House Plumbing question...

[Duff McCartney]

Okay so I live with my cousin and recently we've been having some trouble with our water system. Pretty much overnight a few weeks ago we had fine water, to having very and I mean very low flow water in the shower, and sometimes no water coming out of the downstairs bathroom. If the water did flow, it was not even lukewarm so the showers in the morning were cold as hell.

We've had some people come by to look and they've told us that there is calcium build up in the pipes coming into the house. I figured it was something like that because when I would put water in my dogs bowl from outside, there were these small little white pepples that would come out of the hose.

My question is how does that calcium build up if it's coming from outside? Is it a city problem that would have to be fixed? Apparently the guy who checked it out said it might have to do with all the new houses they are building around the area and they clog up other peoples houses with calcium.

[Das Texan]

Unless its on the cities side of the water meter (ya right) the city isnt doing dick about it.

[Wild Cobra]

Unless its on the cities side of the water meter (ya right) the city isnt doing dick about it.
Very true. As far as I know, in all jurisdictions, the meter is the dividing line between the city's responsibility, and the owners.

Duff, New construction may be the cause of a sudden blockage, but the pipes would already have to be pretty restricted for that to happen. For that reason I see no way to blame construction, unless you fixed the problem and found something relatively huge blocking the pipe. I think most pipes from the meter to house are 1" or larger. I think the smallest they may be is 3/4". This means there would have to be a pretty big item that got into the system to block it.

I suggest you go someplace like Lowes, Home Depot, or whatever you have in your area and but "do it yourself" books on the topic.

Now actually, if I parsed your posting correct, you still have proper flow in the rest of the house. You should then be able to easily isolate where the problem is and fix it yourself, if you are a handyman at other things.

[SpursNextRomanEmpire]

Tell the city that if they are not going to help you are just gonna start digging around until you find the problem.

[Wild Cobra]

Tell the city that if they are not going to help you are just gonna start digging around until you find the problem.
Yea, right. If they get the wrong idea, they will be all over him.

[U.S.A.F.]

Sorry if this is off topic but.....I stop drinking water from the faucet in 1989 and I feel great. Google how many times workers hooked the sewage pipe to the drinking water pipe and didn't tell the residents. Also people who drink water near Kelly AFB are all suffering from cancer type illnesses. Drink water from the city at your own risk my friend.

[Wild Cobra]

Sorry if this is off topic but.....I stop drinking water from the faucet in 1989 and I feel great. Google how many times workers hooked the sewage pipe to the drinking water pipe and didn't tell the residents. Also people who drink water near Kelly AFB are all suffering from cancer type illnesses. Drink water from the city at your own risk my friend.
Can you say Urban legend... I mean propaganda?

Water pipes have something like 60 PSI (pounds per square inch) of pressure on them. Sewer pipes have effectively no pressure.

Can you explain how that is possible please?

[Summers]

It could be sediment in the water heater. The calcium builds up on the heating elements, but also the sediment can be taking up a third or half of the water heater. My maintenance guys have had to drain water heaters, wet-vac the sediment out, and put it back together. It's a central Texas thing. We have really hard water here. It messes up the dishwashers, too, so I tell all my tenants to pour a cup of cheap vinegar in every dishwasher load.

[Wild Cobra]

It could be sediment in the water heater. The calcium builds up on the heating elements, but also the sediment can be taking up a third or half of the water heater. My maintenance guys have had to drain water heaters, wet-vac the sediment out, and put it back together. It's a central Texas thing. We have really hard water here. It messes up the dishwashers, too, so I tell all my tenants to pour a cup of cheap vinegar in every dishwasher load.
Yep, hard water is pretty hard to blame the city over. Just a regular cost of a house, like re-roofing every now and then, painting, etc.

[U.S.A.F.]

Can you say Urban legend... I mean propaganda?

Water pipes have something like 60 PSI (pounds per square inch) of pressure on them. Sewer pipes have effectively no pressure.

Can you explain how that is possible please?



http://www.cccminc.com/saws.htm



Larry DeMartino
"When you put non-potable treated sewage in drinking water, that is not an
issue that easily goes away," River Road homeowner Larry DeMartino said.

