Excellent advice. I lost count of how many times I repeated this process & came close to giving up but eventually it worked. I managed to connect a tyre inflator to the steam trigger output & I think this finally pushed the blockage back. I will try to shake debris out after each use in future. Thank you & also all who left encouraging comments!
Thank you so much for sharing your information. I was ready to throw the unit out, but now there is hope that I can get the unit working again. I love your helper too. We just adopted a kitten and I need to do a lot of nontoxic cleaning!
I hope it works out for you. We have two cats and the steamer comes in handy for washing out litter boxes. We recently switched from clumping low dust litter to non-clumping crystalline silica litter (similar to Pretty Litter). It’s lightweight and it makes scooping poop and changing the litter easier each month easier. The steamer gets out the urine odors in the plastic litter boxes without having to use chemicals. Good luck!
I just received an email from dupray customer service because mine also will not steam.. they did recommend to repeatedly press the steam button on handle and use an air compressor or hair dryer to blow in end of nozzle like you did…they also said there is a small steam hole diagonal to the boiler cap. I can’t find it. But they also said they do not recommend using vinegar to descale… I’ll just copy and paste their reply yesterday to my issue I still can’t fix… The machine can be clogged in two different spots, either at the steaming hole inside the unit or at the handle. The steaming hole of the NEAT is very small, so calcium or sediments can block it easily. Please try the following troubleshooting steps: 1. Fill the boiler with clear water, and swish it around. The steaming hole is at the top of the machine, diagonal to the boiler cap. Hitting the steaming hole with water can help to flush out debris that are stuck. 2. If you have an air compressor machine, please shoot some air into the hose through the steam exit hole on the handle. Make sure the machine is unplugged. Repeatedly pull the steam trigger. This can help to free any debris blocking the steam from coming out. Alternatively, you can try a hairdryer or air pump to blow air in it. If the blockage is at the handle area, that can help free it as well. **Please note, we have stopped recommending descaling the NEAT, as the aluminum boiler is sensitive to the vinegar.**
Thank you! That’s great information. When I spoke with a rep at Dupray about 6 months ago regarding why my manual says one thing and newer manuals say something different, the rep said it depends on the country of origin and sale. I really question the longevity of this product and the quality of materials used because changing the recommendation on how to care for the product leads me to believe they launched a product without adequate testing and quality control.
@BruceAlanR I just bought this model and it's made in China. I've used the steamer only TWICE and, already, the steam is intermittent . Sending it back
Great tips! I have a Neat and use it almost daily in my detailing business. Excellent little steamer, great wrnty, and price and heats up almost 100° hotter than McCulloch.
Thanks for this cleaning review. I’ve never had a blockage in mine but I use distilled or 50/50, and I also have descaled periodically. Interesting they no longer recommend vinegar/descaling; that explains why the Neat Plus I just got says nothing about cleaning in the manual. Distilled water is great but we can’t refill those jugs so more stuff just gets trashed 😩.
It’s so strange they no longer recommend vinegar. Even with distilled water I was finding buildup over time. I don’t understand how they expect the user to clean it.
Welcome! Recently, I’ve found that letting the unit completely cool, removing the cap, and then blowing in the end of the wand with the trigger depressed usually solves the issue quickly. When it doesn’t work, allowing the water and vinegar to sit in the tank for 4 hours with the top off, then shaking, rinsing well, and finally blowing in the end of the hose with the wand’s button depressed has worked. No need to leave it overnight.
I've contacted the manufacturer due to ours not producing steam anymore, they're NOT RECOMMENDING using vinegar anymore as they've realised it'll damage the tank/boiler. Possible warranty breach. I'm trying to clean/descale ours or will ask manufacturer to replace but since its year two of warranty it's now £29.99 to replace.
