Mrmichaeljmoore
Member
I am having a problem with spots on chrome fixtures.
I am on well water.
Location: Connecticut
Here is my raw water analysis:
Hardness - 21 GPG (grains per gallon)
Iron - 0.05 mg/l (ferrous)
Manganese - ND (not detected)
pH - 7.3 standard units
TDS (total dissolved solids) - 472 ppm
My treated water analysis (done by a local lab):
Copper - none detected
Iron - none detected
Manganese - none detected
Chloride - 11.9 mg/L
Hardness- none detected
Sodium - 110.7 mg/L
Nitrate as N - none detected
Nitrite as N - none detected
Color - 0
Odor - 0
PH - 7.8
Turbidity - 0.3 NTU
Sulfate - 40.5 mg/L
TDS - 364 ppm
My existing water treatment setup:
1. Big Blue sediment cartridge filter
2. Autotrol 255/762 48K water softener (installed in 2006)
3. Big Blue RFC cartridge filter
I confirmed that water is at 0 gpg hardness at all fixtures using a Hach 5B Hardness Test Kit.
Attached are some pictures. I hope they help in diagnosing this problem.
The pictures labeled Basement Shower (on the beige tile) show fixtures that have been in service only for a few months.
The pictures labeled Upstairs Shower (on the white tile) show fixtures that have been in service for a few years.
As you can see, the spotting/scaling on the Upstairs Shower fixtures is much more extensive.
On both fixtures, I was able to scrape away some portion (not completely, some spots could not be removed by scraping) of the water spots using my fingernail. I attached a picture of the Upstairs Shower Valve after I scraped it....Does that give any indication as to the source of the spotting/scaling?
I tried to clean the Upstairs Shower Head valve chrome handle with CLR.
I put the handle in undiluted CLR and let it sit for about a minute,
I wiped the handle with a sponge. Rinsed with cold water. But the spots still remained.
I soaked it again for about a minute. This time, I scrubbed it with a green scrub pad. The spots came off, but it did leave some faint scratch marks on the handle. So, I wont be using the green pad anymore.
Thanks for the help anyone can provide.
If you need more info to help diagnose the problem, let me know and I will get it to you....
mm
I am on well water.
Location: Connecticut
Here is my raw water analysis:
Hardness - 21 GPG (grains per gallon)
Iron - 0.05 mg/l (ferrous)
Manganese - ND (not detected)
pH - 7.3 standard units
TDS (total dissolved solids) - 472 ppm
My treated water analysis (done by a local lab):
Copper - none detected
Iron - none detected
Manganese - none detected
Chloride - 11.9 mg/L
Hardness- none detected
Sodium - 110.7 mg/L
Nitrate as N - none detected
Nitrite as N - none detected
Color - 0
Odor - 0
PH - 7.8
Turbidity - 0.3 NTU
Sulfate - 40.5 mg/L
TDS - 364 ppm
My existing water treatment setup:
1. Big Blue sediment cartridge filter
2. Autotrol 255/762 48K water softener (installed in 2006)
3. Big Blue RFC cartridge filter
I confirmed that water is at 0 gpg hardness at all fixtures using a Hach 5B Hardness Test Kit.
Attached are some pictures. I hope they help in diagnosing this problem.
The pictures labeled Basement Shower (on the beige tile) show fixtures that have been in service only for a few months.
The pictures labeled Upstairs Shower (on the white tile) show fixtures that have been in service for a few years.
As you can see, the spotting/scaling on the Upstairs Shower fixtures is much more extensive.
On both fixtures, I was able to scrape away some portion (not completely, some spots could not be removed by scraping) of the water spots using my fingernail. I attached a picture of the Upstairs Shower Valve after I scraped it....Does that give any indication as to the source of the spotting/scaling?
I tried to clean the Upstairs Shower Head valve chrome handle with CLR.
I put the handle in undiluted CLR and let it sit for about a minute,
I wiped the handle with a sponge. Rinsed with cold water. But the spots still remained.
I soaked it again for about a minute. This time, I scrubbed it with a green scrub pad. The spots came off, but it did leave some faint scratch marks on the handle. So, I wont be using the green pad anymore.
Thanks for the help anyone can provide.
If you need more info to help diagnose the problem, let me know and I will get it to you....
mm