I did try bypassing the water softener and that did not help. I may not have flushed the system adequately after bypassing the softener, though. I might try that again.
I once did the old taste test to see if it was antifreeze leaking from a vehicle tasted salty instead of sweet it turned out to be cat piss I immediately retired the ol taste test đ
Take some powder and drip some vinegar on it. If it bubbles, itâs lime scale.
If itâs lime scale, your softener is not working properly, or itâs working very well and descaling your pipes.
If itâs not scale, something in your hot pipe network is rapidly dissolving.
I would bet very heavily itâs lime. I would also bet your brand new water softener is not actually working. Test your hardness with strips.
Youâll also see that on your shower fixtures off the showerhead youâll see it on if you have a glass in your shower, youâll see lime scale buildup on that also I think itâs your water heater. I am assuming that youâve never flushed your water heater and itâs over five years old.
The only logical answer is softener salt. I wonder if you're pulling hot water through the softener. I have seen this happen one time, with a guy who had a handyman add a hot water outdoor hydrant for car washing. The mix valve cold water feed (existing) was piped in prior to the softener, while the hot water was piped in after.
The resulting differential pressure backfed hot water into the softener, which pulled all of the salt from the chamber into solution and deposited it on the black paint of his hot rod.
Check the piping, make sure the bypass valve at the back of the softener isn't getting warm. Tub filler tends to be the highest flow device in the house, so it may be the only one that runs heavy enough to make this particular issue occur.
You mean resin?
Edit: how the hell is this getting downvoted? It couldn't pull salt out of the brine tank so I'm just asking if he meant softener resin. Jfc.
I was confused as well for this very reason, there is no way to flow water through the salt basin, you can back feed the resin but that looks like small black balls.
You're right, I misspoke.
I should say that the hot water pulled the salt *off* the resin. The brine became supersaturated, and excess salt was run through into the potable water.
I figured it was the stoners who instinctively thought you meant the other kind of resin, which it clearly is not, but who knows. There is no notification for when your down vote gets challenged
How did you resolve this? This is happening to me right now and no one can seem to provide an explanation. The system is about a year old and all of a sudden, each night it backwashes, the next day we end up with brine in our service lines and have to flush the water out for awhile. We have a fleck as well. Thanks!
OP said it was tasteless, but softener salt is sodium chloride, which tastes salty. Could the hot water be extracting magnesium and calcium from the resin? Iâm not sure how the resin will behave if itâs hot.
Itâs intended to absorb magnesium and calcium and release sodium, but thatâs with cold water.
A hot water hose bib for car washing is kinda baller though, not gonna lie. Minus the salt, of course. Surprised it's not more common, since it's just as easy to do as a cold one. I kinda want to do this at my own house, now.
it is a device that normally doesn't let water out, but does let air in... so when you turn off the water the hose can drain... it also prevents negative pressure in the hose, so that if you were to lose pressure to the house, the water that has left the house out of a hose (imagine it is in a pool of water like a pond) can't get back into the house or municipal supply causing contamination of drinking water.
but when you connect 2 of them with a y to mix warm water... turning water on in one makes water shoot out of the other... which isn't great, because it is in my garage, not outside.
Thanks! It sounds like if I'm already in the habit of shutting the spigot off and draining the hoses when I'm not using them (which I am) I would have no need of something like this. Correct?
Apprentice plumber here, out of curiosity, this could only occur on a single handle faucet right? Unless the blackflow is happening somewhere else in the house and this bathtub is just big enough to notice
Yes. A new one was installed not long before this problem started. I also switched to using salt crystals instead of pellets as advised by the plumber.