That’s helpful info. I called them 4 months ago because my manual said to leave vinegar in overnight and the newest model manual says to leave in for 45 minutes. The rep told me it depends on when the unit was made and country it’s being sold in… I don’t know what that even means! Something must have changed. How did they recommend removing mineral buildup if not with vinegar?
After finishing with the vinegar (or any acid for that matter). You fill the tank with water mixed with washing soda as it neutralize the acids and flush with clean water a few times
Dupray decided that vinegar was actually causing issues and they stopped recommending descaling and now have a video on their channel showing how to disassemble the handle to fix clogging. I descaled my two Neats numerous times using their specified method (vinegar) and never had an issue but the water can be "milky" for a few times after doing it. So it may be better to switch to distilled water and drain unused water so as to avoid having to do any of this.
I am currently having this issue. It was working fine until I decided to descale it. Now it will turn green but no steam. I have cleaned it out two more times since then and have rinsed it several times. I got mineral buildup out the first few times but now nothing. I don’t know what else to do to get it back.
Ugh! Sounds like a clog. With the unit cooled and unplugged and with the cap off, do you hear bubbles if you press the trigger and blow into the end of the wand? If you can’t blow into it, it’s still clogged. I had to shake mine pretty hard and give it a few rinses before I got all the deposits out.
@@BruceAlanR No bubbles. I think I need to do more rinses. I contacted dupray and they said that they no longer recommend descaling the NEAT, as the aluminum boiler is sensitive to the vinegar and can lead to additional clogging. They told me it’s either a clog in the steaming hole at the top of the machine, diagonal to the boiler cap. They said to swish with clean water and try to get to that area. Or to take an air compressor or a hair dryer (on cool) and shoot the air up the hose through the exit hole and to keep pulling the steam trigger. They said that’s where the other clog is likely to be and can help free any debris it’s blocking. I’m hoping to try it and get my mop up and running. 😩
All very good info so thank you for sharing that. As far as not descaling, Dupray needs to get their stories straight. I contacted them 3 months ago because the manual that came with my NEAT said to leave the vinegar and water solution in overnight. In the latest manual it says to leave it in for no longer than 40 minutes. So which is it? Based on your conversation, they’re instructing you not to descale at all (which seems unhealthy because similar to an ionizing humidifier you don’t want to inhale the steam directly). Since you don’t get bubbles, sounds like a good blockage where the steam feeds to the wand. Here’s my recommendation: With the unit off and wand trigger pressed, fill the tank with water, put the cap on, turn it upside down to get water into the steam chamber, and shake it hard. Just be aware that if the clog clears, some water will come out of the wand (messy if the wand is below the unit but it’s a good thing- like a siphoning). Then take the cap off with it still upside down and shake out the water and debris. Shake it hard as awkward as it is to do with this thing. I bet a lot more particles will come out. You may need to do it a couple times before it clears.
@@BruceAlanR I really wish they had a way to disconnect the hose from the unit. That would make such a big difference. I love this thing but it has some real design flaws.
Not sure, but vinegar does kill mold. It’s difficult to empty all the water out of the Neat due to the design, so I usually run it until no steam comes out.
I love my Dupray but I'm always worried it's filled with mildew. There's no way to completely empty the water out of the tank. Even when I shake it for 20 minutes, you can still hear water sloshing around in it. I've only used distilled water in mine and when I cleaned it out, there was a lot of scale and grey gunk. I really worry about spewing mildew into the air with the hose and tank. Any insight into this?
Interesting you should say that! I have been having the same thoughts recently especially if I don’t use it for a week or two. Part of me thinks any mold or mildew in the tank would be killed by the internal temps of the boiler as well as the white vinegar and water solution when descaling, but it’s impossible to know without opening it up. Regarding the scale and chunks that come out, it doesn’t seem to matter whether I use tap, distilled water, or demineralized water. I spoke with a customer service rep a while back and they said it should be descaled occasionally either way.
This just happened to my unit this evening :( but I felt heat through the hose for about three quarters? I tried blowing through the end like you mentioned and I feel like it’s clogged in the trigger portion itself? Should I try steaming with the vinegar solution?
