Abnormally high mineral deposits

Hey JT,

City water or are you on a pump? My bet's on a pump. Have you ascertained exactly what minerals are clogging up your system? You may wish to consider a whole house filter system and that may be the only solution to your clogging problem.

" Both the upstairs bathtubs are at a trickle now and I have no idea how to clean them out."
I can tell you but first I have to know the brand name, the type,(one handle or two knobs), and if one side is worse then the other.

"I do need to flush out the water heater, however I can't imagine that's the root cause as our washing machine and toilets never use hot water."
You are correct the heater's not the root cause, your outside water is. However ignoring maintenance on your water heater will only allow the minerals to build up and cause problems.
For long life and fewer troubles you should keep your heater clear of mineral build-up by flushing on a regular schedule. Let me show you how. Attach a hose to the boiler drain at the bottom of the tank. With the pressure on, open the boiler drain and let it run until the water runs clear. You will see a spurt of red,(rust) followed by white grains,(lime or calcium carbonate). This shouldn't take more then a few minutes. Do this monthly to keep it clear. Now flush out your hot water lines on ALL fixtures. Now pull each aerator and clean the screens. Be sure you put them back togather the same way you took them out. Don't forget to flush it out every month. Your heater will thank you for it. Good luck, Tom

Thanks for your reply Tom.

We are indeed on city water, which is why the build up seems strange since my neighbors are coming right off the same main.

I will take a close look at the tub fixtures so I can give you the details. The master is worse than the the other upstairs tub. They are the same model, both one large knob where 12 o'clock is halfway between hot and cold. I'll get you specifics asap.

A friend mentioned there might be a grounding problem? Like some sort of electrolysis? Have you ever seen such a thing?

It just seems odd because the worst buildup seems to occur on the same side of our house. The washer and our master bath is all on the same side (the second bath upstairs is on the same wall as our master), where as the kitchen sink and downstairs bath are more central and we have no problems with them.

Thanks again for your time.

JT

Hey JT,
The first thing you mjist do is to determine just what's happening to you. Contact the city and see if there have been other complaints like yours. Ask if you are on the end of the main. If you have seen the mineral build up describe it to me. Color, soft or hard? Etc.

"A friend mentioned there might be a grounding problem? Like some sort of electrolysis? Have you ever seen such a thing?"
As a rule electrolysis will eat tiny holes in a copper pipe. To check for elrctrolysts you will need a AC volt meter and a earth ground. Connect one lead to earth ground and the other to the copper pipe. Set th range at 10 volts and decrease it until you get a reading. If you get no reading on the lowest range then you do not have electrolysis.
Let me know what you find out. Cheers, Tom

Hey Speedball,

I finally got the model, its a Delta, below the knob says 1400 series, above says Monitor. Any help you can give me would be appreciated!

Also, do I need to turn off the water to the whole house to do this? Or is there another way?


Also, any place better than another for connecting the volt meter? Not having a clue what I'm doing, I'm not going to be too confident about my results!

Thanks again!

JT

Ugh.

Ok, I shut off the water, I've the handle and bonnet off the valve cap assembly. What I CAN'T seem to do is pull the dang thing out of the housing! Should it be difficult? The directions say something about turning the stem 1/4 turn CC after you reach the stop. Well that isn't happening.

I'm completely baffled. I guess if I don't hear from anyone soon I'll just try to put it all back so we can turn the water on...

JT

"I finally got the model, its a Delta, below the knob says 1400 series, above says Monitor. Do need to turn off the water to the whole house to do this? Or is there another way?
Remove the face plate and you will see a screwdriver stop on each end of the valve. Turn each slot clockwise to shut the water off to the valve and leave the rest of the house pressurized.

"Also, any place better than another for connecting the volt meter?"
Any pipe that goes underground will do.

This may help you to disassemble the valve. (see image) After you get the springs and seats out pick out any crud that may be blocking the openings.
Now stand back and open the screwdriver stops for a moment to flush out the supplies. You should have a full stream. If you're sure the housing asembly's clear then reassemble and test. We'll take this one at a time. Once you get pressure back to the tub move on to the next fixture that's giving you a problem.. As I suggested contact the city and see if there have been other complaints like yours. Ask if you are on the end of the main. If you have seen the mineral build up describe it to me. Color, soft or hard? Etc.
Let me know how you make out. Good luck, Tom

I know this is an old post, but I am having the same problem. Hard, white pieces in the cold water lines. It is mineral, concave, smooth on the inside - rough on the outside. Pieces range from very small to the diameter of a pencil eraser. I pull the shut off valves on the sinks, toilets... And these deposits are clogging up the copper pipe. Has been going on for about 1 year. It is the curved texture that has me puzzled. It is much like a white "mud-like" build up around a 1/2 tube that breaks away in pieces. I am on city water and it is within the house (6years old). 1 neighbor had (still has) a similar problem though not as bad. Other neighbor does not. From the city tap, first in line is my irrigation system and garage side hose bib. Both are fine.
Thanks for ANY input to this problem.