Water staining porcelain green? Anyone else?

ClubDead

I've lived in the Ongar area for 8 years. We moved into a new home at the time, but noticed that drops that leaked from the pipes that lead to the bathroom sinks stained the surrounding area green. Over the last year I've noticed a pale green stain forming in the bathroom sinks/tub where the water hits the base of the sink.

From google searching I've learned this could be from copper leaching into the water. My fear is that this could also be happening in our tap water, but less noticeable because the sink is stainless steal.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? How did you fix it? Thank you.

beer enigma

ClubDead wrote: »

I've lived in the Ongar area for 8 years. We moved into a new home at the time, but noticed that drops that leaked from the pipes that lead to the bathroom sinks stained the surrounding area green. Over the last year I've noticed a pale green stain forming in the bathroom sinks/tub where the water hits the base of the sink.

From google searching I've learned this could be from copper leaching into the water. My fear is that this could also be happening in our tap water, but less noticeable because the sink is stainless steal.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? How did you fix it? Thank you.

Could also be a high level of Chlorine in the water. Bearing in mind the house is only 8 years old, the pipes should not have degraded sufficiently to leach Copper, so unless the water is particularly hard & naturally containing Copper, I'd look elsewhere. If I was you, I'd get hold of a water testing kit (ebay/Amazon) and check the water outlets around your house to determine what is in it.

DvB

Is it not limescale?
We have hard water in D15 which creates limescale, check your kettle's element, is it covered in a similar green colour?

ClubDead

DvB wrote: »

Is it not lime?
We have hard water in D15 which creates limescale, check your kettle's element, is it covered in a similar green colour?

Yeah we had limescale build up that shows up in our kettle but that is white no?!

beer enigma

ClubDead wrote: »

Yeah we had limescale build up that shows up in our kettle but that is white no?!

Limescale is white

DvB

Andip wrote: »

Limescale is white

I've seen large build ups take a green colour, & stain porcelain green as well over time, hence asking the question.

Pat Dunne

Unlikely to be copper leach as most houses and apartments built in the last 15 year use "Qual-PEX piping and only the bear minimum amount of copper piping.

Gaspode

Green discolouration is nearly always from copper, rarely from limescale. Afaik the ballcock in the Attic tank needs to be a copper one, so that's the most likely source. Check it's not corroded, and while you're there check there are no off cuts of copper pipe in the Attic tank itself.