Thought I had a leak in my water line to the shop and kennel building. I shut off the the water and dug out the line at the vault and the yard hydrant next to it. Meter vault had been full of water, so that was the logical place to start. An hour or so later I had it all uncovered, and turned the water back on. No leaks there, but the back drain on the hydrant was weeping a little, so I adjusted the stem to more firmly close on the valve seat. That little leak stopped, so I went to the shop to blow out the air in the line. The bathroom sink blew out and ran just fine, but the deep sink and toilet wouldn’t do a thing.
I removed the aerator from the deep sink faucet and cleaned out what looked like a white plastic. Not lime deposits, mind you, but a soft plastic like deposit cover in a white slime. When I took the supply line off the toilet and purged it, I got more of the slime, and still more when I purged the fluid master in the tank.
This stuff looked like a large “bucksnort” and about the the same slime factor.
Anyone ever run into this?
My water line to the building is about 250′ of 1″ polyethylene, and has been fine for a couple of years now. Do I need to contact the water district about this slime in my lines?
Thoughts and SWAGS are welcome.
Dave
Replies
OMG, it's anthrax!! Run!!
Actually, it sounds like run of the mill crud. Around here it's a red-brown slime that's a combo of rust and silt. Occasionally there's some whitish greasy stuff that is God-knows-what. But it's all "normal". You'll frequently see it when the water's been off and air in the lines stirs things up. Sometimes it almost oozed out, if the disturbance in the force is great enough.
If you get small chunks of light-colored,relatively hard plastic in your hot water lines, that is probably due to the dip tube in your water heater self-destructing. Little tiny tan-brown beads (about like coarse sand) are probably a result of a water softener failure.
Thanks Dan.
Sounds like you have seen this stuff enough to know. First time for me, although I have had the water off several times over the past few years. One of my hydrants has an affinity for attracking vehicles and equipment :)
I think the dip tube in the water heater may be going south also. Can that happen in an electric heater that is just two years old and only had the power turned on for one week in that time?
Dave
Most of the heater dip tube failures were from units that were manufactured about 15 years ago. Supposedly on a new unit they should have the problem licked. Until they "cost reduce" the dip tube again, of course.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
I would not think that water dip tube would be giving out that soon. Specially with a new and improved one.IIRC the dip tube problem was on ones made from 90 to about 2000.I would check with the water district. There are problems from time to time that do showup. It is a balancing act to get the right mix of treatments and have them "hold" until the water gets to the user.But all pipes will get crud build up in them. Often see on the news either a notice or a some one questions the dirty water that comes after a big fire or the flush the hydrants.And about 10-15 years ago they found a problem with PVC or PE mains leaching a chemical. But it only showed up in rual Kansas where they had long stubs with limited users so the water sat in the lines a long time.BTW, I installed a show in my house that had been roughed in 15 years earlier. The stubbed lines droped down. There was a cup or two of crud in those drops. But it was more like dirt and DW compound.
I need to check the water heater for sediment anyway. Something is going on in there that is not right, and the unit is still under warrenty. Time to shut the supply off drain it and pull the elements to take a peek.
I suspect DanH is right in his assesment. With all the new construction over the past few years and the water system expansion to serve the growth I would expect crude to get sucked into the mains. The water district got in trouble with the state about 10 years ago for unapproved main extensions and loss of quality control from an over burdened old treatment plant. Even with the new plant on line and stricter monitoring by the state, I can see how a higher than normal amount of sediment can get though. Maybe with building slowing a little, they will get caught up.
Dave
How far south of the Ohio river is that aquifier.IIRC I remember reading that downtown buildings used it for cooling water.Oldham County WD used to get some of their water from wells, but they where in the river at 12 (or was it 18 mile island, I don't want to bother looking for my old design notes). I think that the newer ones are inland.We are the same here. Kansas City gets their water from the river. But Indepence and some other water districts to the east get their water from river aqualifers.I believe that they where formed from river meanders that filled in, but I am not sure.
Have you worked on your water lines recently? Sometimes I get that sort of crud from soldering flux from the fittings. The stuff isn't as water soluble as it says it is.
zak
"so it goes"
No soldering for the last 9 months, and that for was the kenel building next to my shop. All of that is down stream of a shut off valve in a vault outside the building. The valve has been closed since the new branch was installed.
I normally remove all aerators after installing new lines, making repairs, or sweating anything into a system, and blow all that crud out of the lines. I was embarassed once durring an inspection by plugged fixtures because I had failed to do that. Getting a sly grin from an inspector that was young enough to be my son, made a lasting impression :)
Dave
You have local supply from the OHio river? It is the machinated used condoms that you are seeing..really it is. They dont pass the filtration plant like bio diversable adgents.
My H2o is city supplied from the KY river, and I'd never think twice about ingesting it, we drink purchased water.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
There is no cure for stupid. R. White.
Actually our water comes from an aquifier that is like an underground equivalent of the Ohio river and is more or less parallel to it I think. The big stuff like condoms should make it through the rock layer to the wells.
Now our treatment plant is out in the boonies and country boys know how to have fun.....
Ahhh, now you got me think about bottled water!
Dave
I have a well, a spring and city water here..we still buy bottled water...if you ever contracted Ghairdia Lambia ( like I did) you'd know why.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
There is no cure for stupid. R. White.