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"WHITE PARTICLES" OR
"WHITE PAPER" IN SHOWER HEADS OR FAUCETS
The Water Utilities Department receives calls from
customers concerning white particles or things that look like white
pieces of paper clogging plumbing fixtures. These are most probably
one of two things:
- They may be bits of calcium carbonate scale
coming from your water heater. The scaling may be worsened because the
water heater thermostat is too high. Most manufacturers recommend
setting it at about 120°F. If
the particles are calcium carbonate, you probably need to flush your
water heater. Most manufacturers recommend that you do this twice per
year.
- They may be pieces of plastic from the dip tube in your water
heater. The dip tube takes the cold water from the supply at the top
of the tank down to the bottom of the tank to be heated. Some dip
tubes were made of inferior plastic. The staff at the lab can help you
determine whether it is scale or
plastic.
Here are some tips
for flushing your water heater:
-
Turn off the
power or gas to the heater.
-
Close the cold
water supply valve. It's usually located at the top of the unit.
-
Connect a garden
hose to the drain valve located near the bottom of the tank. Run the
hose somewhere that you can drain the water (it may be hot at first).
-
Open the drain
valve to discharge the water inside the tank. It will probably have
some particles in it.
- After the tank is empty, close the drain valve and open the cold water
supply valve. Turn on the power or gas.
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