Anyone here know why water makes a stain in the bathtub?

Question

My water makes a pink slimy stain when it pools up somewhere for a day or two. It stains the drain and the toilet. Also, when you leave a few drops of water in the bathtub, a pink stain appears. Its gross, it comes off with soap. But I wonder why it does that?

Answer 1

Yep I do. The pink slimy stain comes from a type of bacteria appropriately known as Iron-reducing Bacteria. They are very common problem in some water system. Once they are in your household system they are very difficult to get rid of. Most often times they set up shop in your hot water heater. The temperature of hot water heaters are not high enough to kill the bacteria. Don't panic though, they are not pathogenic and won't make you sick. You don't have the type of food (iron) they are looking for and therefore don't metabolize in your gut making you sick. They pass right through. They literally live off the iron found in water pipes and water mains and household plumbing. They are considered more of a nuisance than health threat, as they eventually destroy hot water heaters, plug them up or eat the plumbing out of your house if it has a high iron content . Also if your water system has water that is high in iron it can live on copper and plastic piping because it gets it's food source directly from the water... On an interesting note, this is the same type of bacteria that is slowly but surely eating the Titanic.... iron molecule by iron molecule at the bottom of the Atlantic. The pink color actually comes from the bacteria metabolizing/oxidizing iron making rust..............

Answer 2

because it is not clean, the water we drink everyday is full of questionable stuff, and depending on where a person lives it may be more contaminated than other places, this type of what is Know as hard water: when water is run through a more rigorous process it's called soft water, this is why most health/holistic practitioner, suggest all people should at least have filter on their sinks, to wash some of that contaminate out of the water you cook and drink with.

however there has been a study showing that hard water is better for you.

Answer 3

Water contains minerals that get left behind when the water evaporates.
-w-

Answer 4

Water is different everywhere. It depends on the minerals in your water.

I would have said it is rust, but rust isn't pink.

Answer 5

Some kind of minerals in your water, probably.

Answer 6

The moisture allows mold to grow. What you are seeing is a type of mold growth.
Here is a good site that will explain:
http://www.startribune.com/397/story/925142.html

Answer 7

I can tell you all one thing....if it aint in your well its in your plumbing or residential water source......ISTHERE ALOT OF PEOPLE ON WELL WATER HERE?i HAVE THAT FEEL CUZ I AM AND WHEN THE SNOWS MELT I GET BLUE,.....dEAD OF WINTER-PINK....PEAK OF SUMMER -CLEAR CUZ THERE IS NOT ANY FLUSHING BEING DONE...HOPE THIS WORKS FOR U............................

Answer 8

iron/ minerals -use lime away..perhaps old copper plumbing..