You never want to “steam” or heat the water and vinegar solution and it’s unlikely that the trigger is clogged. Let the unit cool down and then try filling the tank with just water and giving it a good hard shake. Do that a few times and then try blowing into the hose. See if that frees it up.
Should be fine. It really depends. Sometimes it takes 45 minutes and other times a few hours. Blow into the end of the hose with the trigger pressed and if you hear air coming through you should be good. Also be sure to shake the unit really good while rinsing and sometimes that gets it loose.
I'm going to take mine apart, separate the aluminum tank (it's in two pieces) and then run it through my ultrasonic cleaner to get it spotless. Once that's done, I'm going to paint the inside of the tank with Tremclad High-Heat Enamel paint and use the steam cleaner heating element to cure it. At that point I should never have an issue with corrosion. Scale is easy to deal with but I'm seeing gray/black water and that is from the tank. THAT is the reason Dupray no longer recommends using Vinegar - it will eat into the uncoated aluminum creating the issue. The ideal solution would be for them to add a manufacturing step, coat the inside of the tank with paint. Problem solved. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing. The machine is very easy to take apart and you can reuse the silicon gasket that sits between the tank's case halves.
I think I’m having corrosion as well. Every time I go to use the steamer I rinse the tank and the water comes out black. I have to rinse it 5 times before the water runs clean. Then I use it.
@@BruceAlanR That's what it is - tank corrosion. I have the case halves in the cleaner right now. A ton of scale/corrosion fell out of it when I split them. You can get a can of that paint at Crappy Tire for $15 and just brush it on. I'll have it back together tomorrow. That should case it permanently. Very easy job and you don't need an ultrasonic cleaner - a brass wire brush would be better, if anything. Clean and score the aluminum very quickly and leave a great surface for the enamel to stick to. I don't want to empty the cleaner when done either. I'd rather just put it away knowing it's not rotting :) PS>Temperature control is just done with thermostatic snap disk. These are used everywhere and readily available. The more expensive Dupray units run at a higher temperature...so if a fella really wanted to he could just look up that temperature, which is posted on their site, and install a new snap disk rated at the higher temperature....135c vs 174c... Or...they have a new model, the Neat Plus which heats up in seconds and is refillable in use. Hmm....probably still have to strip it and coat the tank though...
Job done and it worked out fantastic! The water smelled a bit like paint for a time but that's gone away. I'm going to replace the thermostats for 174's when I get a chance. The increased temperature and pressure will likely transform it. But I just thought I would update the thread, painting the tank worked as hoped.
what if you just used vinegar and distilled water while running it? id normally mop with that solution, so I'm sure i would've thought its probably fine and do it without knowing if it's good or not.
Other than for descaling I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave vinegar and water in the tank for extended periods. The latest Dupray Neat I’ve seen has a 6’ hose (vs 9’ like mine) and the instructions say not to descale for more than 40 minutes. That leads me to believe that vinegar and water left in the tank is causing some sort of premature tank failure. I’ve left vinegar and water in mine for a day and a half and the water came out black. I bet it was eating the tank.
see I've been asking people before i buy it. without it having a nozzle hookup its hard for me to picture it in a closet and the hose goin haywire on the floor of a small closet.
