Black Water from Pipes -- What Is It?

April 28, 2005 10:25 AM

Recently, when I turn on my shower in the morning, the water runs clear for a few minutes, then a spurt of black inky water comes out for anywhere from two to 10 seconds, then it starts running clear again. I haven't noticed this with any of my other faucets/water sources. What might be causing that black water (I assume something's collecting in the pipes somewhere) and is it something I should be worried about? As a side note, my hard, hard water does seem to eat through my plumbing like it was made of spun sugar.
posted by willnot to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

If you live in the burbs like me, spring is when water suppliers typically flush the system to clean out winter buildup. Some suppliers are good about letting their customers know what's going on, and some, like mine, are not. The first time I saw heavily discolored water coming out of my faucets, I called the water company and they explained what was going on. Mind you, no notice in the mail or phone call. Oh and they said the water was perfectly fine to drink. Yech! Suggest you speak to your neighbors and call your water company before doing anything else.
posted by terrier319 at 10:37 AM on April 28, 2005

Drain your hot water tank repeatedly, flushing out the crap that has accumulated in it.
posted by five fresh fish at 5:27 PM on April 28, 2005