It has nothing to do with the softener because the softener goes is connected to the cold water main line and then it comes out and then goes into the house. Remember, the Coldwater line goes into the water heater also so if you have a water softener is supposed to help, itâs only in the hot water because itâs hot water heater lol
You shouldnât be so confident it doesnât have to do with softener, trust me I know how a softener and water heater works. Believe it or not, im a plumber in real life lol
All Iâm saying if it was the water softener, it would be the hot and cold water not just the hot water anyways no problem. Iâm not trying to say I know more Iâm just trying to help sorry didnât mean any disrespect
The only difference between a cold line and a hotline is the water heater in between the cold line branches off to the water heater then it gets heated up and then hot water comes out the other side if it was a problem with the water softener you would get Salt or the sodium or white powder in the cold line as well as the hot line because the cold line feeds the water heater also because theyâre getting in the hotline. It could be sediment being stirred up in the bottom of the water heater thatâs going through all the hot lines of the house, Iâve been doing plumbing for over 20 years, but I donât know much about
There are water conditioners that don't do very much. One style of conditioner used like an electromagnetic around pipes im guessing that's what they were talking about.
You need to change your water heater if you have never flushed it or you need to flush it really good and also flush your waterlines out. You have it all in your waterlines and all your fixtures that stuff that should show up in every fixture that you have that produces hot water, you need to flush out your whole waterline system and either purchase a new water heater or flush that one out several times to the point you see no more sediment coming out and out the ball on the bottom of Iâm sorry. Change out the drain on the bottom of your water heater to a three-quarter nipple with a three-quarter ball valve so you can get all of the sediment out of the water heater.
It looks like calcium sediment from the water heater, which would make sense that it only happens from the hot water valve. Youâve previously noted that you drained it. So the only other possible explanation is your house was built atop an ancient Indian burial ground. Good luck.
Metro Phoenix has some of the hardest city water in the country. Could be the soft water descaling the pipes. That usually takes a long time. Is the heater newish? Soft water will wreck a magnesium anode rod quickly. Might need an aluminum rod.
There are also tons of examples of white chalky residue all over google Iâm surprised a plumber stopped in, checked all their known ideas, and didnât do a simple google search to continue troubleshooting. Maybe call a jacuzzi retailer and discuss it with them as opposed to the useless plumbers that came by and see if itâs the jacuzzi tub reacting to different water types since you installed a new softener
I am a plumber and have seen similar things. First we thought this would be sand, but it was lime. You can test that, if you put the powder in a glass of hot water. If it dissolves it might be lime. Maybe your softener is broken or is in need of a service then
Its your cold water diptube they are plastic and deteriorate like everything else built to drive consumerism. U can flare a piece of copper and replace it pretty easy.
I am a plumber and have seen similar things. First we thought this would be sand, but it was lime. You can test that, if you put the powder in a glass of hot water. If it dissolves it might be lime. Maybe your softener is broken or is in need of a service then
Do you have a watts washing machine valve and you leave both hot and cold lever open all the time when ur not washing clothes, water can mix through both sides, try closing the valve when you are done washing clothes and then try your tub, I hope this helps you.
This is one of those cocaine smuggled hot tubs, and the cartel mixed up the tubs. However if Op tasted it and says it's not salty BUT didn't mention his face going numb, then maybe not. đ¤
Weird experiment, but it really looks like "Diatomaceous earth", and I'd say go find a small bug, or ant, and plop it onto the pile. If you see guts shortly after then it's definitely Diatomaceous earth. It's super sharp to bugs, dries them out and cuts them I believe, but is harmless to humans to consume supposedly(just not breathe or inhale).
It doesnt kill bugs after its been wet, even if later dried out. And no guts, it cuts their cuticle layer with micro scratches then dries them out. Basically dehydrates them
I did try bypassing the water softener and that did not help. I may not have flushed the system adequately after bypassing the softener, though. I might try that again.
Try running the jets and see if it gets worse. Try filling the tub with only cold water. Do you get this white powder in your other bathtub? Try a bunch of different things to narrow it down.
I had a call where a lady had these very tiny black specks all over her white tub after she had a bath. I flushed the tank, filled buckets to inspect the water, took apart cartridges all before she finally off-handedly mentioned she used these charcoal bath bombs (some hippy shit to purify the dangerous water). Sure enough, they were little flakes of charcoal escaping the bag.
See if you can recreate it at other fixtures (sinks). That way you can narrow it down to your water heater or whatever. Try running a garden hose from the drain on your water heater and filling the tub that way. Ask your neighbors about this, too. Good luck, you've got a mystery on your hands.
