Cause of blue stain in toilet? Iodine?

I haven't cleaned my toilet bowl in about 2 months and I'm seeing this blue trail of a stain running out from the large jet in bottom of the bowl. I've never seen it before (and I've gone a lot longer than 2 monthes between cleanings in the past) so I'm just curious what might be causing it.

One thought that crossed my mind is that it could be signs of the iodine release from Japan, but I'm not sure if that's even possible to observe like this.

Reply to
ShadowTek
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Have a plumber check pipes for bad connections for ground on copper pipes.

Greg

Reply to
zek

=3D=3D Or if you are in a city that uses potassium permanganate in the water supply, they are adding too much. Have seen that happen. =3D=3D

Reply to
Roy

ShadowTek wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@shadowtek.localdomain:

It is likely from corroding copper. Better check before something is eaten through and leaking.

The blue from iodine is a complex between iodine (I2) and starch. Observe by moistening a wad of toilet tissue just a little, and then adding a drop of the brown iodine or povidine solution used for desinfecting wounds. You need real amounts of idoine for this, not the barely traces from Japan. Moreover, that would be iodine 131, which has a half-life of about 3 days. Since the last real dispersal from the reactors in Japan is more than amonth ago, there is nothing left from that I131. Official radioactive disposal rule for researchers: If you can safely store it for more than 13 halflives, you can dispose of it in the trash. Done that several times when I was working with P32 phosphate. Need to take care storing it of course - thich (plexi)glass for P32.

Reply to
Han

On Sat, 7 May 2011 23:24:52 +0000 (UTC), ShadowTek wrote Re Cause of blue stain in toilet? Iodine?:

Copper corrosion caused by acidic water. Check the pH of you water.

Sure, anyting is possible. Buy some potassium iodide and a Geiger counter.

Don't cheap-out here. Cost should not be a consideration.

It's for the children.

Reply to
Caesar Romano

Caesar Romano wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Don't forget to check bananas. They're a rich source of potassium. A small proportion of natural K is radioactive. That is why for measurement of radioactivity one uses low background radioactive materials. One such material is low potassium glass vials ... etc etc.

Reply to
Han

It's from the Tidy Bowel man.

Reply to
A. Baum

Since I didn't see anyone else ask the obvious question... Is it possible that another resident of the house slipped a deodorizer into the tank without telling you?

Reply to
Larry Fishel

Our electrical isn't grounded to the pipes. Actually, the line from the meter is PVC, and I don't think any of the house's copper even touches the ground anywhere.

Reply to
ShadowTek

I am on city water, but I'm not sure if they use it or not. I'll have to look that up.

Reply to
ShadowTek

I'll check the crawlspace for leaks next time I'm under there.

We have always had hard water, but I've never noticed any such evidence of acidity before. I guess I'll have to find some litmus paper somewhere.

Already got some nukepills, but $1,500 is a little bit too much for my current budget.

Reply to
ShadowTek

I'll check the crawlspace for leaks next time I'm under there.

We have always had hard water, but I've never noticed any such evidence of acidity before. I guess I'll have to find some litmus paper somewhere.

Already got some nukepills, but $1,500 is a little bit too much for my current budget.

Reply to
ShadowTek

Nope. I'm the only person that uses it.

I just checked, and the tank hardware if fine; everything is plastic anyway.

Reply to
ShadowTek

I've seen a similar blue stain caused by a toilet bowl cleaner concentrate that sat in the tank for a long time with the potty not being used every day. The water in the tank was a very concentrated solution of the cleaner and water which was leaking past the flapper valve very slowly with the flush valve kicking in once a day or so to keep the tank full.

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

It's from the Tidy Bowel man.

Reply to
A. Baum

Is your poop blue?

Reply to
A. Baum

You're the only person, do you have smurfs?

Reply to
ChairMan
95 percent chance you have a faulty electrical ground, I've seen it numerous times....yourwelcome

Reply to
nefletch

replying to nefletch, jorsi wrote: This is an old post, from 2011, we are in 2018, but I have the exact same problem, and searching I found this here. Now I did not found any answer to this on the net, but looking inside the water tank, I notice that the flapper is blue, made of some kind of rubber, so it is kind of old and that is the color going to the toilet, it might be other people problem, made in China material...

Reply to
jorsi

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