Some kinda build up from our water supply

[kochrk]

Not sure where else to put this but I am loyal to this forum.

I get a white scaly build up on the shower head and sink drain, and you can kinda scrape it off with your fingernail.  The kicker is, I only get it on the top floor bathroom.  The other bathrooms and kitchen sink never see this.  I am guessing it is hard water and the white is calcium, but we can wash the soap off us pretty fast and I always heard with hard water you can't get the soap off that good.

Anyway, the sink and/or shower heads were all replaced the same time (about a year ago) and only mine has the white scales on it and my shower head spits in all directions.  Weird.

Any Thoughts?

[denrayr]

maybe those fixtures get more use than the others? Why dont you have your water tested, or call the water department at the city and ask the hardness.

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

You can buy inexpensive DIY water hardness testers from your local hardware store. Or you can use these test strips.

[kochrk]

Well, that shower does get more use because the other bathroom is used for baths mostly.  But the sink drain in one has plenty of build up and the other doesn't have any and they are used about the same.

[kochrk]

[user=1]Samurai Appliance Repair Man[/user] wrote:

You can buy inexpensive DIY water hardness testers from your local hardware store. Or you can use these test strips.

I'll try this, or call the city like denrayr suggested.  Thanks

[applianceman18007260692]

What would those test strips tell?

[kochrk]

[user=4554]applianceman18007260692[/user] wrote:

What would those test strips tell?

The ones that our master suggested said something about total hardness.  I didn't realize they had test strips for that.  I only seen the ones that did alkaline, like for swimming pools and such.

[LaundryMom]

Is there an odor, too?

[kochrk]

No odor on that issue, but the bottom of our (material like) shower curtains always get pink and that gives an odor.  We end up washing them once a month.

[LaundryMom]

I have that exact problem in my shower. I replace my shower curtain liner every six months, and I have an older home with a window over the tub that has to have a water repellent curtain which turns pinkish and has to be washed every month or so, and stinks, too.

Do you have city water?

[kochrk]

It comes from the ground, here's what the report said for what it is worth:

[align=left]Where Does My Water Come From?[/align]

[align=left]The Town of Ocean City Water Department customers are fortunate because they enjoy anabundant water supply from two underground aquifers: the Ocean City Aquifer and the Manokin Aquifer.Twenty-four wells draw from these aquifers and range

in depth from 200 feet to more than 400 feet.

[/align]

[LaundryMom]

Ha ha!

Well, the reason I was asking is because our city adds a whole bunch of stuff to our water to make it 'safer' for us. It reeks of chlorine when I run it in the sink, and I don't know what all else it's treated with, but I wonder about what affect it may be having on my plumbing and my appliances and what, if any, chemical reactions may be going on between detergents and the city water.

[kochrk]

I edited my post to say it comes from the ground because it appears it does.  There are things added according to the report I read, but it didn't say anything about hardness, I might have to call about that.

And, I am not sure about the pink stuff.

[LaundryMom]

I googled pink residue shower curtain and came up with this:

http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Shower_Curtain

Methylobacterium

Methylobacteria are often found in water purification and distribution systems, including water from dental units and blood bank purification units (Rice 2000). They can also be found automobile air-conditioning systems, printing paper machines, and other damp environments, and are common in tap water, as some strains exhibit resistance to chlorine. On shower curtains, they may contribute to the pink color of biofilm (Kelley 2004).

That whole page makes we wanna go clean my bathroom, but I know that it won't be good enough... :?