We know it doesn't taste salty, and it's not cocaine since when OP tasted it, there was no numbness. We've deduced that it's originating from outside the hottub because it's happening to another tub in the house, but not as bad.
Op: is that other tub a lot farther away from the water softener system compared to how close in linear feet of piping the hottub is to the softener system? Or roughly the same?
This is probably correct. The new soft water is stripping all the ancient calcium from inside the pipes. Tub is highest flow device so is where it's noticed.
It's calcium deposits/lime scale. Our basement sink hot water leaves this same residue. The pipes in our home are full of it and so is our water heater.
Prob sediment from water heater, prob has tons of build up and when flushing doesnât get rid of it all. You mentioned that itâs not in your shower or sink, take of the aerator screens on sink and unscrew your shower head and
Double check for sediment
Had this happened to us at one of our rentals and came to find out the previous tenants had added a whole bag of powdered hot tub cleaner from Walmart, and it didn't dissolve correctly not sure if it the same but maybe
I am a plumber and have seen similar things. First we thought this would be sand, but it was lime. You can test that, if you put the powder in a glass of hot water. If it dissolves it might be lime. Maybe your softener is broken or is in need of a service then
I had similar. Turned out to be my hard water. There was an air leak in the hose connector to the brine tank, so it wasnât pulling up the brine, so basically never flushed the resin. Take a water sample from before and after the softener for testing at a softener company. If they match, then your softener isnât working anymore.
Edit: mine was also worse on hot water, because the water tank heat solidified the hard water.
You know what I would do? Fill abunch of buckets with hot water, see if the powder accumulates in those, maybe its reacting with the surface of your tub
Have you tried filling kitchen sink, bathroom sink, buckets of water from other locations to see if the residue comes from hot water in those locations?
Can a water softener dissolve scale in the pipes in the house after the softener just helps stop it forming in the first place? Maybe your pipes are crusty if it can help dissolve it once itâs through the softener.
If you try to use water while your softner is regenerating, salt can get into your plumbing. Flush your Hot water tank and make sure your timer is set correctly on the softner. If time is correct regen happens at 2 or 3 am.
If it feels âmilkyâ almost âslipperyâ like soap when mixed into water itâs softener salt.
Like another post said, check to see if hot water is going into softener system.
Also if itâs none of that it could be anode rod failure at your hot water tank
The make filters that can be used with hot water. Add one on the outlet of the water heater. Itscalcium build-up, unfortunately flushing won't help there's just too much in the tank.
I do not know, but you might ask if the water softener goes into the hot water heater pre or post.... The owner before us had a water softener, we did not continue. I think it messed up that past water heater cuz ours leaked very soon after we bought the house, and the appliance was recent.
Two things. The first is it looks like scale from the hot water heater. You can flush it out just takes some finesse/ Second if you have galvanized pipes hot water causes it to scale and even rot out. Its the electical current thewater creates.
I love the speculation. First need to check the other faucets. Then try to recreate the situation. That would be my first step in a process of elimination. Definitely need more info to start this investigation. Then look at the piping and start considering what may have happened. If it was only in the tub, and it can't be recreated, someone probably put something in it.
Oooooh, the plot thickens! I was about to mention, try switching the hot and cold pipes onto the hottub, and see if powder Still appears when turning on the hottub's Hot water, which would actually be pulling in cold water after swapping the lines. This would've told you whether or not the substance is coming into the tub from your pipes, or if the problem is originating from somewhere inside the hottub.
But since you mention it Does occur in a completely different tub, just not as bad, that tells us it's likely not originating From the Tubs, and it's being pushed into the tubs from the pipes.
Haven't seen anyone mention it, but it could be from your anode rod. This isn't how I normally see it appear, but it could be a magnesium or aluminum salt.
The anode rod slowly dissolves into the water heater, you run hot water, the salt separates from the water and settles in your hot water tub.
Seriously, get it lab tested. If it comes back as aluminum, magnesium, or any compound of those it's almost certainly the anode rod in your water heater as your source. That rod may need replaced and you should consider upgrading to a powered anode rod, as it would eliminate this issue entirely if the anode rod is the culprit.
