Undersink hot water heater is semi-clogged

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Mazcar

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Hi All,
I have an Insinkerator instant hot water heater (it has a small stainless steel tank). It has progressively gotten to where it now sputters and sporadically flows its hot water out.

A few months ago, I removed it and flushed it out with tap water, shook it around, and got a lot of crud out from it. Pretty much, I did what this guy did:
http://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/20...ter-heater-with-low-flow-fix-it-with-a-flush/
It got a LOT better, but was still not to 'new' standards.

Should I just keep flushing it out every six months? I'm always afraid of creating a leaky o-ring or damaging a pipe.
Should I clean it with vinegar? If so, will I get disgusting vinegar flavored coffee forever?
I think getting a new one will put me in the same situation in about a year. So that's out.
Would a water filter help? Sure, a whole-house filter would be great, but that's too pricey. Would a small undersink filter work?

Thanks!!

PS: It is this model. Apparently, I must have been feeling rich when I bought it. Sheesh.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_248349-712-H-WAVESN-SS_0__?productId=1172613
 
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Mazcar

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Tell us about the crud (color, consistency).
For the most part, they are little white salt granule sized white bits. Some chunks are bigger, though. I assume it is calcium. For the not most part, I have seen some small black flakes.

Also, per Insinkerator, the water heater is connected to a tee at the cold water line.

Thanks, again!
 

Reach4

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There are packets of coffee pot cleaner that are citric acid based. Those are not the strongest, but least likely to give a flavor.

I would go to something stronger myself. C L R or phosphoric acid, and then just rinse a lot. But I have read that C L R can be hard to rinse out.

Try searching for Descaling solution for espresso machines in your favorite search engine. Saeco, a maker of espresso machines, sells packets of powder to use in cleaning. It is citric acid based.
 
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