On a couple of occasions (3 or so times) we've found fairly large (2-3mm sided triangle, up to 1mm thick) rusty lumps coming out the hot water taps in the bath room - maybe 3-4 of the larger ones and a few smaller flecks. Did it last night when first turning the bath tap on, then it went back to normal. Another time it was the bathroom sink hot water tap which did this.
Hot water cylinder was replaced at beginning of May and the issue with the lumps in the the hot water seems to have started around that time. Water tank in loft is quite old, plastic without a proper lid fitted, but mostly covered. The first 2m of feed from the tank is, I believe, iron pipe, and then becomes copper before finally entering the hot cylinder. The mains pipe to the loft (inc tank) is copper, certainly before it enters the loft.
The mains water supply, via similar type pipe (so I'm assuming iron), comes into the house by the front door before going up into the bathroom and then around the house. The house is a 1930's semi.
We may have occasionally seen 1 or 2 tiny flecks (nothing like this time) of something in the mains water, but so infrequent and tiny to really pay much attention to. But this time it's happening on the hot water, and not seen anything downstairs, but it's only happened a couple of times.
Is the likely culprit the down pipe from the cold water tank? I did start cutting through it when I was replacing the tank (thought it was
28mm copper) before realising it was iron (shiny silver when cut). Only made a very shallow cut (1mm?) before realising, and when compared to the thickness of some old iron pipes in loft (no longer used and just lying there), I believe that it wasn't anywhere near the thickness of the pipe so safe to keep.I realise that we probably should replace the cold tank in loft with one with proper lid, and then replace iron down pipe at same time, but it only feeds hot water (all cold in house is mains).
I just want to make sure that there isn't any other reason for seeing these sorts of things. Just seems strange it happening shortly after fitting hot water tank. Also, if it's from the down feed from the cold tank to the hot cylinder, which feeds into the bottom of the tank, why would it be coming out the top of the cylinder? Surely the rusty bits would sink to the bottom?
Any thoughts?
Thanks
David