It is possible the tank is leaking in which case hopefully it is still under warranty. Last week when I used the Dupray steamer, I noticed a puddle on the floor after the third refill (I was cleaning a mildewy shower); however, I wondered if the puddle had occurred because I’d overshot the cup during fill up and saw water drain down inside along the handle (a poor design IMO). It was a fair amount of water too… maybe 1/2 cup that missed the cup. I wiped up the spill immediately, but when I was done steaming there was another small puddle on the floor, which I then cleaned up. The water that had puddled didn’t feel warm, so I didn’t think it was leaking from the tank, but having received your comment, now I’m wondering…. “Perhaps my tank was actually leaking given I had been using it for a few hours consecutively.” Here are a few things I’m going to test over the next few days: I’m going to carefully put 4 cups of water (32 oz) in the tank and leave the steamer in a bucket for a few hours to see if it leaks (I’m not going to turn on the steamer yet). If no water leaks, I will carefully add another cup of water (8 fl oz, which brings it to the max of 40 fl oz) wait a few hours and see if it leaks. Then I will add another cup (8 fl oz) of water, which will take it over the maximum fill capacity to see if that creates a leak. If still no leak, I will empty the tank, add 40 fl oz of water, which is 5 cups (the max), and turn on the steamer to heat up. Once heated, I’m not going to use any steam for at least 15 minutes to see if the pressure in the tank creates a leak. Then I’ll use up all the steam, wait 20 minutes, fill the tank again, and go from there. So, I’ll get back to you with the results. 😃
I have tried it but I’ve used baking powder instead of white vinegar is that okay. Because I used baking powder and it didn’t fix it and no water came out of the spray gun
Vinegar in the tank for a few hours would work better at removing hard water deposits than baking soda (not powder, right?). Either way, I’d put some water into the tank, shake it really hard, and then blow into the end of the wand with the trigger depressed. That’s worked for me every time it’s gotten clogged. Sometimes you have to fill and shake a few times.
@@badal5109 I don't think I understand your question. Compression is created in the tank by steam which feeds steam to the wand. When the trigger of the wand is depressed, it is just creating an opening for steam to escape the top of the tank.
@@BruceAlanR The Dupray customer service rep I talked to said that even if you use descaled water you still have to do this procedure...maybe less often but still it doesn't completely eliminate it but maybe that was just that rep saying that.
I haven’t found it makes much of a difference and oddly Dupray recommends cleaning the tank every 20 hours even if you use distilled or mineralized water. 🤷♂️
Thank you for letting me know. I bet they don’t want you to turn it upside down because of how they’ve designed the tank (steam chamber at the top), so turning the unit upside down is what’s causing hard water deposits to clog the nozzle. It’s impossible to get all the hard water deposits out of this unit. The last time I descaled and rinsed mine, I stuck an endoscopic camera into the tank and was surprised by all the stuff floating in the remaining water. So if DuPray says not to descale it, how do you clean it?
@@BruceAlanR good idea for the endoscope camera…I need to get one. I’ve wondered about it not draining all the way (still hear sloshing water). The newer Plus has no instructions about descaling w/vinegar. Distilled it is I guess!
Great work. Your supervisor inspected and is clearly pleased with the results.
Thanks 👍
Excellent advice. I lost count of how many times I repeated this process & came close to giving up but eventually it worked. I managed to connect a tyre inflator to the steam trigger output & I think this finally pushed the blockage back. I will try to shake debris out after each use in future. Thank you & also all who left encouraging comments!
A tire inflator’s a good idea. Blows much harder than I can. 😂
Thank you so much for sharing your information. I was ready to throw the unit out, but now there is hope that I can get the unit working again. I love your helper too. We just adopted a kitten and I need to do a lot of nontoxic cleaning!
I hope it works out for you. We have two cats and the steamer comes in handy for washing out litter boxes. We recently switched from clumping low dust litter to non-clumping crystalline silica litter (similar to Pretty Litter). It’s lightweight and it makes scooping poop and changing the litter easier each month easier. The steamer gets out the urine odors in the plastic litter boxes without having to use chemicals. Good luck!
Thank you so much, Bruce! Thorough, humorous and helpful. God bless!
Glad it was helpful!
I just received an email from dupray customer service because mine also will not steam.. they did recommend to repeatedly press the steam button on handle and use an air compressor or hair dryer to blow in end of nozzle like you did…they also said there is a small steam hole diagonal to the boiler cap. I can’t find it. But they also said they do not recommend using vinegar to descale… I’ll just copy and paste their reply yesterday to my issue I still can’t fix…
The machine can be clogged in two different spots, either at the steaming hole inside the unit or at the handle.
