calcium carbonate can be readily removed with acid. it is a matter of using the one that reoves the deposits without dissolving the pump. perhaps an organic acid like acetic (vinegar) would work, much like the coffee pot cleaners, which i believe are citric acid, but vinegar works too.
A...
the quick answer is yes. there will be a loss in efficency as the internal components wear, and clearances increase, allowing by-pass or recirculation. The wear rate will depend on the amount and type of solids in the liquid (presumably water). Extreme cases occur in the mining industry...
since your application is working with both the 40" dia and the 38" dia, it would seem that you are generating sufficient head with the 38" impeller. Hence, as previously mentioned, you are looking at a volume reduction of 38/40 or about 5%, and that is what your desired speed...
you are asking a tough one. It would depend on how much you want to spend. Typical hard iron impellers (NiHard, High Chrome etc) are manufactured with a thread such as Acme. Machining a bore, especially tapered, and cutting a keyway are really difficult in hard iron, and more so if the hole is...