How do I keep sediment from clogging my plumbing fixtures?

Question

I have fairly new copper plumbing and a two year old tankless water heater and I am having a problem with a sediment containing black, white and grey particals cloging my shower head and my bath tub filler. I even had to clean out the hot valve itself on the bath tub. I have allready instaled a sediment filter where the main comes into the house and it didn't help.

Answer 1

Is the sediment on both hot and cold water lines? Or only on the hot water line? You said that you've had to clean out the hot valve on the bath tub. Maybe you should run a test to see if there is any sediment in the cold water line. If the sediment is limited to the hot water line, I would suspect your water heater.

I recall there was a problem some years back with the filler tube in conventional water heaters, whereby the combined effect of heat and time caused the tube to decompose. I don't know the specifics other than sediment was coming out of the hot water line. You describe the particles as black, white and gray, which could indicate a similar problem. I don't think it would be the resin in a water softener, because the resin is brown.

Don't put a sediment filter on the hot water line, because it won't take the heat.

Answer 2

It sounds like you are doing the right thing with the filter on the main line, I've got one on mine also. Maybe it would help if you turned on all the faucets all the way and flushed the lines out for a few minutes. Maybe a finer meshed filter would helped. If you are on a public water supply maybe you might could get them to flush the lines at a local fire hydrant.

Answer 3

35

Answer 4

E-bay or a builders demolition backyard. With the forged iron tubs - theres a actual industry available and money to be made out of them (particularly in the event that they ensue to be of the claw footed type)

Answer 5

sounds to me like the resin tank for the water softener is shot.

Possum