Water Filter Question?

[Wayne]

Several years ago we moved into a brand new home and installed a salt-based water softener. We live in the Arizona desert and the water is extremely hard. Samples of the softened water indicated the softener was calibrated correctly. The water in the toilet bowls would cause reddish rings to form that were slightly slimy. It wasn't iron (had the water department test a sample), and it reminded me of red algae. This year we moved into another brand new home in the same area with the same water source, however, we have not yet installed a water softener. We have never had this problem with the hard water. Any idea as to what may have caused it?

[SQLit]

I just bought a newer (1999) home and had a brownish ring in at the water line. Looked like algae. I bought some algae pool cleaner and opened up the tanks and let the algaecide sit over night. Took almost 2 weeks for it to abate. Algae likes warm dark water with places to hide, like under the rubber gaskets. Hey it worked for me...

[Wayne]

"SQLit" wrote in news:EI%xc.9594$fZ1.861@fed1read03:

Actually, I didn't have a problem getting rid of it. A heavy dose of chlorine bleach did the job over several hours. Since the conditions in both houses are essentially the same, I was curious what this would occur with softened water and not with hard water. It still puzzles me.

BTW, the algaecide is a great idea!

[Rein]

I am in arizona and have no water softener. I get the brown rings in the toilet, but it's calcium deposits. What I do is simple and cheap. Once a year or so I remove as much water out of the toilet as possible. Then I take papertowels and wet them with pure vinegar and stick them on the brown rings. Every hour or so I go back and re-wet the towels a bit with more vinegar. Do this for a few hours and all the calcium is either gone or you can wipe it off. Cheap, easy, clean.

For algea I would put >

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[Gary Slusser]

Most city water comes from multiple sources, so it's impossible to compare one location on their system to another without making sure both are served the same water. And then the distribution lines would have t obe the same age and maybe have carried the same volume for the same time to be close as to the water quality you get in the two locations. There is a pink ring at the water line problem that is caused by air borne bacteria. Unless there was something in the brine tank, like bacteria, the softener wouldn't have anything to do with causing the problem.

Gary Quality Water Associates

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[Wayne]

"Gary Slusser" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Thanks for your information, Gary. I realize there are probably many variables, and my question/concern wasn't actually whether there was something wrong with the water softener itself. I believe it was working exactly as it should. My real question was whether soft water was more prone than hard water to allow these deposits to form. Since you mentioned bacteria, I'm inclined to think that this was the cause, and I believe it was probably air borne. Our distribution water is unusually warm, particularly in the summer. At present it is coming into the house at 84-86°F. This would seem an ideal temperature for multiplying bacteria. Perhaps soft water is less resistant to bacterial growth? Who knows?

[Rein]

No, I think there's chlorine added to the water to keep it bacteria free. Low levels, but enough to kill them.

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[Gary Slusser]

Bacteria couldn't care less if the water is naturally soft, ion exchange softened or hard as far as I know.

The chlorine has to be Free Chlorine residual, not Total or there is no biocide left to kill bacteria.

Gary Quality Water Associates

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