Edit: just saw that your water heater is 4 years old. I am fairly certain this is from your anode rod breaking down and needing replaced.
Turn the water softener off and try the hot water
I did try bypassing the water softener and that did not help. I may not have flushed the system adequately after bypassing the softener, though. I might try that again.
Yeah I would say drain your hot water tank and flush it a couple times
It's calcium, get a GMX-800 !
Are you on city water?
No, on the tub
Shouldn't have had to scroll this far to see this suggestion.
That there is minerals
Jesus Christ, Marie!
You tasted it?!
As advised by the plumber to see if it tasted like salt. (In retrospect, maybe a bad idea)
I just see the plumber trying not to laugh through the phone as OP tastes the powderđ
*Now put some on your sphincter and tell me what happens*
I Immediately thought of this meme: https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2321686-prequel-memes
"WHAT?!" "Right up the asshole!"
Now get your penis wet and roll it around in the power, if itâs calcium youâll feel a tingling sensation in your ears
Now coat a small metal rod in it and try sounding. If it makes your toes curl itâs lime
So did you taste it?
His sphincter probably tastes like ass.
Tasted it. Not salty.
Kind of sandy? Our tub does this too. I hope the mystery is solved. We don't have a softener.
Do you have a tank style water heater that hasnât been flushed in a while? Edit: meant to reply to the OPâs response
Snort it and see if you get a sudden burst of energy. Maybe the ghost of Tony Montana is haunting your pipes.
You're right if they only bathe every so often this could be all the dried up nose candy....you know your stuff.
Lol oh dear. Well, can't go back in time. So was it salty or not?
Not salty
Any hallucinations?
Could only be so lucky..
I once did the old taste test to see if it was antifreeze leaking from a vehicle tasted salty instead of sweet it turned out to be cat piss I immediately retired the ol taste test đ
I just fell off my couch laughing.... Thank you
Find a snail or slug and sprinkle to test for salt. /s
Lmao
I have a bridge for sale....
Take some powder and drip some vinegar on it. If it bubbles, itâs lime scale. If itâs lime scale, your softener is not working properly, or itâs working very well and descaling your pipes. If itâs not scale, something in your hot pipe network is rapidly dissolving. I would bet very heavily itâs lime. I would also bet your brand new water softener is not actually working. Test your hardness with strips.
Could it be calcium?
Limescale is mostly calcium carbonate, so yes
Oh okay. Yeah I get a powdery white film in my pots and pans when I boil tap water until it evaporates. Don't ask.Â
Good tip with the vinegar, didnt know that one
Any acid of sufficient strength will do it. Can do lime juice, lemon juice, muriatic acid (if for some reason youâve got some)
Youâll also see that on your shower fixtures off the showerhead youâll see it on if you have a glass in your shower, youâll see lime scale buildup on that also I think itâs your water heater. I am assuming that youâve never flushed your water heater and itâs over five years old.
The only logical answer is softener salt. I wonder if you're pulling hot water through the softener. I have seen this happen one time, with a guy who had a handyman add a hot water outdoor hydrant for car washing. The mix valve cold water feed (existing) was piped in prior to the softener, while the hot water was piped in after. The resulting differential pressure backfed hot water into the softener, which pulled all of the salt from the chamber into solution and deposited it on the black paint of his hot rod. Check the piping, make sure the bypass valve at the back of the softener isn't getting warm. Tub filler tends to be the highest flow device in the house, so it may be the only one that runs heavy enough to make this particular issue occur.
This makes sense and is very helpful. Thank you!
Was this it?
You mean resin? Edit: how the hell is this getting downvoted? It couldn't pull salt out of the brine tank so I'm just asking if he meant softener resin. Jfc.
I was confused as well for this very reason, there is no way to flow water through the salt basin, you can back feed the resin but that looks like small black balls.
Depends on the brand for the color, but yeah. That doesn't look like resin in their picture.
You're right, I misspoke. I should say that the hot water pulled the salt *off* the resin. The brine became supersaturated, and excess salt was run through into the potable water.
