Water Problems

• Do you have orange or yellow stains on fixtures?
• Does your water have a "blood" taste?
• Do you have red slime growing in your fixtures such as toilets?
• Do you have a black or grey slime forming in your fixtures?
• Do you have white "scaling" in your fixtures?
• Do you have black or grey stains on your fixtures?
• What are the maximum contaminant levels for drinking water in the state of Washington?

Iron will generally cause staining of fixtures when the concentration exceeds 0.3 mg/L or 300 parts per billion. Iron has a disagreeable odor and taste and most people do not want excessive concentrations in drinking water. Iron is considered a nuisance, not a health concern, but we have had customers who reported upset stomachs, diarrhea, or constipation from drinking water with high concentrations of Iron. Each individual seems to handle Iron differently.

Manganese will cause black or grey stains on your fixtures. It can also promote growth of Manganese Reducing Bacteria.

Iron Related Bacteria is usually present wherever water contains Iron, Manganese, and organic material. The bacteria prefers slow, stagnant water such as toilet tanks or rarely used water lines. In wells, it tends to grow tendrils near or on the supply pipe at the bottom of the well. If undisturbed, it can grow large enough to clog well screens and reduce the flow of water.

These bacteria form a black or dark grey slime in pipes, valves, tanks, and less frequently used water lines. This bacteria reduces Manganese and combines it with available sulfur, producing Managanese Sulfide, which has a disagreeable rotten egg smell. Well sanitation should remove this bacteria, but the underlying Manganese problem should also be addressed.

The name describes this variety of bacteria quite well. Although there are several species, they clog pipes, valves, tanks, toilets and faucets. Once the bacteria are established, they tend to be quite aggressive and will harbor other bacteria. They tend to cause foul odors, poor taste, and sometimes they cause the water to become thick and cloudy. They generally require an agressive program to eliminate the bacteria and a vigilant program to monitor for their return.

In Western Washington, the water usually has a pH less than 7 (neutral) due to the large amounts of rainfall. This rainfall, coupled with the material it drains through, can sometimes decrease the pH below 6.8. When the pH is below this point, corrosion begins to occur in metal pipes, valves, tanks, faucets, and fixtures. Older homes with lead solder in copper pipe may experience increased levels of lead and copper in the water. Newer homes with lead free solder may experience rapid copper corrosion. This is most easily identified by pinhole leaks in the copper pipes and fixtures that turn a bluish color.

Hardness is due to Calcium and Magnesium in the water. Hardness is easily identified by the gray scale or residue left behind when water evaporates or is heated. Soaps, detergents, and shampoos do not wash well in hard water and most manufacturers of these products add water conditioners to their products to make them work better.

Many wells or springs do not supply sufficient water to provide a home with an adequate amount of water on a continual basis. Our answer to this problem is a polyethylene storage tank which is continually supplied by the water system. When the tank is full the water supply pump is shut off and water is used from the tank. 

This problem generally occurs in city water systems where the supply is less than the demand. Quite a number of homes experience low water pressure, particularly in the upper stories. We can install an auxiliary pump and pressure tank to boost the incoming water pressure. These systems can be as simple as a 110 volt pump that plugs into an existing wall outlet.