Bits in water..

[neon]

Hi,
Can anyone help me please.
Over the past few weeks i have noticed that i have black & green bits coming from my water supply, both kitchen and bathroom.Now this can be random as i thought it had cleared up but over the weekend i noticed it was back. The council came round and said we need to look at the tanks in the loft,so as i live in a flat i had to get the key from the lady upstairs so we could look. Anyways the council have been out today and the tanks are clear.And typically when we ran the water there were only a couple of bits in it!! They said there is nothing they can do (could flush the tanks but would have cloudy water for 3 days) and still no guarantee that it would solve the prob. They were saying we really need to see the prob (bits in water) to be able to solve it. I said what would you do then? They said flush the tanks ARGH...i dont get it...The only other thing that they said was a i have a combi boiler then that might be the prob some how. I have the boiler guys coming out today for a diff reason so will see what they say.
In the mean time. Any ideas of what it could be?

Thanks

 

[JohnD]

Are these bits soft (like bits of mould) or hard and gritty, but you can break then between your finger nails?

Do you get a black or green stain under the bath taps, or round the rim of the toilet?

Are you in a hard water area?

Has there recently been any plumbing work done in the building, or in the street outside?

Are the tanks in the loft insulated and fitted with lids?

About how old is the plumbing in the house?

Do the bits come out in your kitchen (drinking water) tap, that should be fed straight from the main and not from a tank?

p.s. get a jam jar and collect some bits so you can show them to anyone trying to investigate. If you look in the toilet cistern you might find it has collected some.

 

[neon]

Just ran the hot tap in the bath and some bits came out. Tested one black bit and its smudge my fingers! So would that suggest that its the combi boiler, the pipe running from that to the bathroom looks old. All i know is that the house was built in the 40's.
Have noticed when cleaning the rim of the loo that black gunk is there.and yes its a hard water area.
We have had work done recently outside, we had a spring in the back garden and the council have put in drainge and according to the council no water mains would have been touched!!!
3 valleys water have said no work in the area and also my neighbours next door and over the road have had no problems.
The tanks in the loft are sealed.As for the drinking water then yes that has had the same problem to. The flat upstairs filters there drinking water and i looked in her filter jug and that has got black bits in there....

confused....

 

[JohnD]

....As for the drinking water then yes that has had the same problem to. The flat upstairs filters there drinking water and i looked in her filter jug and that has got black bits in there....

Then I believe it is not the water tanks, or your boiler, or anything in your flat. It is the incoming supply.

Call the water company, tell them:

- it affect several flats

- it happens on the drinking water which is supplied from the main

- You have some samples in a jar that you can show them

(it might possibly be within the riser in your building, but let the water company prove that).

 

[neon]

Right thanks John.

Phoned 3 valleys and told them whats happening and i will be getting a phone call shortly (?) from engineer regarding this matter...

Hope they sort it...

Cheers

 

[neon]

Bit of an update.

Had the boiler guys out for a hissing boiler, they said its "kettling" and i would need an new heat exchange. Well they fitted that yesterday and now the bits in the water are twice as bad! Have run the hot water in the bath a few times since but its not getting any better. Boiler guy has just been round again and said he will have to speak to his boss to see what to do as fitting a new exchange should have solved the prob. So im back to square one. Also the rads are heating up now when run the hot water so need a new thing(cant remember the name).
Was told that the bits in the water from the cold tap (kitchen) was related to the boiler as its on a mixer tap!

 

[JohnD]

But:

...The flat upstairs filters there drinking water and i looked in her filter jug and that has got black bits in there....

I'm prepared to wager £5 that the flat upstairs doesn't get their drinking water through your boiler.

So although there might be an accumulation of bits in and around the boiler and its pipes, I doubt that the boiler can be the source of the bits.

Did the water company identify what sort the bits were? Vegetation? Old pipe breaking down? Dirt? Scale? Corrosion? Something dead rotting away?

 

[neon]

I havent sent off any water for testing yet as was told by two ppl that the prob was most likely the boiler. So i thought i would stick with that theory and get that out of the way first. Then send off the water if still got the prob. Have got the council plumbers coming round today so will take it from there is guess.

 

[Agile]

I am still confused about your situation.

Is this a rented Council flat ?

If so then all this unnecessary work is not going to be paid for by you.

It does sound typical of the low calibre of contractor council's use.

If its really a Council flat then why not complain to the Environmental Health department on the basis that your tap water is contaminated and poses a health risk? That should get them running round in circles and moving you into a hotel or providing bottled water as yours is unfit!

Tony

 

[neon]

Yes its a council flat. The council plumber has been out and said that its gotta be a prob with the boiler.....soooo the council contracted boiler ppl are out now and they are going to fit a new diverter valve. If that dont stop the bits then i dunno. The bits appearing now are sorta oily and smudge between your fingers!

The mains water does now appear to be running clear. Over the past few weeks this has been random. So thats caused confusion.!!!!!!

 

[JohnD]

have you looked in your toilet cistern yet? As that is a cold Water supply, does not go through your boiler, and has no mixer tap, the presence of black bits will prove that it is not the boiler.

I hope you are collecting plenty of samples in jamjars.

I bet the water company could identify it in minutes.

 

[neon]

Yes, the cistern is clear....

This is where the confusion is coming from...there was def bits in the mains water supply,now all seems clear .

 

[maggs2010]

Hi there
Was just wondering if you ever sorted out your problem. I now have the same problem and we can't seem to work out where its coming from. Ours is just in the cold bath tap.

 

[Agile]

If its cistern fed then the problem will lie with the cistern.

Tony

 

[JohnD]

same again:

Are these bits soft (like bits of mould) or hard and gritty, but you can break then between your finger nails?

Do you get a black or green stain under the bath taps, or round the rim of the toilet?

Are you in a hard water area?

Has there recently been any plumbing work done in the building, or in the street outside?

Are the tanks in the loft insulated and fitted with lids?

About how old is the plumbing in the house?

Do the bits come out in your kitchen (drinking water) tap, that should be fed straight from the main and not from a tank?

p.s. get a jam jar and collect some bits so you can show them to anyone trying to investigate. If you look in the toilet cistern you might find it has collected some.