The steaming hole of the NEAT is very small, so calcium or sediments can block it easily.
Please try the following troubleshooting steps:
1. Fill the boiler with clear water, and swish it around. The steaming hole is at the top of the machine, diagonal to the boiler cap.
Hitting the steaming hole with water can help to flush out debris that are stuck.
2. If you have an air compressor machine, please shoot some air into the hose through the steam exit hole on the handle. Make sure the machine is unplugged.
Repeatedly pull the steam trigger. This can help to free any debris blocking the steam from coming out.
Alternatively, you can try a hairdryer or air pump to blow air in it. If the blockage is at the handle area, that can help free it as well.
**Please note, we have stopped recommending descaling the NEAT, as the aluminum boiler is sensitive to the vinegar.**
Thank you! That’s great information. When I spoke with a rep at Dupray about 6 months ago regarding why my manual says one thing and newer manuals say something different, the rep said it depends on the country of origin and sale. I really question the longevity of this product and the quality of materials used because changing the recommendation on how to care for the product leads me to believe they launched a product without adequate testing and quality control.
@BruceAlanR I just bought this model and it's made in China. I've used the steamer only TWICE and, already, the steam is intermittent . Sending it back
Great tips! I have a Neat and use it almost daily in my detailing business. Excellent little steamer, great wrnty, and price and heats up almost 100° hotter than McCulloch.
Wow! If my steamer dies I’ll check out the nest. How long do you have to wait before being able to refill the tank?
@@BruceAlanR About an hour.
Thanks for this cleaning review. I’ve never had a blockage in mine but I use distilled or 50/50, and I also have descaled periodically. Interesting they no longer recommend vinegar/descaling; that explains why the Neat Plus I just got says nothing about cleaning in the manual. Distilled water is great but we can’t refill those jugs so more stuff just gets trashed 😩.
It’s so strange they no longer recommend vinegar. Even with distilled water I was finding buildup over time. I don’t understand how they expect the user to clean it.
Thank you! This is very helpful!
Welcome! Recently, I’ve found that letting the unit completely cool, removing the cap, and then blowing in the end of the wand with the trigger depressed usually solves the issue quickly. When it doesn’t work, allowing the water and vinegar to sit in the tank for 4 hours with the top off, then shaking, rinsing well, and finally blowing in the end of the hose with the wand’s button depressed has worked. No need to leave it overnight.
I am not sure I would be wrapping my lips around that nozzle- ha Good video- TY
You’re probably right although it gets steam cleaned every time I use it, right?… or at least that’s what I tell myself. 😂
I gagged when he did that haha.. but I guess I don't really clean that nozzle ever and it's been in some nasty places.
Worked on my harbor freight steamer. I was ready to toss it. Fixed in a jiffy.
👍
I've contacted the manufacturer due to ours not producing steam anymore, they're NOT RECOMMENDING using vinegar anymore as they've realised it'll damage the tank/boiler. Possible warranty breach. I'm trying to clean/descale ours or will ask manufacturer to replace but since its year two of warranty it's now £29.99 to replace.
That’s helpful info. I called them 4 months ago because my manual said to leave vinegar in overnight and the newest model manual says to leave in for 45 minutes. The rep told me it depends on when the unit was made and country it’s being sold in… I don’t know what that even means! Something must have changed. How did they recommend removing mineral buildup if not with vinegar?
After finishing with the vinegar (or any acid for that matter). You fill the tank with water mixed with washing soda as it neutralize the acids and flush with clean water a few times
Good advice! Thanks!
Thanks a lot.
Most welcome!