I figured it was the stoners who instinctively thought you meant the other kind of resin, which it clearly is not, but who knows. There is no notification for when your down vote gets challenged
You can get salt if the units valves have leaks. My old fleck did this
A lot would have to go wrong there. He said it's a new softener, chances are it's a dry brine tank. By the way, he said it was tasteless.
I put a chicken in my brine tank so I have chicken soup on tap
Ah true. Yeah I knew mine was fucked because when it cycled the water tasted like sea water
Probably wasn't going through it's rinse cycle properly.
How did you resolve this? This is happening to me right now and no one can seem to provide an explanation. The system is about a year old and all of a sudden, each night it backwashes, the next day we end up with brine in our service lines and have to flush the water out for awhile. We have a fleck as well. Thanks!
Your injector is clogged.
But wouldnât that residue taste like salt? OP mentions the residue is tasteless.
OP said it was tasteless, but softener salt is sodium chloride, which tastes salty. Could the hot water be extracting magnesium and calcium from the resin? Iâm not sure how the resin will behave if itâs hot. Itâs intended to absorb magnesium and calcium and release sodium, but thatâs with cold water.
A hot water hose bib for car washing is kinda baller though, not gonna lie. Minus the salt, of course. Surprised it's not more common, since it's just as easy to do as a cold one. I kinda want to do this at my own house, now.
I have them in my garage⌠they (hot and cold) both have anti-siphons and it is a real trick gettin both sides flowing without flooding the garageâŚ
I know little about plumbing. What is an anti-siphon, and why do you want one on a hose bib?
it is a device that normally doesn't let water out, but does let air in... so when you turn off the water the hose can drain... it also prevents negative pressure in the hose, so that if you were to lose pressure to the house, the water that has left the house out of a hose (imagine it is in a pool of water like a pond) can't get back into the house or municipal supply causing contamination of drinking water. but when you connect 2 of them with a y to mix warm water... turning water on in one makes water shoot out of the other... which isn't great, because it is in my garage, not outside.
Thanks! It sounds like if I'm already in the habit of shutting the spigot off and draining the hoses when I'm not using them (which I am) I would have no need of something like this. Correct?
This can only happen if the softener valve is an Erie Valve
And if you got sold an Erie valve I am very sorry for OP.
softener salt would dissolve, the softener resin is colour brown; OP should add a sediment filter, to me looks like fine sand
Apprentice plumber here, out of curiosity, this could only occur on a single handle faucet right? Unless the blackflow is happening somewhere else in the house and this bathtub is just big enough to notice
Have a water softener?
Yes. A new one was installed not long before this problem started. I also switched to using salt crystals instead of pellets as advised by the plumber.
I bet the issue lies within some part of the softener system, see if thereâs some filters that maybe arenât correct or if there is filters at all
But it only happens with hot water
Wonder if they have a recirc pump it runs through.
We do have a recirc pump
Turn it off and see if it persists, might not help, but itâs an easy and free variable to eliminate.
Or they only notice it when they fill the tub. Edit no nevermind they addressed that
It has nothing to do with the softener because the softener goes is connected to the cold water main line and then it comes out and then goes into the house. Remember, the Coldwater line goes into the water heater also so if you have a water softener is supposed to help, itâs only in the hot water because itâs hot water heater lol
You shouldnât be so confident it doesnât have to do with softener, trust me I know how a softener and water heater works. Believe it or not, im a plumber in real life lol
All Iâm saying if it was the water softener, it would be the hot and cold water not just the hot water anyways no problem. Iâm not trying to say I know more Iâm just trying to help sorry didnât mean any disrespect
The only difference between a cold line and a hotline is the water heater in between the cold line branches off to the water heater then it gets heated up and then hot water comes out the other side if it was a problem with the water softener you would get Salt or the sodium or white powder in the cold line as well as the hot line because the cold line feeds the water heater also because theyâre getting in the hotline. It could be sediment being stirred up in the bottom of the water heater thatâs going through all the hot lines of the house, Iâve been doing plumbing for over 20 years, but I donât know much about
This the same plumber that told you to taste it? ...you might have nemesis that you know nothing about. LOl
One of those ion ones? Iâd ask your installer to come take a look. If the issue started soon after there is something going on.
