Staining comes out with steam **** deposit on sole plate

Before you go through the process of taking it apart, buy some clr or a similar lime and rust removal product and fill the iron with that, let it sit a while and then dump it out and fill it with water a few times. Often if tap water is used, internal deposits will form and block off the passages, same as what happens in your car radiator over time.Most steam irons work better if you use distilled water in them as there are no dissolved minerals in that. Most replacement parts cost nearly as much as the iron itself and it's generally not cost effective to repair them.

The white stain is due to mineral build up on your iron.
Try flushing the iron with a vinegar solution to dissolve the mineral deposits then purge with demineralized water. Only use demeralized water in your iron. The first time you may want to test it on a scrap piece of cloth to insure all of the minerals have been removed.

Hi,

Here is a tip that will help you with cleaning the sole plate of your iron...

Cleaning a Steam Iron Soleplate

heatman101

Hi,

If the iron doesn't heat, make sure power is on to the outlet, check the electrical chord, and check the thermostat and replace if necessary.

If the iron heats but steams improperly, inspect the soleplate and clean the vents and flush sediment out of the steam chamber .
If the iron produces too much or too little heat, test the electrical chord . Also test and, if needed, adjust calibration of the thermostat.
If the iron does not spray properly, inspect and clean the nozzle.
If the iron leaks or spits, clean the steam vents, nozzle, and tank.
If the iron sticks to fabric, clean or repair the sole plate. If the iron stains fabric, clean the sole plate, clean the tank with a commercial cleaner, and use distilled or filtered water.

The tools you will need are

• Screwdrivers
• Toothpicks or pipe cleaners
• Sewing needle
• Commercial electric iron cleaning solution or vinegar and water
• Commercial sole plate cleaner or baking soda and water
• Steel wool
• Emery cloth

Please rate my solution.

Only clean your Rowanta 980 with clear filtered water only. The unit comes with a small hose and faucet adapter to flush the steam tank thru the threaded plug when cold. Do not use hard tap water, that is where most of the mineral deposits come from. The other is storing the iron with water in it without purging all steam/water tank dray. Do this several times running dry with the burst of steam over towels to blow as much of the stuff out as possible. A new sole plate will cost close to $90 or so if you want to replace rather than clean it.

California Electric Service in Concord CA (it is the only Rowenta repair station in California) go to either of the following addresses:
their website is: http://www.californiaelectricservice.com/
or tech service: [email protected]

Hi,
Here is a tip that will help you with that problem...

Cleaning a Steam Iron Soleplate
http://www.fixya.com/support/r5301167-cleaning_steam_iron_soleplate

heatman101

The steam tank may not be heating because of mineral deposits in the tank. But also do this check first. Open up the tank reservoir cold, and drain all water out, (is it clean inside there when you shine flashlight in there? Rinse with clear filtered water only (low minerals).

Do not use CLR or anything agressive in there. You should have the main unit in full steam mode and the iron control also in full steam mode. Leave one tablespoon of water in the tank, put back together and let the pressure build. Put a clean towel on your ironing board and when iron is at full pressure and heat, hit the burst of steam and look at what comes out of the sole plate. If you see lots of white deposits look at the sole plate and see if the white chunks are coming out steam holes.

When using iron, run it till steam/water tanks are dry, the burst of steam is used in this case to clean the iron of all standing water. Pull the reservoir and allow to cool...once tank is cool drain it as well. Doing this several times should help purge unit of the heavy mineral deposits.

If you need parts, here is the Rowenta repair facility....
California Electric Service in Concord CA (it is the only Rowenta repair station in California) go to either of the following addresses:
their website is: http://www.californiaelectricservice.com/
or tech service: [email protected]

This IS a steam iron? The iron must be hot for the steam to form. If it's not hot enough, the water is leaking thru the steam holes. Also if the channels are calsified (boiler stone has formed into the steam channels) this may happen.

Hi, two problems:

DIA' s problem - the brown water is due to poor water quality and debris in the boiler and iron sytem. Rowenta is clear that they do not want anyone to cleaning solutions - only clear filtered drinking water to rinse out the boiler (via the water inlet screw hole) and I have found running the system dry, letting it cool, rinsing and draining the boiler several times before putting unit away works fine.

Guest' problem with brown/black tar substance is likely caused by too hot and iron setting (steam setting may also be too high) for ironing man-made synthetics (like Nylon, Rayon, Polyester or blends are basically petroleum based fabrics) that breakdown or melt, leaving deposits on the iron's stainless steel soleplate. A secondary cause could be bad water or debris in the boiler/iron in which the solution for DIA's problem might provide relief. Cleaning the soleplate is tricky, I use nothing stronger than an old fashioned wooden orange stick to gently scrap of all traces of the "stuff" and dry "Dutch" cleanser w/ a terry cloth or old cotton sock to polish without scratching the soft stainless soleplate...

Try filling full-strength white vinegar instead of water. Then allow to steam out on scrap cloth. The white deposits are likely to be calcium. The brown gunge may be rust. When the deposits are minimized, use only distilled or bottled water from then on.