Cleaning bronze

[r_bond]

I need to clean my Perko water strainer (used on A/C system).  Someone suggested I use muratic acid.  Anyone know what the proper mixing ratio would be to most effectively clean a bronze fixture?

[Mike Smith]

Yikes!  Try vinegar first.  Close the through hull and remove the entire unit.  Take it home and disassemble it.  Outside.  Clean the bronze parts with anything you want, but not muriatic acid.  Clean out as many of the barnacles, oysters, and muscles growing in the clear lexan cylinder and strainer as you can and then soak them both overnight in a straight vinegar solution.  This will desolve all the remaining bits of shell and adhesions.  Rinse the clear lexan cylinder and strainer.  Coat the inside of the lexan cylinder with a thick coat of vasaline and reassemble and re-install the unit.  Drop a bromide sterilizing tabet into the strainer basket and replace as needed.  You won't have to clean it again for a year.

Mike

[Ron Hill]

r_ :  Remove it and take it home.  Then try some "Lime Away" which is a household cleaner to get ride of the calcium around your faucets - ask your 1st Mate for advice.  
Anything harsher on any mesh and you'll be replacing that item.  

[Mike Smith]

Welcome aboard! I just noticed you are in Gulf Breeze, FL!  You may be interested in Joining Fleet 8, The Emerald Coast Fleet.  There are five of us now (that we know of, six including you) in the area and we would like to get as many as we can to join.  Ivan put Fleet activities on hold last year (Ivaninteruptus), but now we are all getting back on our feet and ready to schedule some social events/raft-ups, etc.  If you are interested, you can e-mail me or call (850) 712-0639 for more information.  Here's a link to our Website.

Hope to hear from you,
Mike