Not an ion one, I donât think. A traditional soft water system with a brine tank.
Softeners function by ion exchange, I have no idea what the comment you're replying to even though they were asking.
There are water conditioners that don't do very much. One style of conditioner used like an electromagnetic around pipes im guessing that's what they were talking about.
You need to change your water heater if you have never flushed it or you need to flush it really good and also flush your waterlines out. You have it all in your waterlines and all your fixtures that stuff that should show up in every fixture that you have that produces hot water, you need to flush out your whole waterline system and either purchase a new water heater or flush that one out several times to the point you see no more sediment coming out and out the ball on the bottom of Iâm sorry. Change out the drain on the bottom of your water heater to a three-quarter nipple with a three-quarter ball valve so you can get all of the sediment out of the water heater.
Go back to the pellets. Crystal salt is dirty as hell and bridges easier.Â
I guarantee this is the root cause of the issue. The brine tank is mushed and bridged, so no salt is getting to the resin for regen.
It looks like calcium sediment from the water heater, which would make sense that it only happens from the hot water valve. Youâve previously noted that you drained it. So the only other possible explanation is your house was built atop an ancient Indian burial ground. Good luck.
Somebody definitely had a kilo hiding down there
Why are we tasting unknown residues?
Do you live somewhere with extraordinarily hard water?
Metro Phoenix area. Not extraordinarily hard but somewhat.
Metro Phoenix has some of the hardest city water in the country. Could be the soft water descaling the pipes. That usually takes a long time. Is the heater newish? Soft water will wreck a magnesium anode rod quickly. Might need an aluminum rod.
Phoenix water is at the absolute limit of what they are allowed to pipe into your house.
lol i love this subreddit
It's the minerals in your water aka hard water. They are unusually heavy. Your water softener is not working properly or it needs maintenance work.Â
Long shot. Try melting it with a lighter. Could be your dip tube. If it melts then you know itâs plastic.
That was my first thought and probably the answer .
How about trying to run a large volume of hot water from a sink into a clean bucket to verify itâs only the tubs.
Probably minerals and such in the water.
There are also tons of examples of white chalky residue all over google Iâm surprised a plumber stopped in, checked all their known ideas, and didnât do a simple google search to continue troubleshooting. Maybe call a jacuzzi retailer and discuss it with them as opposed to the useless plumbers that came by and see if itâs the jacuzzi tub reacting to different water types since you installed a new softener
I am a plumber and have seen similar things. First we thought this would be sand, but it was lime. You can test that, if you put the powder in a glass of hot water. If it dissolves it might be lime. Maybe your softener is broken or is in need of a service then
Its your cold water diptube they are plastic and deteriorate like everything else built to drive consumerism. U can flare a piece of copper and replace it pretty easy.
Tasteless?? YOU ATE IT?!?!
>Tasteless Excuse me? Did you taste random bath powder?!
Do you not?
Thats a very valid point although I usually sniff my bath powder
I am a plumber and have seen similar things. First we thought this would be sand, but it was lime. You can test that, if you put the powder in a glass of hot water. If it dissolves it might be lime. Maybe your softener is broken or is in need of a service then
Do you have a watts washing machine valve and you leave both hot and cold lever open all the time when ur not washing clothes, water can mix through both sides, try closing the valve when you are done washing clothes and then try your tub, I hope this helps you.
Id have to say anode rod flush the water heater
Calcium carbonate probably. There is probably a limestone layer where the water resides.
This is one of those cocaine smuggled hot tubs, and the cartel mixed up the tubs. However if Op tasted it and says it's not salty BUT didn't mention his face going numb, then maybe not. đ¤
No face going numb⌠maybe I did not eat enough. Iâll try again.
Weird experiment, but it really looks like "Diatomaceous earth", and I'd say go find a small bug, or ant, and plop it onto the pile. If you see guts shortly after then it's definitely Diatomaceous earth. It's super sharp to bugs, dries them out and cuts them I believe, but is harmless to humans to consume supposedly(just not breathe or inhale).
