Slime in the windscreen washer system

[MacAoidh]

Can anyone please remind me the smart way to kill the slime that lives in my windscreen washer system. I asked this before, but got distracted by near-bankrupcy... Posts now lost, or is there a way to access the tech archive?

I think bleach was a no-no, was it white spirit that was the yes-yes? Or meths?

Thanks.

[Ivorblueun]

I've always used the ordinairy screen wash additive and have never had problems with algae whether that will kill off existing infestation or not

[tonytech]

Meths is OK to use in the washer bottle (wether it kills 99% of green slime is another matter)
White spirit will kill the bugs but wont do the paint work muvh good.

T

[MacAoidh]

Meths also knackers the paint, if used neat -- as I've just discovered. It hasn't dissolved it, just turned it from red to pale pink. I think the trick is to have a hose running on the windscreen when you activate the washer. That's what I did the first time, not the second...

[Plasticman]

A friend who has a fish pond gets some stuff that they put in to clear the greenish water/algea etc it dont harm the fish either so try an aquarium type fishy place

Mike

[Cruz]

My washer pump has just died

[billy739]

drop the bottle and empty it!

about 10 mins work , 3/4 10mm bolts underneath , disconnect the pump and pipe, or pull the pumnp from the bottle.

from previous experience the slime comes from mixing different screenwash types over the years , and from adding washing up liquid!

[kevtherev]

billy's right washing up liquid/shampoo is usually the culprit.

[Fritz]

Distilled water will allow algae grow in your washer bottle as surely as tap, mineral or tumble dryer water. But if you're making the screenwash up to the correct concentration, the alcohol content should stop algae growing.

If you already have algae in the bottle, you need to clean that out first to prevent the residual growth colonising the new solution when you add it.

Don't use mineral water or hard tap water - the limescale in either will clog the washer jets over time. Likewise, water from the tumble dryer condenser is likely to contain fluff, detergent residue etc. If scale is a problem, use either distilled water or boiled water from the kettle (boiling removes the so-called "temporary" hardness caused by calcium bicarbonate; "permanent" hardness is caused by calcium carbonate and needs an ion-exchanger (aka a Brita water filter!) to treat it. Rain water works too (unless you live in an area prone to smog) and is good for fish tanks too, by the way.

If you can't get a brush into your washer bottle to clean it, try dilute bleach solution first. Failing that, a solution of 70% alcohol in water (made with the cheapest bottle of own-brand vodka you can find in the supermarket) should do the trick without damaging the paintwork if you end up spraying some of it on the windscreen.

Regards


Fritz,,,,,,,,,

[matt]

I once knew a bloke who had a beetle
He presumed the Brake fluid was the washer bottle
filled it with furry lip squid

Tw@