When decalcifying the shower, people usually think only of the shower head. Indeed, it is recommended to descale the shower head regularly. This is easy: put the shower head in a bucket of water to which you have added a splash of vinegar. The holes in the showerhead will reopen and a pleasant, regular shower spray will be the result. But ... inside a shower tap there can also be limescale. You notice this because the tap opens and closes more heavily. And if a thermostatic mixer is already too badly calcified, the mixer is difficult or even impossible to control. The water remains (too) cold or hot, no matter how hard you turn the tap. Very annoying.
Descaling with vinegar or quick descaler
Lime affects the mechanism of a tap. In an area with soft water, this takes a long time; in an area where the water is hard, it happens much faster. To descale a shower tap from the inside, you will have to dismantle it partially. It is a good idea to refer to the shower tap's installation manual when doing this. If you can't quite figure it out, then Grohe's instructions for its Grohtherm 1000, 2000 and 3000 might help.
The key is to descale the cartridge (or cartouche). The cartridge is located in the tap body. Pull it out and immerse it up to the stainless steel ring in a glass of Grohclean for ten minutes (you can also take vinegar or quick descaler, in which case the length of time is not important). After descaling, rinse the cardstock with water. Now remove the rubber rings and strainers. Grease the rings with silicone grease and clean the strainers. Then reassemble the tap in reverse order.
