Black / brown bits in my water

poppellerant

For the last month or so, I've noticed black and dark brown bits coming from the cold tap when I fill a sink up.  Thankfully the kitchen sink has a little filter on the end that you can unscrew and clean out - but all the same it's not nice.

I did contact the water company recently who told me there were no other such complaints in my area - yet a friend in the same area (~0.5 mile) as me has exactly the same problem and only noticed when their kitchen tap was flowing slowly due to their removable filter blocking up with the same bits.

The bits look mostly black and dark brown and give a brown smear if you rub them in your fingers.  The water colour appears clear and normal and doesn't look even slightly brown or cloudy

Any suggestions what this might be and the possible solution?

ElephantBoy57

poppellerant said:

a friend in the same area (~0.5 mile) as me has exactly the same problem

Any suggestions what this might be and the possible solution?

Get your friend to ring up and complain.

BananaRepublic

I get a blackish brown algal or bacterial growth in the outlet pipe of by wash basin, and when squished it is as described. Could that be it? Odd though in a tap. I assume it consumes soap in the waste water. I wish I knew how to clear it. Cold water dpfrom the mains should have chlorine in to kill bacteria and algae. 

Paula_Smith

Do you have a cold water tank in the loft? 
Have a look and see if it is full of gunk or a dead bird.

greatcrested

Is the tap supplied directly from the mains (kitchen taps almost always are) or from a storage tank in the attic (common in older houses, less common nowadays)?

If a tank, it needs draining, cleaning, flushing through, and re-filling.

If the mains, is the mains connection from the mains in the road to the house an old lead pipe? Rust and debris? Might need a new supply pipe. Depending on length and route that could be expensive.

Unilekely to be the mains supply itself, though if your neighbour has a problem too.......

poppellerant

The taps are fed straight from the mains and I don't have any water storage tanks at all.

This happens on all taps, regardless of their location - bathroom, kitchen, etc.

I haven't tried to see if I get any bits coming through the hot water taps yet, but I hope not as I can't imagine it will be healthy for the boiler.

FreeBear

BananaRepublic said: I get a blackish brown algal or bacterial growth in the outlet pipe of by wash basin,

Same here. I just dunk an old toothbrush in bleach and give the spigot a good scrub once in a while.

[Deleted User]

FreeBear said:

BananaRepublic said: I get a blackish brown algal or bacterial growth in the outlet pipe of by wash basin,

Same here. I just dunk an old toothbrush in bleach and give the spigot a good scrub once in a while.

Yup, same here and same bleachy method; it's just a naturally occurring growth around water areas.