I am feeling desperate and wondering if anyone can throw some light on it. This post is the latest status of a problem I sought help in June. Just to recap. When a hot water tap (any tap) is first turned on during the day, dirty water comes out. After running it for a few seconds, the hot water becomes clear but with a yellowish tint - subtle but obvious when compared to a bowl of cold water. The property plumber said that all pipes in the water line are copper. The dirty water was due to a faulty hot water tank which was replaced in May. The new tank did not resolve the problem. The plumber then installed a hot water filter external to the hot water tank to have the hot water filtered before it entered into the pipes at my home. After that, still have dirty hot water but appears to be fractionally less dirty. I have another issue after the installation of the filter a few days ago. Not sure if it's a coincidence or related. Every time after a shower, I have a dry throat on the edge of being sore, red eyes and spots on face, a mild headache and feeling dull and fatique. The condition lasts for the whole day with lesser severity towards the end of the day.

I have two queries:

(1) How can hot water pipes be checked to verify they are indeed all copper? All other units in the block have clean hot water. The property owner and the plumber are adamant that there are no galvanized pipes. Installing the hot water filter appears to be the last thing they could do. Unfortunately, moving home is not an option.

(2) Is there a chance that a hot water filter would cause allergic reactions? I am asthmatic and sensitive to chemicals.

Thank you in advance.

I have been off sock for the last 8 months so bring me up to speed by answering a few questions.
1. Pump or city water?
2. ( and this is important ) do you flush your heater out on a regular schedule?
3. Gas or electric?
4. Where was the filter placed? Cold water supply or hot water outlet?
5. where does the cold water supply connect back to?

I can ;t comment on your skin condition but if you think it's the filter either bypass it or remove it. However I am concerned that the "yellow" water might have a high
Sulfur content that may be the cause of your skin condition . Have your water tested ASAP and let me know what they tell you, Good luck, Tom

Thank you Tom.

1. City water. Cold water is clean. It's a block of two storey units, all of which are identical in layout. Each unit has its own water pipe off a main pipe. My unit is the only unit that has dirty hot water.

2. A new heater was installed to replace the old one. The old one was only about 1 year old when the dirty hot water came to light.

3. Electric.

4. Filter is placed between heater and the hot water pipe into the unit, see attached picture. (The heater is in a storage room which is accessed through another door outside the unit.)

Once again, thanks.

Thank you Tom.

1. City water. Cold water is clean. It's a block of two storey units, all of which are identical in layout. Each unit has its own water pipe off a main pipe. My unit is the only unit that has dirty hot water.

2. A new heater was installed to replace the old one. The old one was only about 1 year old when the dirty hot water came to light.

3. Electric.

4. Filter is placed between heater and the hot water pipe into the unit, see attached picture. (The heater is in a storage room which is accessed through another door outside the unit.)

Once again, thanks.

Thanks for the pix. Since a heater can only put out what is put into it. I think I would have installed the filter on the cold water inlet since the heater has been replaced and thus eliminated. Have you check the filter to see what it picked up? You've eliminated the heater so why didn't the plumber go for the source instead of covering it up with a filter? Your water lines are copper and won't produce dirt. The dirt has to be introduced in the system at some point.
I'd be most interested in finding out what the filter picked up. Do you wish to check this yourself? If so we can help.
Cheers, Tom

Tom, I thank you for your interest in this matter, greatly appreciated.

I tried to look at what the filter picked up but was not able to open the housing. I dared not apply force. Maybe giving you an account of the visible changes in water quality could give you something to ponder.

1. Before anything was done: Heavy dirty water (dark brown color with sediment) came out when a tap (any tap) was first turned on during a day. After running for several seconds, the water turned clear but with a tint. From then onwards during the same day, tinted clear water came out, no more heavy dirty water.

2. After the water heater was replaced: The water looked less dirty but still had sediment. Nothing else has changed.

3. After the filter was installed: The water looks fractionally better than before but almost without sediment. Nothing else has changed.

Based on (1) - (3) above, the change of heater and the installation of a filter appear to have improved the quality of the dirty water. Do you have any thought on that? Do you think the dirty water source is before the filter? I am wondering if the existing colored hot water is because the filter can only filter out sediment, not color. But then, why is the first run of hot water during the day has darker color?

The physico-chemical dimension of the hot water has somehow changed since the filter installation. After every shower, I have respiratory problem and feeling fatique. I will have the filter removed. If you think it's worthwhile to install it at the heater cold water inlet, I'll discuss with the plumber.

Here's what I'd like you to do.
FLUSHING NOT DRAINING

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 might want to strain the hose through a piece of cloth to better inspect what comes out. Let me know! Good luck, Tom

The plumber is coming tomorrow. I'll find out what is in the filter. Being a dumb user (ha ha), I am not allowed to flush the heater. Will put forward your suggestion. Will let you know.

Hi Tom, I had a look at the filter. The filter has discolored to a brownish color. There is also some dark-grey color dirts on the top of the filter. The plumber replaced the filter with a more powerful one to see if it could improve the water further. Finally he said there could be a gal somewhere but it would be difficult to fix the source.