Little black rocks coming up into toilet.

[shareyourknowledge]

I've replaced the fill valve twice {Fluidmaster 400} because the toilet won't shut off. I've found out why. I'm seeing small black rocks{charcoal,rust?} floating around in the toilet. They get under the rubber seal in the fill valve preventing it from shutting off. It flushes fine a couple of times and then keeps running. Now my wife did open up the safety valve on the water heater, which she shouldn't have. Someone told her it would be a good idea to release pressure once in a while. Is it possible there are rocks in the heater that are going through the pipes to the toilet?Seems like this problem started after she messed with the water heater.If not, what could these rocks be? I'm at a loss to know where thay are coming from. Frustrated. Thanks for any responses.

[RP]

Assuming that you aren't feeding your commode with hot water, those are probably pieces of your flapper or rubber washers.

Richard Perry

[shareyourknowledge]

[Speedy Jim]

Normally, the flow from the water heater should only affect hot water taps. If the tank was producing thye "rocks" I would expect faucet aerators to become clogged.

Find out if the house has galvanized iron piping. If so, deterioration of the pipe interior could easily account for the toilet problems. Another possible is that the particles are hard rubber chips from a shutoff valve washer which has disintegrated.

If you're able, flushing out the line feeding the toilet may help.

Jim

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, From vent stack?

[CJT]

From the description, it sounds like iron sulfide. Does your water ever have a rotten-egg smell (indicating the presence of sulfur)?

[Toller]

Municipal water or a well? Even with a filter I get grit from my well. Check your faucet aerators. If there is no grit in there, then I don't know.

[shareyourknowledge]

[Edwin Pawlowski]

There are a couple of possibilities. Do you have a well? It could be bits of sand picked up by the pump. If so, they will probably show up in the other faucet aerators. Check them to be sure. Even with city water you can get some grit. The cure is a filter for particulates.

The hot water flush should not affect the toilet at all, but strange things do happen. The sudden release from the valve may have caused a little water hammer and released the particles that have been clinging in the pipes for years.

With city water, the water dept. often do a hydrant flush once or twice a year. When they do that in my neighborhood, I have to change the filter the next day. Could it be that your wife was that being done and inspired her to do the water heater? That would explain a lot.

[CJT]

It would result from both iron and sulfur being available in some form capable of reaction. Often the sulfur would come from hydrogen sulfide, which suggests the egg question.

[shareyourknowledge]

Can i add someting inside the tank to dissolve the rocks? Bleach maybe? Would the bleach harm the flapper or rubber seal in the valve?

[CJT]

nothing I know of

[mm]

Do you have a hot water toilet?

Well, if you can't blame her for this, I'm sure there will be something soon you can blame her for. :)

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[buffalobill]

the problem may have started when the inexpensive rubber washer broke on the water shutoff by the toilet or elsewhere upstream. maybe that needs to get flushed out and replaced. i think the disconnecting the toilet and flushing out its connecting water line again may be needed. run the water until clear. installation instructions and online help for your product we use on twenty toilets is at:

you drain the hot water tank of debris you will also know what may be coming thru your pipes.

[George E. Cawthon]

Don't blame your wife, although to be blunt, she is incredibly ignorant about water pressure. The pressure will almost immediately stabilize at the original pressure when she closes the pressure release valve. The problem is that the valves don't like to seal after being opened, especially if they are closed under pressure. In other words, if you test the pressure valve, which you shouldn't, you need to close the cold water inlet valve when you release the pressure valve to close.

But, the hot water system has nothing to do with the commode. You may have stuff in the cold water line and it may have been there for a long time. You need to flush the line. To do that turn off the inlet valve and unscrew the fill line (if you have a flexible metal clad pipe) at the bottom of the tank and put it in a bucket and turn on the valve. If you don't have a flexible line, then buy an 18" one that will fit the inlet valve, remove the line from the valve to the tank, and attach the flexible line. If you don't get any little black particles, you know that stuff in the line is not a problem.

BTW, do you or your wife put crap in the tank to clean or sanitize the bowl when you flush? If you do, welcome to wonderful world of the scammed consumer. NEVER put any chemicals in the tank! Or you many end up with your problem.

[George E. Cawthon]

No, no, and yes.

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