Another Water Pressure Problem

Dear Clean Water Man:

We also had a power outage and now have a water pressure issue. The strange thing is that for a time, we had air coming out of our faucets. Now when we shower, the water has a strange slow / fast pulsation. Was this caused by the power outage or is it just a coincidence?

Hi and Lowis, Stamford, CT

Dear High and Lowis:

Just like the previous writer, your pressure problem was caused by the power outage, although for a different reason. You do not have a bladder tank. Your pressure tank is the old fashioned bladder-less type and there is a technical reason why you need a non-bladder tank. (I will discuss this in a future blog). The air you experienced was the pressurized air that is supposed to be in the tank to act as a buffer. The fix is simple. Have compressed air added back to the tank and avoid using water when the power goes out. The sooner you get air put back in the tank the better because it will prevent the well pump from short cycling and burning out.

Water issues in Connecticut? Call Ted Mullen, The Clean Water Man, at 203-417-9601.

See my website at www.cleanwaterman.com

Low Pressure After Power Outage

Dear Clean Water Man:

The other day, our power went out for several hours and ever since we have had very low water pressure. What is going on?

Sincerely,

Trickles, Greenwich, ConnecticutDear Trickles:

After I met with you and inspected your water system, I repaired the problem. I wanted to post here so that my readers could know what happened. Your water system consisted of a submersible pump, a Well-X-Trol bladder tank, a backwashing aggregate filter, and a water softener. Here is what happened:

The power went out but your family continued to use water. The Well-X-Trol tank has several gallons of water stored within the air pressurized bladder and is generally enough for a few toilet flushes or turning on other fixtures. As the water emptied out of the bladder tank, a great amount of iron sludge came off of the inside of the bladder and entered the aggregate filter. While this filter is designed to remove this precipitated iron, the huge amount of sludgy iron clogged the filter and all it needed was a few extra backwashes, which I took care of while I was at your home. The pressure improved after the manual backwashes.

The best approach is to stop using water when the power goes off so to prevent this fouling of the filtration system.



Check out my website at www.cleanwaterman.com

Water problems in Connecticut? Call Ted Mullen, The Clean Water Man, at 203-417-9601.

Well water worries. Should I back out of home purchase?

I am moving from the city with municipal water and buying a country home with a well. I am worried about all of the things that could be wrong with well water and have an opportunity to back out of the deal. Am I being unreasonable with my worry about well water?

Most likely you have unreasonable worries. While you are not specific about what concerns you, I can tell you that a local water treatment professional can help you solve all but one water issue, and that one unsolvable issue is no water at all (and even that can be solved by improving or replacing the well). We can add UV sterilization systems to kill bacteria, carbon systems to remove man made chemicals, aeration systems to remove radon, and drinking water purification systems to remove just about anything. So as long as you have an ample supply of water, a system can be designed to help you sleep (and sip) easy.

See my website at www.cleanwaterman.com or if you live in Connecticut, call me at 203-417-9601 to set up a free water consultation.

Acid Water and PEX Tubing

Dear Clean Water Man:

As a follow up to a previous answer you gave to another writer, I was wondering about the need for neutral water in homes plumbed in PEX. Isn't PEX impervious to acidic water? My water is acidic and I don't want to pay to have it fixed since my home is plumbed in PEX.

Frugal, New Milford, CTDear Frugal:

Yes, PEX is impervious to acidic water. No, that does not mean you won't need to address acidic water.

While the majority of your plumbing is PEX, your water heater, fixtures, and appliances are still being attacked by acidity. There is an investment in those items far more significant than what a neutralizer will cost you. Even "Glass Lined" water heaters have some metallic areas that will contact the acidic water and be eaten away.

It is time to be truly frugal and fix the acidity before it damages your expensive fixtures and appliances.

Water problem in Connecticut? Call Ted Mullen, The Clean Water Man, at 203-417-9601.

See my website at www.cleanwaterman.com

Green Hair! What's the matter with my water?

Dear Clean Water Man:

I color my hair blond and it keeps turning green. My hair stylist says that there is something wrong with the water in my home . I am tired of going in to get special treatments to remove the green from my hair and I am wondering, what's the matter with my water?

Lady Liberty, Ridgefield, CT

Dear Lady Liberty:

It is interesting that you would sign yourself Lady Liberty, because your hair is covered with the same thing that gives the Statue of Liberty her green/blue hue, and that thing is oxidized copper. Now, the Statue of Liberty is clad with copper, but in its natural state, your hair is not. The copper in your hair is coming from the plumbing in your home and there are four major causes for the copper plumbing to deposit itself in your hair. Colored hair is the most susceptible due to the fact that it is pre-treated in order to accept color in the first place.

Three of the four causes are what can be termed aggressiveness in the water. The first type of aggressiveness is acidity. When we think of acidity, we think of vinegar or orange juice. Your water, if acidic, is nowhere near as acidic as vinegar or orange juice, but the inside of your copper pipe is exposed to an almost relentless flow of slightly acidic water. The acidity dissolves the copper pipe from the inside and the dissolved copper is carried until it deposits itself in your hair and now that it is exposed to air, it oxidizes and turns blue/green.

The next type of aggressiveness is oxidation, and it is usually caused by chlorinated community water. The chlorine or chloramine will oxidize the inside of the copper pipes and the oxidized molecules peel off and are carried with the water until it deposits in your hair where it is already blue/green even before it is exposed to air.

The next major cause is natural copper in your well. It will deposit in your hair and turn it blue/green.

The last major cause is improper grounding involving the plumbing. Most plumbing systems are grounded by the electrician who does the original electrical work in the home. Sometimes, a grounding clamp is removed for repairs and not replaced, or a phone, cable, electric fence, or other electric device is connected to the plumbing for a ground. Other times, there is a galvanic reaction between many different metals installed in the plumbing and they act in unison as a very low voltage battery. The stray current caused by these issues will suspend copper molecules which will eventually find their way to your hair, oxidize, and turn your hair blue/green.

An experienced water treatment technician can test your water and determine the cause for the greening. Since many women may not be able to convince their husbands to fix this since it is "only hair", husbands have to know that the green hair portends something much worse on its way, that is thinned out plumbing and broken pipes with flooding. Think of your hair as an alarm, telling you to get your water fixed before major damage is done.

 See my website at www.cleanwaterman.com or if you live in Connecticut call me at 203-417-9601 to set up your free water treatment consultation.