"It was represented to us that this could never happen -- that these pipes
could never get crossed," he said. "And they even said that they went so far
as to color code the pipes. Well, what was supposed to be impossible -- has
happened."

[Wild Cobra]

http://www.cccminc.com/saws.htm



Larry DeMartino
"When you put non-potable treated sewage in drinking water, that is not an
issue that easily goes away," River Road homeowner Larry DeMartino said.

"It was represented to us that this could never happen -- that these pipes
could never get crossed," he said. "And they even said that they went so far
as to color code the pipes. Well, what was supposed to be impossible -- has
happened."
That is a far cry from:

hooked the sewage pipe to the drinking water pipe
If you fail to communicate the truth, expect it to be ignored.

[U.S.A.F.]

http://www.jstor.org/pss/3282398

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p55/RackTheMouse/sewage2.jpg

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p55/RackTheMouse/sewage.jpg

[U.S.A.F.]

Shop owners in a Chula Vista business park knew something was wrong with their water. It tasted bad, smelled funny and had a yellowish tint. “You would flush the toilet, and it looked like it wasn't flushed,” said Amy Wise, co-owner of the Candy Bouquet, which sends out candy arrangements.
http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070822/images/otay280.jpg

HOWARD LIPIN / Union-Tribune
Otay Water District representatives met with Fenton Business Center owners and the park's tenants yesterday to answer questions about the revelation that the center's occupants have been drinking and washing their hands in treated sewage water.

The Otay Water District assured the merchants that the water was fine, but the merchants weren't convinced. The park's property manager sent a water sample to a private lab and got some shocking news Friday.
For two years, occupants of the 17 businesses in Eastlake's Fenton Business Center have been drinking and washing their hands in treated sewage water.


READ THIS V
Reports tell of cases elsewhere, including San Antonio in 2002 The San Antonio Water System recently paid $19,500 to settle a 2003 lawsuit filed by 13 people who alleged they were sickened by the treated wastewater.

[U.S.A.F.]

Water Contamination requiring boiling of water in NW Bexar (San ... (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CAoQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.city-data.com%2Fforum%2Fsan-antonio%2F685763-water-contamination-requiring-boiling-water-nw.html&ei=mleUS5v9L8W0tgeFsLHUCg&usg=AFQjCNG0y7PCxGldLbqZ4FNEKP-H-o7jkg)


Jun 24, 2009
San Antonio News "Hate to see anyone get sick "... San Antonio drinking water,

[Ignignokt]

okay so i live with my cousin and recently we've been having some trouble with our water system. Pretty much overnight a few weeks ago we had fine water, to having very and i mean very low flow water in the shower, and sometimes no water coming out of the downstairs bathroom. If the water did flow, it was not even lukewarm so the showers in the morning were cold as hell.

We've had some people come by to look and they've told us that there is calcium build up in the pipes coming into the house. I figured it was something like that because when i would put water in my dogs bowl from outside, there were these small little white pepples that would come out of the hose.

My question is how does that calcium build up if it's coming from outside? Is it a city problem that would have to be fixed? Apparently the guy who checked it out said it might have to do with all the new houses they are building around the area and they clog up other peoples houses with calcium.

pay your debt to jim, asshole!!!

[CosmicCowboy]

It doesn't sound like a calcium "build up"...sounds like a bunch of gravel/trash got in the municipal water line...it's fairly common...just take the screens off all the faucets (they unscrew) and take off all the shower heads and clean them...let the water flush the lines out out while you have them off...It's no big deal...

[Aunt Ester]

It doesn't sound like a calcium "build up"...sounds like a bunch of gravel/trash got in the municipal water line...it's fairly common...just take the screens off all the faucets (they unscrew) and take off all the shower heads and clean them...let the water flush the lines out out while you have them off...It's no big deal...

That's a real Texan right there! ^ it's what John Wayne would do,

[bigzak25]

cosmic ftw!


that whole check on the water heater for sediment buildup sounded like good advice too though!

[Duff McCartney]

pay your debt to jim, asshole!!!

The title under your name should read rookie..because you're still living in 2005.