Water trough - Remove hard water lime scale build up?

[BarnField]

I have the big 75 gal Rubbermaid stock tanks (not metal) and they’re so gross.
I can’t keep them clean long b/c the brown/green gunk coating the inside sticks like GLUE to the lime scale build-up underneath. I scrub and scrub but the algae stuff doesn’t come off.

So far, what works is a ridiculously horrible process:
1.) empty trough & remove from pasture
2.) pour some straight bleach into the empty trough - enough to cover the bottom. Let that soak for a day.
3.) The next day, tilt the tank to one side so the bleach is in contact with the side wall & leave overnight. Repeat tilting the tank overnight ad nauseum for several days until the tank has been tilted so that the bleach has killed off all the algae on all the inside walls.
4.) Rinse the bleach out. Now the microbes are killed off and the lime scale underneath is exposed.
5.) Fill tank with a few gallons of “Cleaning Vinegar” from Walmart (higher strength stuff than household white vinegar). This slowly eats the limescale.
6.) Repeat tilting the trough overnight in every direction for several days until the vinegar has removed all the lime scale.

In the end, I get a CLEAN trough, but it took a week and it only lasts… not long enough, lol.

Can I use more aggressive shower cleaners to speed this up? Are they safe?

[trubandloki]

Wow, that sounds frustrating.

Are you scrubbing every time it gets filled?

That is what has worked best for us. We scrub using Listerine.

It is a nuisance.

[Jarpur]

We spent years scrubbing our Rubbermaid troughs with bleachy water. Picked up the idea of using classic original (brown) Listerine instead, and it’s worked great.

We’re on a well from a limestone aquifer, so naturally hard water. We normally get the knockoff Listerine in the 1.5 liter size, works fine.

[DiamondJubilee]

Do you have a pressure washer? Our black Rubbermaid’s get like this often as well and our pressure washer does an amazing job!

I scrub in-between pressure washing, but nothing else gets it off nearly as well as our pressure washer. Plus with them being a plastic type of material, I always worry that it could absorb some of the chemicals. This way is chemical free!

[BarnField]

Oh! I hadn’t tried a pressure washer. That will be a much faster option, even though I know I get soaking wet every time I use the darn thing, haha
thanks

[BarnField]

I will try using Listerine for more frequent washes - hopefully that will keep things in check
thanks!

[luvmyhackney]

When I purchased my property there were three disgusting tubs like how you describe.

I used CLR toilet cleaner and let sit for 30 minutes. Then rinsed well. Washed a 2nd time with a 30% vinegar rinse.

It worked great. Now I just spritz with 30% vinegar or use dish soap and rinse. I only keep them full enough that I can dump and clean every 2-3 days in the summer. They stay sparkly and no issues.

[candyappy]

You guys really go over the top. Considering my horses will drink puddle water with joy , I just empty my 100 gal trough, wipe my hand around, rinse and dump and fill it up.

[BarnField]

Did the CLR by itself not get all the build-up removed? I am wondering if CLR is stronger/weaker than the “cleaning vinegar” I use. The cleaning vinegar has to soak overnight to be effective for me

[luvmyhackney]

It got everything off for the most part.

I figured the vinegar would get any chemical residue off in case my rinsing was not pristine.

[LCDR]

Have you checked into adding a filtration system? A reverse osmosis central system will be pricey, but may be worth it by saving you hours of cleaning time, and by prolonging the life of your home water heater. And there are less expensive filters to add just to the feed line to the barn and troughs.

[Texarkana]

When I lived in Tennessee, I had no trouble keeping water troughs pristine with just dumping and a few passes of a scrub brush every few days. I couldn’t understand why people had problems keeping troughs clean.

Then I moved to Maryland and oh my gosh, preventing lime scale, algae, and other build-up is practically impossible. Soap, bleach, vinegar, CLR, other detergents, pressure washing, scrubbing with a brush on a drill— none of it works. There is always some degree of permanent discoloration that I can’t remove. It has to be the water because my management has not changed.

So I just do the best I can. Troughs get scrubbed every few days, but there is permanent gunk on the sides.

[EmilyM]

i put a chlorine tablet (the 1" preferably) in my troughs. it doesn’t harm the horses. i tasted the water and you can’t taste it. it keeps away algae, etc. if the tab doesn’t dissolve between cleanings, save it and put it back in.

CLR (Calcium, Lime, Rust) is a cleaner for lime scale and grunge in bathrooms. may try that?

Good luck!

[Jump314]

I also use a 1" chlorine tablet in my 100 gallon trough. I have two horses, out about 16 hours per day with their trough, and I just dump the trough when it’s low, scrub with a brush, refill, then add my tablet. It prevents algae and my water always looks clear. It works great and is so easy! I don’t think it would help with hard water though.

[Jarpur]

I’ve used Airmax Stock Tank Water Treatment (it’s a large tablet), and Stock Tank Secret (it’s a burplap bag of barley straw), although not at the same time. Both available at TSC.

Can’t say that I saw that much difference in the water, but we do have hard water, and these products are not for lime scale.

[ASB_Stars]

I’m assuming that you are also drinking this water? Not from the tank, of course. You need to address considering a system that takes care of your water. How are your showers and sinks?

[BarnField]

No, this water is a separate line that goes only to the barn hydrants.

[ASB_Stars]

So it doesn’t go through any filtration? There’s the issue

[Bebe_Falcon1]

@Jump314

I also use a 1" chlorine tablet in my 100 gallon trough. I have two horses, out about 16 hours per day with their trough, and I just dump the trough when it’s low, scrub with a brush, refill, then add my tablet. It prevents algae and my water always looks clear. It works great and is so easy! I don’t think it would help with hard water though.

Clever idea! And no, maybe it doesn’t fix everything, but it would certainly save the OP half of their cleaning effort each time so they only need to tackle the lime scale (CLR).

[4horses]

Use caution with the chlorine tablets. Someone’s horse ate some (not sure how many) and nearly died.

I’ve given up on having pristine troughs. I mostly just dump and rinse. Occasionally scrub and every great while, bleach them out. Usually the water is fine if you just rinse the worst off. The horses don’t care as much as we do.

I aim for, is it something I wouldn’t mind swimming in? Maybe not something I would want to drink, but clean enough to swim in. Which means clear water with a couple leaves and maybe some algae on the sides.