Dupray decided that vinegar was actually causing issues and they stopped recommending descaling and now have a video on their channel showing how to disassemble the handle to fix clogging. I descaled my two Neats numerous times using their specified method (vinegar) and never had an issue but the water can be "milky" for a few times after doing it. So it may be better to switch to distilled water and drain unused water so as to avoid having to do any of this.
Great info. Would you
be so kind as to post the link to Dupray’s video here?
Thanks
Welcome! 😃
The Cat is very interested in making sure it's clean 😂
He’s a real ham. 🤣
I am currently having this issue. It was working fine until I decided to descale it. Now it will turn green but no steam. I have cleaned it out two more times since then and have rinsed it several times. I got mineral buildup out the first few times but now nothing. I don’t know what else to do to get it back.
Ugh! Sounds like a clog. With the unit cooled and unplugged and with the cap off, do you hear bubbles if you press the trigger and blow into the end of the wand? If you can’t blow into it, it’s still clogged. I had to shake mine pretty hard and give it a few rinses before I got all the deposits out.
@@BruceAlanR No bubbles. I think I need to do more rinses. I contacted dupray and they said that they no longer recommend descaling the NEAT, as the aluminum boiler is sensitive to the vinegar and can lead to additional clogging.
They told me it’s either a clog in the steaming hole at the top of the machine, diagonal to the boiler cap. They said to swish with clean water and try to get to that area.
Or to take an air compressor or a hair dryer (on cool) and shoot the air up the hose through the exit hole and to keep pulling the steam trigger. They said that’s where the other clog is likely to be and can help free any debris it’s blocking.
I’m hoping to try it and get my mop up and running. 😩
All very good info so thank you for sharing that. As far as not descaling, Dupray needs to get their stories straight. I contacted them 3 months ago because the manual that came with my NEAT said to leave the vinegar and water solution in overnight. In the latest manual it says to leave it in for no longer than 40 minutes. So which is it? Based on your conversation, they’re instructing you not to descale at all (which seems unhealthy because similar to an ionizing humidifier you don’t want to inhale the steam directly).
Since you don’t get bubbles, sounds like a good blockage where the steam feeds to the wand. Here’s my recommendation: With the unit off and wand trigger pressed, fill the tank with water, put the cap on, turn it upside down to get water into the steam chamber, and shake it hard. Just be aware that if the clog clears, some water will come out of the wand (messy if the wand is below the unit but it’s a good thing- like a siphoning). Then take the cap off with it still upside down and shake out the water and debris. Shake it hard as awkward as it is to do with this thing. I bet a lot more particles will come out. You may need to do it a couple times before it clears.
Same! I can't get it working anymore. I don't want to throw it away. 😞
@@BruceAlanR I really wish they had a way to disconnect the hose from the unit. That would make such a big difference. I love this thing but it has some real design flaws.
Love your cat 🐈⬛
Yeah, he’s a ham. 😃
Will this method get rid of possible mold on inside of tank? I left water in there and forgot to empty.
Not sure, but vinegar does kill mold. It’s difficult to empty all the water out of the Neat due to the design, so I usually run it until no steam comes out.
Thankyou!
Very welcome!
I love my Dupray but I'm always worried it's filled with mildew. There's no way to completely empty the water out of the tank. Even when I shake it for 20 minutes, you can still hear water sloshing around in it. I've only used distilled water in mine and when I cleaned it out, there was a lot of scale and grey gunk. I really worry about spewing mildew into the air with the hose and tank. Any insight into this?
Interesting you should say that! I have been having the same thoughts recently especially if I don’t use it for a week or two. Part of me thinks any mold or mildew in the tank would be killed by the internal temps of the boiler as well as the white vinegar and water solution when descaling, but it’s impossible to know without opening it up.
Regarding the scale and chunks that come out, it doesn’t seem to matter whether I use tap, distilled water, or demineralized water. I spoke with a customer service rep a while back and they said it should be descaled occasionally either way.
