So I've posted a few times on some color issues I was having with my well water, and now everything's just about cleared up. I had some yellowish color to the hot water, which turned out to be rust/scale etc. and which cleared up with a new heater ( I also learned that I need to change my anode rods which were gone!). I had my water tested to state safety standards after all the work was done and all looks good. but there's still the faintish blueish hue to the water when I fill my soaking tub for example. I personally think i'ts the hard water reacting to the copper pipes (all my lines are copper and ten years old or less). and this is reenforced when I installed the new heater, and could see a bit of blue inside the pipes. sorry for the long story but should I be concerned? thx as always. jp

 

Do you have blue staining underneath dripping faucets or blue deposits on your faucet aerators?

Yes, I would be concerned about blue water. That's often copper and means your pipes are being eroded which is not good. What is your water's pH? I most often see it with low pH but high pH alkaline water can also leach copper. If the home is older I also would be concerned about lead leaching from solder joints and possibly from some brass fixtures.

 

thank you and yes to some staining under the faucets and aerators.

it seems like PH is a relatively simple test to make? I have a pool and use test strips all the time -- would they work? FWIW I believe I have "hard" water.

All of the plumbing is copper and all is ten years old or less.

I will figure out how to do a PH test and report back. is this a health issue or concern about the pipes? from what I've read hard water does not seem to be a health issue?

 

If you had your water tested the pH will be in the report. Your pool test kit will also get you close.

All that staining and blue you see in the water is your pipes wasting away. If allowed to continue you'll start to get pinhole leaks in random places and eventually the house will need to be replumbed with plastic.

 

So I could not actually find in the report strangely! but I did use my pool strips and tested several times and it's right at about 6.8 which seems on the low end but still acceptable for drinking water? could there be another cause for the blue since it does seem to be the copper reacting. thank you!

 

....or perhaps at such a low level that it's less of a cause for concern?

 

Low pH (acid) and other water chemistries can be corrosive to copper but I think low pH is the most common. 6.8 isn't too low but it is getting close to concern. Maybe that combined with other issues is leaching copper from your pipes. It is also possible that the copper is in the water underground. Depending on where your water test sample was taken you can tell the source. When I have my well tested I take the sample right at the wellhead and before any of the house's piping so I'm only testing the water coming out of the ground. If your sample was drawn from a faucet in the house you could be seeing the affect of the pipes.

 

Agree with above- blueish water means there is copper in the water.

However, I'd check for a leak first. I've seen blueish water, WHEN I'm re-filling our swimming pool. When you run a large volume of water through a residential water system, you MAY find that the water is blue because, in my experience, that high volume of water will tend to wash away much and scale that has been protecting the copper pipes.

Another possibility is that you've got a 'mixed' system where there is copper, iron, PVC and other water pipe components - sometimes changing a fixture will expose the pipes and allow copper corrosion until the gunk 'settles' and seals away the copper.

 

thank you.

As to a mixed system, virtually all of my plumbing is ten years old or less, and it is "mixed" in that perhaps 60% is pex, with the balance new copper. how might that effect it?

As to high volume, I have been using to top off the pool, and also for irrigation which could also be effecting it? is it good to "wash away" and should there be less blue ultimately after I've done that?

thx again this is super helpful.

jp

 

Did your water test include a test for copper? Testing for copper is among the required tests in my area. It is part of a standard water test. In my area the suggested limit is 1.3 mg/L. I don't know if that is a national standard. The water test should also indicate PH.

The PH that you measured may be misleading. I have a mix of 40 y/o copper and more recently installed PEX. When I had my last water test the procedure required that I leave the water sit in the pipes overnight and the sample was taken from a copper fed source. If your sample was primarily sourced from PEX. My water PH is slightly alkaline and there was no copper detected. I don't know if a PH of 6.8 would be corrosive enough to cause your problem.

If it were me I would have the water tested again, solely for PH, copper and lead by a licensed lab. If you have a copper problem caused b corrosion it can be mitigated by adjusting the PH.

 

Contact your county's Health Dept. or Environmental Services Dept. to have your water tested. They will send the sample to the state lab for a reasonable price. And, importantly, they are not trying to sell you anything. The lab results you get will be accurate and impartial. You may want to have your sample taken at the wellhead so you know the water chemistry without influence of your pipes.

 

hi folks -- coming back to this with some followup! SO first I did go through my town and get a state-licensed drinking water test, and it came back as good. but it did not include a copper test. I know it's not a lab, but I bought a home test kit and have tested for copper from several faucets (old and newer sections of the house with different mix of copper and pex) and it came back as 0.05 ppm (mg/l) wihhj was well within "safe". they also inmdicated an EPA max of under 1ppm. so I'm feeling better about that. also again the PH seems within reasonable range, but still perhaps enough to cause the bluish hue? Long way of saying it seems I'm good for drinking quality, and not so high that it will cause corrosion/pin holes in the copper, but cna that be if I've got a bit of blue? its only visible in a full tub. also I have a factory filter in my Samsung fridge and wondering how I should thing about that. I always use factor replacements. thx again!

 

Many people are surprised that water may be safe to drink wile still be slightly corrosive to the pipes. You are loosing copper from your pipes so I would at least keep it in the back of my mind. You could get decades more service from your pipes before it becomes an issue but the copper in your water shows that the pipes won't last forever.

 

I wouldn't assume that any copper is from your pipes unless you know otherwise. It could be source copper or partially source copper.

Bottom line - if it were me I would not worry about it.

 

great thank you both!