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When is the last time that you took the toilet lid off your tank? Most of us don’t have a reason to do this very often. When we do, we may not always like what we see. You may notice a color that you did not expect to see; black or brown. What exactly are you looking at, and do you need to worry? What exactly is causing this, and is it in the other water in your home? You may also notice that it is showing up in your toilet bowl. Although you may have concerns, you should know that there are ways to remedy this situation.
What Is It?
Although your mind may run right to the worst-case scenario, chances are, it is something in your water that is causing this. As you may know, there are minerals in our water. Manganese is usually the culprit for this black color to show up in our toilet bowls and tanks. It does not cause a threat to your health most of the time, but it is something you will want to monitor.
Once you notice it in your toilet bowl or tank, you may start to see it in other places. Other common areas that it may affect are your laundry, appliances, water heaters, and your drinking water.
If it is not manganese in your water, it could be ferric sulfide, aka black rust. The idea of rust in your water at any capacity may cause you to start looking into this issue.
If you see that the water has more of a brown hue to it, it could be something else. When this happens, it could have something to do with the city water or water system coming into your home. The solution for this is a system that helps relieve the amount of iron in your water.
Other Potential Problems with your Toilet/Tank:
You may have a hunch that something doesn’t seem quite right, but are not sure of what you are looking at.
Some common problems that you may have with your toilet tank are:
Deposits in your tank: This can happen due to rust in your water. This could also be a sign of pipe issues.
Slimy water- This can be an issue of bacteria caused by iron. Major treatment and filtration processes will have to take place to fix this.
Blue stains- Caused by copper corrosion. This happens due to a low pH level in the water.
One of the other major issues you may run into is the dreaded M-word… MOLD. Bathrooms are breeding grounds for the ultimate humid environment. Mold spores congregate in the open toilet bowl when they see the opportunity. You may notice this more in a toilet that is not used a lot. Mold tends to grow when the water is not used.
Mold could also be coming through your water supply or your pipes. This is troubling on a few different levels because now you know that it may be affecting all your water. If you see any mold in the toilet bowl or the tank, getting a mold test of the whole home may be necessary.
With the right treatment systems, these should have a fix that will allow you to avoid replacement.
Next Steps
The first step is figuring out what is going on so you can acquire the proper water system. Sulfur-filter systems, iron filter systems, and chemicals and solutions are available for this treatment. Our team will come to your home, look at your toilet bowl and tank and decipher what the next steps will be. Although it may look like it is only in the toilet, this will give us a good idea of where it is coming from and where else the issue may be.
Our main goal is to make sure that the water coming into your home is safe for you and your family. The water that is in your tank or toilet bowl can give us a direct correlation to any issues going on.
Things you should never do…use bleach! Many people think they know exactly what is going on and reach for the bleach, mainly is you are trying to get rid of mold. We have the best solutions and chemicals to defeat each issue that could arise.
How You Can help
There are a few things you can do in your bathroom to help with the spread of mold. Do you have a window in your bathroom? Open it up and allow the airflow. Speaking of airflow, use the fans as you are showering. The humidity in your bathroom does not help, so increasing airflow should help. You can also get a dehumidifier if you notice that your bathrooms can’t seem to get rid of the humidity.
Make an effort to flush your toilets more often. While deposits may sit in your tank or water stays stagnant, it could be creating these lines. Flush the toilet and get the water moving around. This will make a difference for toilets that do not get used often. Also, clean your toilet. Stay ahead of it and talk to us about solutions that you can use to keep your toilet clean so you can steer clear from lines and discoloration in your toilet.
These tips should help with this issue if it should arise. If you are taking these tips into consideration and there are still black lines or residue in your toilet a water system may help. Please contact our team for further information on your situation and how we can help solve these problems!