0:07
This just happened to my unit this evening :( but I felt heat through the hose for about three quarters? I tried blowing through the end like you mentioned and I feel like it’s clogged in the trigger portion itself? Should I try steaming with the vinegar solution?
You never want to “steam” or heat the water and vinegar solution and it’s unlikely that the trigger is clogged. Let the unit cool down and then try filling the tank with just water and giving it a good hard shake. Do that a few times and then try blowing into the hose. See if that frees it up.
Thank you so much for all the tips! Got it back to working perfectly today thanks to you!
Hello if I did this in the morning how long I have to wait ? is it okay if I use the machine during the night ? thank you
Should be fine. It really depends. Sometimes it takes 45 minutes and other times a few hours. Blow into the end of the hose with the trigger pressed and if you hear air coming through you should be good. Also be sure to shake the unit really good while rinsing and sometimes that gets it loose.
I'm going to take mine apart, separate the aluminum tank (it's in two pieces) and then run it through my ultrasonic cleaner to get it spotless. Once that's done, I'm going to paint the inside of the tank with Tremclad High-Heat Enamel paint and use the steam cleaner heating element to cure it. At that point I should never have an issue with corrosion.
Scale is easy to deal with but I'm seeing gray/black water and that is from the tank. THAT is the reason Dupray no longer recommends using Vinegar - it will eat into the uncoated aluminum creating the issue. The ideal solution would be for them to add a manufacturing step, coat the inside of the tank with paint. Problem solved. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing.
The machine is very easy to take apart and you can reuse the silicon gasket that sits between the tank's case halves.
I think I’m having corrosion as well. Every time I go to use the steamer I rinse the tank and the water comes out black. I have to rinse it 5 times before the water runs clean. Then I use it.
@@BruceAlanR That's what it is - tank corrosion. I have the case halves in the cleaner right now. A ton of scale/corrosion fell out of it when I split them. You can get a can of that paint at Crappy Tire for $15 and just brush it on. I'll have it back together tomorrow. That should case it permanently. Very easy job and you don't need an ultrasonic cleaner - a brass wire brush would be better, if anything. Clean and score the aluminum very quickly and leave a great surface for the enamel to stick to. I don't want to empty the cleaner when done either. I'd rather just put it away knowing it's not rotting :)
PS>Temperature control is just done with thermostatic snap disk. These are used everywhere and readily available. The more expensive Dupray units run at a higher temperature...so if a fella really wanted to he could just look up that temperature, which is posted on their site, and install a new snap disk rated at the higher temperature....135c vs 174c...
Or...they have a new model, the Neat Plus which heats up in seconds and is refillable in use. Hmm....probably still have to strip it and coat the tank though...
Job done and it worked out fantastic! The water smelled a bit like paint for a time but that's gone away. I'm going to replace the thermostats for 174's when I get a chance. The increased temperature and pressure will likely transform it. But I just thought I would update the thread, painting the tank worked as hoped.
what if you just used vinegar and distilled water while running it? id normally mop with that solution, so I'm sure i would've thought its probably fine and do it without knowing if it's good or not.
Other than for descaling I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave vinegar and water in the tank for extended periods. The latest Dupray Neat I’ve seen has a 6’ hose (vs 9’ like mine) and the instructions say not to descale for more than 40 minutes. That leads me to believe that vinegar and water left in the tank is causing some sort of premature tank failure. I’ve left vinegar and water in mine for a day and a half and the water came out black. I bet it was eating the tank.
I love this little steamer, but I have no where to store it! Anyone have any tips on where to store it and organize all of its tools?
I just use a duffel bag for all the parts (be sure they’re dry before putting them away though).
see I've been asking people before i buy it. without it having a nozzle hookup its hard for me to picture it in a closet and the hose goin haywire on the floor of a small closet.
My steam cleaner leaks and drips out of a screw no matter what I do, is possibly the water tank leaking?
