[ATM] Off topic: humidifier and salt buildup

["Tom Krajci" <tom_krajci@tularosa.net>]

Off topic:  humidifier and salt buildup

I'm running a humidifier now that it's dry winter air.  It's a unit with a
wick and fan.  My problem is that I have a salt buildup in the wick.  My
well water is very hard, so I soften it with a typical ion exchange
softener.  (When I ran the humidifier with the hard well water...calcite
deposits on the wick were terrible in just a couple days.  A strong mixture
of Lime Away or CLR was needed to get rid of the calcites.  Running the
humidifier on the softened water is better, but there is still an eventual
salt buildup.)

I can clean/refresh the wick by rinsing it in a bucket of softened
water...salt is washed away...but eventually the wick gets other buildup
that won't wash out well.

I've done some searching on the web and a few folks say I should use vinegar
to clean the wick.  Is this the best approach, or are there other, simple,
safe, inexpensive household chemicals I can use to stretch the life of my
wick?

Thanks in advance!

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Tom Krajci
Cloudcroft, New Mexico
http://overton2.tamu.edu/aset/krajci/

Center for Backyard Astrophysics (CBA)
http://cba.phys.columbia.edu CBA New Mexico

American Association of Variable Star
Observers (AAVSO): KTC http://www.aavso.org/
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