Black residues in toilet tank

[Khiem N.]

Dear Members,

I bought a known brand name and a qualified plumber installed the whole house water filter/softener system in late 2017. I have changed out the filter mid this year as usual and the filter was light to medium brown color. However recently, my wife complained about black rings in toilet bowl of all four toilets. I opened the tank's cover and found black residues (attached pictures). I contacted their technician and he said that could be carbon dust. He recommended me to flush out the tanks completely and monitor it. I am planning to do this and also disinfect the underside of the toilet's rim. Just want to post to get second opinion. Thank you in advance for your comments.

 

[WorthFlorida]

A water softener will slowly dissolve anything that has been attached to the inside walls of the pipes or fixtures. If it is carbon, its completely harmless if you have a carbon filter. Putting some on your fingers is easy to tell that it is carbon and looking at it real close. If it soft and smears like grease then it is not carbon. Your whole house filter, it is a cartridge type and is it before or after the softener, or a carbon filter after the softener? It is a salt water softener or a salt free Pelican softener (it is more like a water conditioner)?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Khiem N.]

A water softener will slowly dissolve anything that has been attached to the inside walls of the pipes or fixtures. If it is carbon, its completely harmless if you have a carbon filter. Putting some on your fingers is easy to tell that it is carbon and looking at it real close. If it soft and smears like grease then it is not carbon. Your whole house filter, it is a cartridge type and is it before or after the softener, or a carbon filter after the softener? It is a salt water softener or a salt free Pelican softener (it is more like a water conditioner)?

I have PSE2000 by Pelican. I think the sediment pre-filter is after the carbon/natursoft tanks before go into the house. I will have to look.

 

[WorthFlorida]

You do have a carbon filter so it could be carbon in the tank. Why I asked if you have a Pelican, years ago when I first read up on a Pelican at their web site, it was expected to see black sediment as the conditioned water dissolved deposits particularly from a water heater. Currently, there manual mentions it but it doesn’t state black deposits as it did years ago. It also states that it will occur in the first few weeks but you’re well past that. Check all of the faucets airators for sediments and clean them.

I would clean out all toilet tanks and faucets and keep an eye on it. It could be a years worth of sediment and it has finally been noticed. If it occurs in a relatively short time then the carbon filter maybe passing some carbon.

https://www.pelicanwater.com/pdf/pse_install.pdf