It is possible the tank is leaking in which case hopefully it is still under warranty. Last week when I used the Dupray steamer, I noticed a puddle on the floor after the third refill (I was cleaning a mildewy shower); however, I wondered if the puddle had occurred because I’d overshot the cup during fill up and saw water drain down inside along the handle (a poor design IMO). It was a fair amount of water too… maybe 1/2 cup that missed the cup. I wiped up the spill immediately, but when I was done steaming there was another small puddle on the floor, which I then cleaned up. The water that had puddled didn’t feel warm, so I didn’t think it was leaking from the tank, but having received your comment, now I’m wondering…. “Perhaps my tank was actually leaking given I had been using it for a few hours consecutively.” Here are a few things I’m going to test over the next few days: I’m going to carefully put 4 cups of water (32 oz) in the tank and leave the steamer in a bucket for a few hours to see if it leaks (I’m not going to turn on the steamer yet). If no water leaks, I will carefully add another cup of water (8 fl oz, which brings it to the max of 40 fl oz) wait a few hours and see if it leaks. Then I will add another cup (8 fl oz) of water, which will take it over the maximum fill capacity to see if that creates a leak. If still no leak, I will empty the tank, add 40 fl oz of water, which is 5 cups (the max), and turn on the steamer to heat up. Once heated, I’m not going to use any steam for at least 15 minutes to see if the pressure in the tank creates a leak. Then I’ll use up all the steam, wait 20 minutes, fill the tank again, and go from there.
So, I’ll get back to you with the results. 😃
@@BruceAlanR Do you happen to know if it is a plastic tank?`
If so, it could be repaired, perhaps with tape.
Warranty I probably no longer have :(.
I have tried it but I’ve used baking powder instead of white vinegar is that okay. Because I used baking powder and it didn’t fix it and no water came out of the spray gun
Vinegar in the tank for a few hours would work better at removing hard water deposits than baking soda (not powder, right?). Either way, I’d put some water into the tank, shake it really hard, and then blow into the end of the wand with the trigger depressed. That’s worked for me every time it’s gotten clogged. Sometimes you have to fill and shake a few times.
@@BruceAlanRhow do you decompress the spray gun
@@badal5109 I don't think I understand your question. Compression is created in the tank by steam which feeds steam to the wand. When the trigger of the wand is depressed, it is just creating an opening for steam to escape the top of the tank.
👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾 I thought using distilled water eliminated this problem.
Yeah, me too. 🤣
Wait, how can it need descaling if one uses distilled water?
My thoughts exactly! The only thing I can think of is the residue was left from the times before I switched.
@@BruceAlanR The Dupray customer service rep I talked to said that even if you use descaled water you still have to do this procedure...maybe less often but still it doesn't completely eliminate it but maybe that was just that rep saying that.
Thanks for posting that. I got the same response from customer service.
So ro stay on the safe side demineralized water is best?
I haven’t found it makes much of a difference and oddly Dupray recommends cleaning the tank every 20 hours even if you use distilled or mineralized water. 🤷♂️
The crazy thing is that Dupray “no longer recommends descaling” or turning the tank upside down!!! 😳😳😳
Thank you for letting me know. I bet they don’t want you to turn it upside down because of how they’ve designed the tank (steam chamber at the top), so turning the unit upside down is what’s causing hard water deposits to clog the nozzle. It’s impossible to get all the hard water deposits out of this unit. The last time I descaled and rinsed mine, I stuck an endoscopic camera into the tank and was surprised by all the stuff floating in the remaining water. So if DuPray says not to descale it, how do you clean it?
@@BruceAlanR good idea for the endoscope camera…I need to get one. I’ve wondered about it not draining all the way (still hear sloshing water). The newer Plus has no instructions about descaling w/vinegar. Distilled it is I guess!
Distilled water leaves no scale behind. No minerals,no scale.
Perhaps my tank is starting to degrade because I still had stuff coming out with distilled water. Or maybe it was left from when I used tap water.