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English
5. Maintenance
5.1 Cleaning the boiler
Note: If you always use demineralised or distilled
water, it will not be necessary to clean the boiler.
Rinsing out the boiler:
If your tap water is harder than 1.8 mmol/l (level
II), rinse out the boiler inside the steam cleaner
at least every fifth time that it has been filled
with water. If the water is softer, rinse out the
boiler at least every fifteenth time that it has
been filled with water. Your water supply com-
pany will be able to tell you how hard the water
is in your area.
• Fill the boiler with water and shake the clea-
ner vigorously. This will loosen any scale that
has settled at the bottom of the boiler. Tilt the
cleaner towards the corner with the funnel
inlet (A3) and pour out the water (see Fig. 4).
Fig. 4: Cleaning the boiler
Descaling the boiler:
As scale also builds up on the walls of the boi-
ler, we recommend that you descale your steam
cleaner at the following intervals:
TF
Degree of
hardness
° dH
mmol/l
100
I
soft
0–7
0–1.3
90
II
medium
7–14
1.3–2.5
75
III
hard
14–21
2.5–3.8
50
IV
very hard
> 21
> 3.8
Table 1: Descaling the boiler
• Unplug the cleaner from the mains electricity
supply before you descale the boiler.
• Make sure that all traces of water are drained
from the boiler (see Fig. 4).
• We recommend you use Kärcher Biological
Decalcifier RM 511 to descale the boiler. This
biological decalcifying agent is based on citric
acid and is therefore entirely biologically de-
gradable.
In order to avoid damage to the cleaner,
only use products that have been appro-
ved by Kärcher.
• Fully dissolve the contents of one bag of
Kärcher Biological Decalcifier RM 511 in one
litre of warm water.
• Pour this solution into the boiler and leave it
to react for approx. 8 hours.
Do not screw the safety cap (A2) onto the
cleaner while you are descaling the boiler.
Do not use the cleaner if there is any des-
caling liquid left inside the boiler.
• After the period of soaking, pour the des-
caling solution out of the boiler. A small
amount will remain inside, therefore you
should flush the boiler out with cold water two
or three times in order to remove all traces of
the decalcifying agent.
• The steam cleaner is now ready for use
again.
5.2 Care of accessories
• Allow all accessories to dry out thoroughly
before you store them for use another time.
• Do not stand the floor nozzle (G1) and circu-
lar brush (E2) on their bristles while they are
cooling down and drying out, otherwise they
could become deformed.
• Dirty floor cloths can be placed in a washing
machine at 140 °F and dried in a tumble dryer.
Do not use a liquid softener as this would im-
pair the ability of the cloths to pick up dirt.
5.3 What to do if a problem occurs
• If a problem occurs with your steam cleaner,
contact your local Kärcher service agent (see
enclosed address list).
