We've recently been getting blockage in our tub faucet, and kitchen faucet. Primarily in the tub which has dedicated 3/4 lines.

When I pull the aerator on the tub faucet it's full of this crap. The kitchen faucet is one of the pull out type that will require taking the whole thing out to disassemble. I've found small pieces where the water lines connect to the shutoff, and in the nozzle aerator. I'm not finding it in any of the other faucets in the house. I suspect it's related to the hot water and that's why I'm finding it in the tub and kitchen faucet where we use lots of hot water.

The material is plastic, it almost looks mesh like. I'm assuming it coming from the water heater, but my understanding of a water heater tank is that it's metal with a glass liner. If so then where is this coming from?

Any ideas?



Bottle cap is for size reference. This was one continuous piece, and I've pulled out longer pieces all wadded up in the tub aerator.

Weird...in for the answers!

City water or well? Either way, ask neighbors if they have similar issue.

Maybe from the dip tube in the water heater??

City water

Just posted the picture to our Nextdoor group (like FB, but only for neighbors).

I'll see if anyone else is seeing similar.

My first thought was something from the main, but I just filled our hot tub from a hose that comes in feet from the main, and none showed up in the tub so I'm thinking it must be our water heater.

How do you know it's plastic?

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
How do you know it's plastic?

Melted, and caught on fire when I held it to a lighter. Smelled of burnt plastic.

Alrighty then. So ruling out calcium deposits, and narrowing down to the water heater, I would agree that it's probably the dip tube. Older heaters have white tubes of a plastic that will actually melt in hotter water.

See if you can replace with one of the newer blue tubes that are more temperature-resistant.

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
Alrighty then. So ruling out calcium deposits, and narrowing down to the water heater, I would agree that it's probably the dip tube. Older heaters have white tubes of a plastic that will actually melt in hotter water.

Ok, thanks. I'll have to look into getting at the dip tube.

quote:

Originally posted by ubelongoutside:

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
How do you know it's plastic?

Melted, and caught on fire when I held it to a lighter. Smelled of burnt plastic.

Yikes!

I'd drain the water heater, you'll find lots in the sediment at the bottom if it is indeed the culprit.

I've drained it before expecting to find sediment, and got nothing. Of course that was years before we started seeing this.

The hot water heater is 15 years old and I should probably just replace it, but for a $20 part I might just try to stretch it.

Probably do the anode rod too.

quote:

Originally posted by sjames:

quote:

Originally posted by ubelongoutside:

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
How do you know it's plastic?

Melted, and caught on fire when I held it to a lighter. Smelled of burnt plastic.

Yikes!

LOL, well first I dipped it in some muriatic acid to see if it was calcium, when it didn't react I then burned it.

City water? Plastic?

Depends...

(you do not want to see what ends up at the plant!)

It looks like filings from drilling pvc pipe to make service taps.

If you have braided steel flex lines in your system I'd look inside at the plastic lining. When the lining breaks down it's just a matter of time before they leak.

Looks a bit like plastic “sawdust” from someone cutting PVC pipe with a hacksaw.

quote:

Originally posted by topherh:
It looks like filings from drilling pvc pipe to make service taps.

We do not have PVC mains around here, them being cast iron. But some new construction, where farm fields are growing houses anew, water mains are of a plastic push gasketed pipe. And drilling and tapping would make such waste.

Awaiting Nextdoor comments ...

RE: dip tubes - there was a rash of bad tubes in the 1980s or 1990s, I recall. Lots of tubes replaced under warranty. Similar decomposition, I think.