Top 10 Water Problems Your Toilet Flush Tank Can Tell You
Find out the top 10 water problems your toilet flush tank might show you.
Your toilet flush tank is filled with clean water from your cold water pipes. Unless it is a new toilet, it shows you a history or snapshot in time of your cold water!
Water Problems: The Toilet Tank Inspection List and Answer Sheet for the Top 10 Water Problems Your Toilet Flush Tanks Can Tell You
The flush tank holds the clean water that is used to flush the toilet. It is like having a mini settling storage tank right in your home.
The water that goes into the flush tank is exposed to air and may leave sediment, rust, and corrosion by-products from the pipes (if there is any in your plumbing).
If you are on well water it might also show iron or sulfur bacteria deposits, which show up as frothy water with bubbles and stringy deposits on the sides of the flush box.
Just pull off the flush tank lid and look in! Unless the toilet is brand new you can see what the cold clean water has been depositing, after it flows through the household plumbing.
Often the source water as it comes from the ground, or if you are on city water, from the treatment plant, is good quality.
However, the distribution system (the piping, valves, sulfide, and tanks that make up the water system) are old or contaminated. It is not unusual for the water distribution system to contaminate the water and put deposits and sediment in the water.
By looking into your flush tanks in your home you can get some indication of what is happening.
If the tank is white and clean, then it can be a good indication your pipes are in good condition and your water is relatively clean.
If you want an accurate low-cost test kit to use to know how much iron, hardness dissolved solids, and other water contaminants see our Easy Well Water Test Kits.
Clean & White
Unless this is a new toilet, this indicates that your water does NOT have iron, rust, or sediment in it. If you have copper piping, it means that your copper piping is likely not being corroded.
You might still have hard water (high in calcium carbonate minerals) but generally, a clean white flush tank is good and what you want to see.
Water Problems: Clean with Deposits at Bottom of Tank
This means that either the water coming in has rust or sediment in it, or your pipes are adding sediment to the water. Check and see if you have galvanized iron piping that is corroding.
Rust or Dark-Colored Water
If you are on city water, it might indicate the city’s main distribution pipes have been recently flushed, or just plain bad or poorly treated city water. If you are on well water, this can indicate you need an iron filter system.
Black Water and Deposits
Typically occurs on well water. Black deposits and black water means either manganese in the cold water and/or ferric sulfide (black rust). This can also occur when the water has a rotten-egg odor. This can be treated with chlorine.
Slimy Rust-Colored Deposits
This typically occurs on well water. Stringy-looking, slimy deposits growing from the side of the toilet tank indicates iron bacteria. Water may appear frothy or bubbly. Treatment with chlorine or ozone (Continuous or periodic shock treatment of well and pipes) to kill the bacteria, followed by filtration is needed.
The Top 10 Water Problems and their Symptoms Found in Toilet Flush Tanks
- Calcium hardness, total dissolved solids
- Rust from decaying corroded galvanized pipes; sand or sediment from city or well water
- Copper corrosion from acidic (low pH) water
- Iron in well or city water
- Iron and other bacteria
- Sulfur (or other) bacteria
- Iron bacteria
- Iron and /or manganese
- Iron and/or manganese; ferric sulfide (black rust)
- Airborne bacteria
Clean & White
Unless this is a new toilet, this indicates that your water does have iron, rust or sediment in it. If you have copper piping, it means that your copper piping is likely not being corroded. You might still have hard water (high in calcium carbonate minerals) but generally, a clean white flush tank is good and what you want to see.
Clean with Deposits at Bottom of Tank
This means that either the water coming in has rust or sediment in it, or your pipes are adding sediment to the water. Check and see if you have galvanized iron piping that is corroding.
Rust or Dark-Colored Water
If you are on city water, it might indicate the city’s main distribution pipes have been recently flushed, or just plain bad or poorly treated city water. If you are on well water, this can indicate you need an iron filter system.
Black Water and Deposits
Typically occurs on well water. Black deposits and black water means either manganese in the cold water and/or ferric sulfide (black rust). This can also occur when the water has a rotten-egg odor. This can be treated with chlorine.
Slimy Rust-Colored Deposits
This typically occurs on well water. Stringy-looking, slimy deposits growing from the side of the toilet tank indicates iron bacteria. Water may appear frothy or bubbly. Treatment with chlorine or ozone (Continuous or periodic shock treatment of well and pipes) to kill the bacteria, followed by filtration is needed.
Please refer to the chart below to see the symptoms and the top 10 water problems that they reveal:
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