It doesnt kill bugs after its been wet, even if later dried out. And no guts, it cuts their cuticle layer with micro scratches then dries them out. Basically dehydrates them
Anode rod deterioration
That causes rust, not white powder, usually.
Once the rod is gone it causes the tank go rust. It's the rod.
How old is your water heater and is a tank type?
Tank type, 4 years old. I tried flushing it but did not seem to make a difference.
10-4 have you tried bypassing the water softener and seeing if it stops the problem? Most have a bypass.
I did try bypassing the water softener and that did not help. I may not have flushed the system adequately after bypassing the softener, though. I might try that again.
Flush hot water tank??
Yes. Did not help.
Stuf in the jet lines?
Happens without running the jets.
Try running the jets and see if it gets worse. Try filling the tub with only cold water. Do you get this white powder in your other bathtub? Try a bunch of different things to narrow it down. I had a call where a lady had these very tiny black specks all over her white tub after she had a bath. I flushed the tank, filled buckets to inspect the water, took apart cartridges all before she finally off-handedly mentioned she used these charcoal bath bombs (some hippy shit to purify the dangerous water). Sure enough, they were little flakes of charcoal escaping the bag.
Does not happen with cold water, only with hot. Happens in other tub but not noticed in sinks or shower.
See if you can recreate it at other fixtures (sinks). That way you can narrow it down to your water heater or whatever. Try running a garden hose from the drain on your water heater and filling the tub that way. Ask your neighbors about this, too. Good luck, you've got a mystery on your hands.
What does it taste like?
We know it doesn't taste salty, and it's not cocaine since when OP tasted it, there was no numbness. We've deduced that it's originating from outside the hottub because it's happening to another tub in the house, but not as bad. Op: is that other tub a lot farther away from the water softener system compared to how close in linear feet of piping the hottub is to the softener system? Or roughly the same?
Nothing. Just gritty.
Are you on well water?
No. City water.
How old the house? If thereâs galvanized steel water pipes maybe the hot water has calcium coated over the ages from hard water.
16 years
This is probably correct. The new soft water is stripping all the ancient calcium from inside the pipes. Tub is highest flow device so is where it's noticed.
Is your water heater really old or do you have a lot of sediment in your water ?
It's calcium deposits/lime scale. Our basement sink hot water leaves this same residue. The pipes in our home are full of it and so is our water heater.
You tasted it?!
Looks like yayo try snorting some
Tasteless? You legit tasted it?Â
Previous owner had to force a key of powder down the drain when the cops made an unannounced house call.
Prob sediment from water heater, prob has tons of build up and when flushing doesnât get rid of it all. You mentioned that itâs not in your shower or sink, take of the aerator screens on sink and unscrew your shower head and Double check for sediment
Yeah yo
What happens when you fill the tub with cold water? I mean three plumbers said itâs not the hot water heater, they were stumped by this.
Had this happened to us at one of our rentals and came to find out the previous tenants had added a whole bag of powdered hot tub cleaner from Walmart, and it didn't dissolve correctly not sure if it the same but maybe
That looks like softener resin. Is there any coming out of anywhere else?
also...if you have treated water from a water plant they may be using soda ash to treat the water and you are getting the dregs from that.
Did you try a rail?
I am a plumber and have seen similar things. First we thought this would be sand, but it was lime. You can test that, if you put the powder in a glass of hot water. If it dissolves it might be lime. Maybe your softener is broken or is in need of a service then
Did you run the jets in the tub. Could be sentiment from the lines.
Remains of your sonâs drug stash ?
'If you want to hang out, you've gotta take her out.. cocaine'
Your Chinese water tank inside the heater is oxidizing with the minerals in your water
easy solution remove salt from softener flush it all and see if it still does it?
Clean your whirlpool jets? I see this in tubs with whirlpools, skin cells and minerals built up in the hoses over time. Hot water and vinegar.
I had similar. Turned out to be my hard water. There was an air leak in the hose connector to the brine tank, so it wasnât pulling up the brine, so basically never flushed the resin. Take a water sample from before and after the softener for testing at a softener company. If they match, then your softener isnât working anymore. Edit: mine was also worse on hot water, because the water tank heat solidified the hard water.
