I have had my Rowenta for twenty three years and have never had any problems with it. I have bought several others and didn't keep any of them. Living in the San Antonia area we have the hardest water in the world and that is what I have always used. I do now use the filtered water from my ref. I got afraid of it when I read here about fires and was going to replace it but so far I haven't found one I like better. I do run vinegar through it to clean out the lime buildup when needed as I do with everything here with our problem here.