Why are my FlowTite valves oily?

[LilyT]

The Accor FlowTite valves installed in my house are about 20-year-old. They still work but feel oily on the outside of the white plastic tube. The oil is greenish, sometimes drips to the cabinet floor.
I wonder what’s going on. Have you seen this before?

 

[CT18]

Probably need a picture

 

[LilyT]

Probably need a picture

I don’t have a picture. I wiped the tubes clean with dish soap. This happens to all my FlowTite valves.

 

[breplum]

Ask Accor directly

 

[LilyT]

I did, no response though. I’m wondering if anybody else had similar experience.

 

[Jeff Handy]

Just change them to decent 1/4 turn metal valves.
The Accor valves suck, flimsy plastic junk.
They can also pop closed by themselves sometimes.
And the flex supply is permanent, can’t be changed with age.

 

[LilyT]

Thank you, Jeff!
Yes, I’m in the process of getting all of them changed to 1/4 turn valves, compression type, because I have no confidence on push-on types any more.

 

[LilyT]

Here are the pictures of the greenish oil on the FlowTite tubes I cut out.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Was there cosmetics or bathroom cleaning or sanitation products in the cabinet with the water supplies you have pictured ?

Any pest control being done or in the past ?

 

[Jeff Handy]

Looks like some kind of corrosion.
Maybe something funky your town is adding to the water is eating up the metal?

 

[LilyT]

Was there cosmetics or bathroom cleaning or sanitation products in the cabinet with the water supplies you have pictured ?

Any pest control being done or in the past ?

This happens to all my FlowTite tubes, I have 19 of them in total. All felt oily on the outside, even the toilet water supply lines. I first noticed the green stuff on one of my kids’ bathroom toilet, see picture. Then I went to check all the other lines and found out they are all oily and some have very obvious green stuff as in the pictures I showed earlier. They are definitely not caused by the cleaning or sanitary products stored in the cabinets.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Pest control was sprayed on it probably or a ghost maybe.

 

[sawguy]

Do you live near a nuclear power plant?

 

[LilyT]

Do you live near a nuclear power plant?

No

 

[LilyT]

My house was built in year 2000. These FlowTite valves were installed by the builder. Could it be that the plumber used some kind of oil to lubricate the threads?

 

[Twowaxhack]

My house was built in year 2000. These FlowTite valves were installed by the builder. Could it be that the plumber used some kind of oil to lubricate the threads?

Anything’s possible I suppose.

Have you tasted it ?

 

[pakle]

I have green deposits on all my toilet & faucet shut off valves. They're not oily though. I suspect they're mineral deposits because all my valves have probably leaked at some point and have mostly sealed themselves up. I found a couple valves that were removed last year due to leaks, you can see the deposits there too. They pretty much flake off.

PS. I just found yet another leaky valve under the sink that hasn't been touched in several years. It hasn't leaked to the paper below yet. So much for the theory that it has to be turned to leak...