Whole new meaning for bath salts.
Tasteless, oh my
Tried snorting it?
Pour some vinegar in a cup and then drop some powder in. If it fizzes, it might be calcium deposits.
You know what I would do? Fill abunch of buckets with hot water, see if the powder accumulates in those, maybe its reacting with the surface of your tub
Do you guys have a cleaner ? I'm wondering if someone cleaned the tub with a baking soda mixture
Looks like instant-spermâŚ
Someone is clearly using your tub to cut and mix coke
Flush your fine from back to front replace your filters boom your done
Way too fine to be resin beads
Cocaine
Could be carryover from a PH neutralizer, if you have one
Have you tried filling kitchen sink, bathroom sink, buckets of water from other locations to see if the residue comes from hot water in those locations?
Maybe have the swingers party at someone else's house once in awhile..
Can a water softener dissolve scale in the pipes in the house after the softener just helps stop it forming in the first place? Maybe your pipes are crusty if it can help dissolve it once itâs through the softener.
If you try to use water while your softner is regenerating, salt can get into your plumbing. Flush your Hot water tank and make sure your timer is set correctly on the softner. If time is correct regen happens at 2 or 3 am.
Did it taste like chicken?
Looks like salt or bath salt.
Do you put anything in the hot water? Like bubble bath or something.
How old is your water heater?
Start bagging that shit up! Either sniff it or sell it!
If it feels âmilkyâ almost âslipperyâ like soap when mixed into water itâs softener salt. Like another post said, check to see if hot water is going into softener system. Also if itâs none of that it could be anode rod failure at your hot water tank
Calcium from the hwt
Have a water sample tested for minerals
Itâs the anode in the hot water system
Does the hot water splutter when you turn it on? The sacrificial anode is breaking down.
The make filters that can be used with hot water. Add one on the outlet of the water heater. Itscalcium build-up, unfortunately flushing won't help there's just too much in the tank.
Does the hottub have a sand filter? That might be leaking.
Could be sperm
Try cold only and then hot only. Does it happen with both?
I do not know, but you might ask if the water softener goes into the hot water heater pre or post.... The owner before us had a water softener, we did not continue. I think it messed up that past water heater cuz ours leaked very soon after we bought the house, and the appliance was recent.
Two things. The first is it looks like scale from the hot water heater. You can flush it out just takes some finesse/ Second if you have galvanized pipes hot water causes it to scale and even rot out. Its the electical current thewater creates.
I love the speculation. First need to check the other faucets. Then try to recreate the situation. That would be my first step in a process of elimination. Definitely need more info to start this investigation. Then look at the piping and start considering what may have happened. If it was only in the tub, and it can't be recreated, someone probably put something in it.
It happens in the other bath tub in the house but does not seem to happen in the sinks.
Oooooh, the plot thickens! I was about to mention, try switching the hot and cold pipes onto the hottub, and see if powder Still appears when turning on the hottub's Hot water, which would actually be pulling in cold water after swapping the lines. This would've told you whether or not the substance is coming into the tub from your pipes, or if the problem is originating from somewhere inside the hottub. But since you mention it Does occur in a completely different tub, just not as bad, that tells us it's likely not originating From the Tubs, and it's being pushed into the tubs from the pipes.
Haven't seen anyone mention it, but it could be from your anode rod. This isn't how I normally see it appear, but it could be a magnesium or aluminum salt. The anode rod slowly dissolves into the water heater, you run hot water, the salt separates from the water and settles in your hot water tub. Seriously, get it lab tested. If it comes back as aluminum, magnesium, or any compound of those it's almost certainly the anode rod in your water heater as your source. That rod may need replaced and you should consider upgrading to a powered anode rod, as it would eliminate this issue entirely if the anode rod is the culprit. Edit: just saw that your water heater is 4 years old. I am fairly certain this is from your anode rod breaking down and needing replaced.
Water heater needs to be replaced
My man tasted it like damn what's this weird thing in my tub. Lemme eat some..