Problem with rust in water


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Old 08-22-16, 06:44 AM
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Problem with rust in water

This problem has been going on for a few months (if not longer). I really noticed it when I turned on my outside tap and filled a white bucket. I was horrified, I went in the house and turned on the tap in the kitchen. It is right above the outside tap. Water seemed fine although I had probably flushed the line by that time. I realized the stain in the tub that my wife has been griping about is sort of like rust. I never gave it a lot of thought because it can be very easily wiped off, real rust stains doesn't it??
I called the water authority and they came and flushed the hydrant in front of my house. They said, nope no rust here. I wasn't right there with my white bucket when he opened it though, so I'm not so sure. The water looks clear, even at the outside tap. It's not until you put it in something that you see it.
I know what your going to say, water line. It's pretty much all copper, from the main line throughout the whole house. The only place it's not copper is 3 connectors that were put in because they broke the line. There are 3 because they had to add a section of copper because they broke it in 2 spots within a couple feet of each other. The jerk with the shovel was a real piece of work. The first line he broke was the main line out at the street, . Water company had to come out and shut off the whole street while they fixed it. Certainly made me a popular guy, it was off for hours, not minutes. They had to bring a pump in to drain the hole so they could fix the pipe. They put on some kind of what I'd call a quick connect fitting. All three places have this same kind of fitting. They said it was a legal fitting for this type of repair. The town inspector passed it, but I should also add that the guy responsible for the whole mess knew the inspector. They spent more time talking than he did inspecting. Before I could say anything they were shoveling dirt over them.

So, I guess my question is (after all that rambling) Is this a common way if fixing a broken pipe on an incoming water line that is buried underground?? I have a sharkbyte connector on one pipe inside the house, but the guy at the hardware told me they are made for that purpose, he didn't think they were ok for underground connections though.
Are there any of you that do this kind of repair, and is that the source of my problem?? If those things are rusting I need to know because the line they fixed is within a foot of the house foundation. If it breaks it'll flood that wall, then I'll have a real mess.
 
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Old 08-24-16, 10:52 AM
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Underground main connections are made typically with a compression-type fitting. I forget what they are called, but it's rare (if ever) they are soldered. So it sounds quite reasonable.
Plus, a single fitting (or 3) wouldn't cause enough rust to actually see in your water supply. So the sediment must be coming from somewhere else.

Can you narrow it down to hot or cold water? Hot water heaters can cause these type of problems as they age or the anode breaks down. That would be the first step to confirm.
 
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Old 08-25-16, 06:16 AM
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Thanks for the reply
I went down to the basement to look for any problem areas. I see a couple of possibilities. I'm adding a couple of pictures. I see corrosion where the copper pipe sits against the pipe for the gas line. The gas line has some serious rust which l will lightly sand and paint black again at a later date. Would that be the source of the problem? I am going to drain the hot water heater down and flush it out, it's due. The problem seems to be just the cold water, and the outside tap (that is where I'm seeing the most rust) is a tee right after the tee to the kitchen. The kitchen tee is about 3 foot further down from the outside tee. Is it wise to use some emery paper to sand the corrosion off and clean the pipe up??
 
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Old 08-25-16, 08:14 AM
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There could have been an accumulation of rust and sediment that settled in one place in the plumbing over the year. Opening the kitchen tap with an aerator on the spout did not cause enough of a flow to carry the rust along. Then when you opened the outdoor spigot there was an increased flow that flushed out some of the rust.

It is not unusual for workmen to break an old water line when making repairs. A fitting or gooseneck might even be torn out or cracked right at the water main and a significant repair has to be made before a new tap can be made and a new line run to the house in question.
 
 

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