Dirty bathroom water

[Lorenzo]

The water from my bathroom taps has impurities in it. These look like little black/brown threads about 5mm long - a bit like the growth on the side of a pond. It seems to come mainly from the cold taps and does not affect the mains supply in the kitchen. The house is only about 8 years old. I have drained the cold water tank in the attic and cleaned it out completely. I then let the tank refill, turned off the water supply and drained the tank again 5 or 6 times but I still get the same dirty water in the bath, basin and even in the toilet. It is as if the pipes connecting the tank and the bathroom are contaminated or have some sort of growth in them. The house also has an ensuite bathroom which is used more frequently and is fed from the mains and does not have any problems. Any suggestions on how I can fix it?

 

[oilman]

I'd be a bit bothered if had something growing in the pipes (which this seems to be). If the pipes are copper the conditions should inhibit growth, but if you can look at the offending items under a microscope it might help.

A way of fixing it would be to disconnecrt the pipe at the tank and connect it to a powerflushing machine and the tap to the other end and flush the pipes. You would need to do this on the pipes to and from the hot tank as well.