you want it, go for it. It also makes for a wonderful panini press. If you can’t, though, there’s no major loss in that.

So, we’ve ripped out the stove, the oven, 90% of your pots and pans, a toaster and your microwave.  With what’s left, how much space does it take up? The Instant Pot, a single electric burner and the Foreman grill can be fit into a single cabinet measuring 22” high by 30” wide and 16” deep. The toaster oven is the largest on its own, and depending on what size you purchase, requires at least a space of 10” x 15” x9”. However, in most cases, you could fit the coffee pot or tea kettle in the same cabinet as it. So, two mid-sized cabinets and a sink are all you absolutely need to hide away a kitchen at the end of the day. The only other thing to consider is your refrigerator. If you’re short on space, a half fridge can be easily fit under a countertop. 

What do you think? Are we on the mark  with our math? Or are we batting 0? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. If you happen to have a tiny kitchen of your own, show us please! We’d love to hear how you make it work. 

Just because we talked all about small appliances all day today, doesn’t mean we’ve given up on repairing your normal appliances. Whether you’re dealing with a dishwasher that’s bathed your kitchen in a recreation of the Great Flood, or an oven that won’t turn on, we’re here. We can fix anything you throw at us, so long as you live within Allen or the surrounding area. Reach out anytime via phone ((214) 599-0055), or our website and we’ll be there. 

Disclaimer: These are rough estimates on space. Let’s face it, with how many different options there are for every appliance we named, it would be near impossible for us to account for all possibilities. We also didn’t account for dishes or silverware for the same reasons. 

Is An Instant Pot Worth The Hype?

For the last ten years people have been raving about one appliance, but does the Instant Pot hold up? If you haven’t already gotten one, or maybe you have but you haven’t opted to open it or use it much, we’ll walk you through them. What are they, what do they do, do they really work, and what can you make with them? We’ll go through all of these. 

A quick note first, it’s an Instant Pot, not an Instapot. We had it pointed out to us. 

Before we dig in, let’s clarify one thing, Instant Pot is a specific brand of ‘all in one appliances.’ Cusininart, Breville, Gourmia, TaoTronics, Mealthy and Ninja Foodi all have multi function pressure cookers that they sell, with similar functions. So why has this type of appliance become so popular? At first it was a novelty, and then it was realized that it was a very solid option. It saves both time and space within your kitchen, without sacrificing versatility.  We’re going to focus specifically on the Instant Pot brand for this article and see if after 10 years it still holds up to the hype. 

What is an Instant Pot and how does it work?  

While the different functions will vary based on which model you pick, there are some basic programs that will be available on most models. 

-Slow cooker

-Pressure cooker (most models let you choose  high or low pressure, or specific pressure settings like poultry or meat/stew)

-Rice cooker

-Steamer

-Saute/browning

-Yogurt maker

-Warmer

The community has also gotten inventive and found that you can do all sorts of things with different inserts such as cupcake molds, springform pans, or aluminum foil. 

Tip! Using aluminum foil lets you keep ingredients separate from each other which means you can cook your meats and veggies at the same time. 

Do they REALLY work? 

-How does the food taste? 

From experience, meats are amazing.  Fall off the bone tender, juicy and utterly fantastic. (90 minutes to get this. Just 90 minutes!) 

Vegetables are something we’re still experimenting with to figure out. Sometimes, they turn out amazing! Other times not so much. The one thing we’ve seen is that you don’t cook them with as much water as you think, or for as long. 

-Doesn’t that high heat destroy the nutrients? 

Nope! While it’s true that your food is going to go well above the boiling temperature when cooked in the Instant Pot, it’s not like cooking in a normal pot. Cooking at high pressure allows the heat to be distributed quickly and evenly throughout so you don’t have to immerse foods in water. In fact, you only need enough water to create the needed amount of steam and pressure within the Pot. Usually a cup is enough.  This means that the nutrients don’t leech into the water, nor do they get oxidized by exposure to air. 

-Doesn’t that mean I can over-cook the food? 

Nope. Instant Pot has both sensors and self-regulating features for both temperature and the amount of pressure.

Are there any rules to using them? 

-An important first note before saying ‘it doesn’t work.’ 

The Instant Pot (and all pressure cookers really) have to pressurize before the cooking countdown begins. You also have to wait at the end of the process to properly release the pressure. Depending on your model, you might have a ‘quick release’ feature. These times need to be counted into your recipe math. 

-Meals with less liquid will come up to pressure faster than those with a lot of liquid. For example meats vs soups. 

-If you need to thaw and then cook something, the best thing to do is just follow the normal cooking process in the recipe. The food will fully thaw as the Instant Pot comes  to pressure. 

-If you’re one to prep your foods ahead of time, make sure that they’re frozen in either bowls or boxes that will fit into the pot easily.  

-Layer your foods carefully. 

Because the Instant Pot works via bottom burners, it’s possible to burn your food. If the foods at the bottom don’t have enough moisture they can  burn. The good news is that the Pot has sensors that will shut off power if it looks like this is happening. 

-Wash carefully and often!

The Pot has a silicone ring for the locking lid. The ring is great but it’s silicone and that means it absorbs smells over time. If you notice that building up, take it out and wash it by hand, and here’s the link for how to clean it from over at The Kitchn.

-Check out “5 ways you’re using it wrong.” 

What things can you make with an Instant Pot? 

The list is frankly huge. There are entire sites and numerous books devoted to Instant Pot recipes. 

You can also check out the Good Housekeeping tried and tested recipes. No we’re not getting advertising money for this, though we wish! 

Or check out what The Kitchn has for recipes.

But if you want a list, try these random suggestions:

-Frozen foods

-Pasta with spinach, starch and veggies 

-Meats 

-Cheesecake

-Mac & cheese

-Giant Pancakes! 

- Veggies with rice and tikka masala 

- Soup

-Stock

-Chilis galore!

-Steel Cut Oats 

-Frozen chickens (Yes really, the heat and pressure means the bacteria is killed) 

- Baked potatoes -super creamy on the inside and if you want them to be crispy, toss them under the broiler for just a few minutes 

-There are people who have found ways to make crispy vegetables too! 

Should you get one? 

If you do choose to buy one, keep this in mind. 

A 3-quart pot is best for a small family of two or three people. 

The 5 and 6 quart sizes are best for families of 4-6. 

The 8-quart is large enough for families of six or more, or if you entertain better. 

-If you’re busy and on the go often, there are models like the Wi-Fi enabled version that allow you to monitor and control it via your smart phone. 

-Like we said up top, Instant Pot is the most well-known, but it’s not the only player in the game. If you want to buy one, it’s smart to check out all of the options. You might find one with additional features that fit your life better or a lower price tag. 

Although we will say that Instant Pot does go on sale quite often. 

So to us, yeah, we’d say that the Instant Pot has proven itself to be a useful appliance. It can replace several different appliances and people are still coming up with inventive ways to put it to use.  Whether you have a lot of time to prep and plan or you need to get food together fast, the Instant Pot is dead useful. 

Did that help? Do you feel like your questions about the Instant Pot have been answered? Let us know over at our Facebook! If we didn’t, and you tell us what we missed, we can always do a follow up post in the future. 

If you live in Dallas or the surrounding areas and your appliances aren’t working properly, we want to help! You can call us at (214) 599-0055 or click here to set up an appointment with one of our technicians.