Orange slime in city fresh water supply

Plumbing Forums

Help Support Plumbing Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

precisionpete

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2021
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Location
Toronto, Canada
I am full-gut-renovating a house that was built in the 1920s. It's in a neighbourhood of Toronto known for its excellent water quality. So I do not suspect it has anything to do with the city.

In removing the old iron pipes, they are just full of this soft orange slime (see pics). Yuch!

I understand this to be iron bacteria. When I ran the water in the house, it would run orange for a while. I understand this is normal for 100-year-old iron pipes. Normal, but not desirable. And we are replacing everything after the water meter in the reno. Including the drains and stacks.

My concern is the bacteria seem to have contaminated the copper pipes coming in from the city. The copper picture below is a few feet before the start of the iron pipes and just after the water meter. So, the bacteria have travelled somewhat upstream...

At this point, I am assuming that the copper runs all the way to the city connection and that all lead pipes have been replace. I'm still waiting for the results from the lead water test from the city.

My question is... Can the supply lines be somehow cleaned and disinfected sufficiently to solve the problem permanently? If there is no more iron to feed on, will the bacteria stay away? The supply line seems to be 1" ID copper.

Any advice will be most appreciated.
 

Attachments

  • PXL_20210919_203757501.jpg
    PXL_20210919_203757501.jpg
    166.8 KB · Views: 10
  • PXL_20210918_210845696.jpg
    PXL_20210918_210845696.jpg
    210.8 KB · Views: 10
While there may also be bacterial problems, this may not have originated the issue. The lines would need to be fully cleared regardless due to the amount of debris. Any remaining residue would make it impossible to sanitize the lines. The buildup in the copper pipes may simply be from oxidation of the iron pipes over time when water was not moving through the lines. Chlorine will oxidize iron also. The slimy red stuff is an iron hydroxide gel, like what occurred later in the 1900s when acid rain dissolved mine tailings. The red-orange gel formed in large quantities from runoff.

That is a lot of debris collection and looks like it would be very difficult to remove by cleaning, and there could be pitting on the inside of the copper pipes. Have you talked with a local resource about the prospects of doing this work?
 
I am full-gut-renovating a house that was built in the 1920s. It's in a neighbourhood of Toronto known for its excellent water quality. So I do not suspect it has anything to do with the city.

In removing the old iron pipes, they are just full of this soft orange slime (see pics). Yuch!

I understand this to be iron bacteria. When I ran the water in the house, it would run orange for a while. I understand this is normal for 100-year-old iron pipes. Normal, but not desirable. And we are replacing everything after the water meter in the reno. Including the drains and stacks.

My concern is the bacteria seem to have contaminated the copper pipes coming in from the city. The copper picture below is a few feet before the start of the iron pipes and just after the water meter. So, the bacteria have travelled somewhat upstream...

At this point, I am assuming that the copper runs all the way to the city connection and that all lead pipes have been replace. I'm still waiting for the results from the lead water test from the city.

My question is... Can the supply lines be somehow cleaned and disinfected sufficiently to solve the problem permanently? If there is no more iron to feed on, will the bacteria stay away? The supply line seems to be 1" ID copper.

Any advice will be most appreciated.

Read page number 5 about Iron and the different types in water.

https://www.rheemwatertreatment.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/7386465Eng_A-1.pdf
 
While there may also be bacterial problems, this may not have originated the issue. The lines would need to be fully cleared regardless due to the amount of debris. Any remaining residue would make it impossible to sanitize the lines. The buildup in the copper pipes may simply be from oxidation of the iron pipes over time when water was not moving through the lines. Chlorine will oxidize iron also. The slimy red stuff is an iron hydroxide gel, like what occurred later in the 1900s when acid rain dissolved mine tailings. The red-orange gel formed in large quantities from runoff.

That is a lot of debris collection and looks like it would be very difficult to remove by cleaning, and there could be pitting on the inside of the copper pipes. Have you talked with a local resource about the prospects of doing this work?

The copper is relatively recent. Water meters were installed only about 15 years ago in this neighbourhood. And the copper seems to be related to that.

The orange slime is very soft and wipes off with no effort. You can see how it came off just from touching it. I suspect it's contamination from the iron. Nobody has been living in the house for a few months now. So the water has not been moving.

Just not sure how to clean it without contaminating the city. A pro would be used for sure.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top