home water testing

Posted:
in AppleOutsider edited January 2014
Wondering if anyone can shed some light on a problem I have. For the last year we;ve been finding bits of dissolved plastic in our water. Since I live in NYC the first thing I tried was the local DEP. No luck, once they concluded that it had an internal source, they said there was nothing they could do. My landlord says it's not happening.



I can bang on city hall's doors all I want, without a certifified lab test from a reputable company I'm wasting my time. Anyone know anythihng about water testing? I found this great article, but am not sure how to proceed: http://www.inspect-ny.com/water/AhsWtr.htm#ahswmisc



I'm almost sure it's dissovled PVC.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    Wowsers!
  • Reply 2 of 16
    marcukmarcuk Posts: 4,442member
    cant you filter the water, collect the pvc and take it to someone as proof?
  • Reply 3 of 16
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Now you know why all Californians only drink bottled water. Yikes!
  • Reply 4 of 16
    jvbjvb Posts: 210member
    Call a plumber. Get them to check it out and then have the plumber report back to the landlord for you. He cannot say the problem doesn't exist when an expert finds it!
  • Reply 5 of 16
    Drink it and see what happens. Maybe you'll get superpowers.
  • Reply 6 of 16
    ptrashptrash Posts: 296member
    Or cancer...



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by turnwrite View Post


    Drink it and see what happens. Maybe you'll get superpowers.



    I think sending the residue with a water sample may be the first step. Then once we know what it is a plumber can look for the source.



    What's scary is our dog died last year, after getting a tumor that grew really quickly. He was old, but he drank excessive amounts of water. The problem went away for a while. It's all very strange...
  • Reply 7 of 16
    What do you mean dissolved?



    You generally can't find things that are dissolved without knowing what you are looking for and having the proper equipment to 'see' it.



    Do you mean to say you have floating pieces of *something* in your water?



    Can you describe it?
  • Reply 8 of 16
    ptrashptrash Posts: 296member
    The particles show up in our faucet strainer, but not our neighbors. The NYC DEP guy had me put the particles in a glass of vinegar, and they didn't dissolve. However, while they initially floated, I left the solution in a jar and eventually, after a week, the particles became suspended in it.



    I'm pretty sure it's plastic, though, since it looks just like chips of PVC-white, hard and shiny. Unless it's a ceramic? The consultant referred to a metal anode in the hot water heater--bits of it wouldn't float, would they?



    Are you suggesting testing can't be done unless you have an idea of what you're looking for?



    PS The theory of the DEP guy: the water heater is defective, and an

    electrical current is being created, causing acidification that's slowly decaying the plastic lining in the heater. Could that happen elsewhere in the plumbing system? The people that installed the new water heater also re-wired the apartment building, and weren't so great.



    The consultant mentioned parts that might breakdown in the NYC water system, but then stuff would appear in our neighbors water, right?





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hardeeharhar View Post


    What do you mean dissolved?



    You generally can't find things that are dissolved without knowing what you are looking for and having the proper equipment to 'see' it.



    Do you mean to say you have floating pieces of *something* in your water?



    Can you describe it?



  • Reply 9 of 16
    jupiteronejupiterone Posts: 1,564member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ptrash View Post


    What's scary is our dog died last year, after getting a tumor that grew really quickly. He was old, but he drank excessive amounts of water. The problem went away for a while. It's all very strange...



    Sounds like your dog had Cushings disease.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    ptrashptrash Posts: 296member
    i never know what to expect on this site. I thought Cushing's Disease was hormonal, and never knew dogs could get it. Didn't JFK have it, along with his other maladies?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JupiterOne View Post


    Sounds like your dog had Cushings disease.



  • Reply 11 of 16
    jupiteronejupiterone Posts: 1,564member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ptrash View Post


    i never know what to expect on this site. I thought Cushing's Disease was hormonal, and never knew dogs could get it. Didn't JFK have it, along with his other maladies?



    IIRC it's a cancer of the adrenal glands. The glands overproduce a hormone that causes extreme thirst. My last dog had one of his adrenal glands removed once he was diagnosed and lived for another two years after that.
  • Reply 12 of 16
    ptrashptrash Posts: 296member
    My other dog died from it, after getting predinosone treatment. The tumor that killed him grew to the size of a baseball in just a few days, and he couldn't breathe. It's possible he'd already had the tumor, he was getting little skin hemmorhages, which could've been symptoms of underlying cancer.



    We let this dog enjoy his old age--absolutley no vet treatment after the last horrible experience. They both lived about the same length of time (16 years).



    I assume it comes from the steriods in the food they eat, or from medications. (As this dog aged, his teeth fell out. The only thing he'd eat was chicken, and we couldn't afford organic.)



    PS I wonder if similar symptoms could be triggered by exposure to a toxin in the water?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JupiterOne View Post


    Sounds like your dog had Cushings disease.



  • Reply 14 of 16
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ptrash View Post


    The particles show up in our faucet strainer, but not our neighbors. The NYC DEP guy had me put the particles in a glass of vinegar, and they didn't dissolve. However, while they initially floated, I left the solution in a jar and eventually, after a week, the particles became suspended in it.



    I'm pretty sure it's plastic, though, since it looks just like chips of PVC-white, hard and shiny. Unless it's a ceramic? The consultant referred to a metal anode in the hot water heater--bits of it wouldn't float, would they?



    Are you suggesting testing can't be done unless you have an idea of what you're looking for?



    PS The theory of the DEP guy: the water heater is defective, and an

    electrical current is being created, causing acidification that's slowly decaying the plastic lining in the heater. Could that happen elsewhere in the plumbing system? The people that installed the new water heater also re-wired the apartment building, and weren't so great.



    The consultant mentioned parts that might breakdown in the NYC water system, but then stuff would appear in our neighbors water, right?



    When you ask for analysis of water you either do a broad spectrum shot gun method which has a high risk of failure or you ask exactly what it is you are looking for...



    So they float. They are white hard and shiny. Most ceramics will sink. Have you pHed the water to see if it is acidic. Acid generally (unless it is quite strong) can't do a thing to plastic especially pvc. More than likely somewhere in your building's plumbing a plastic pipe was broken or unclean before it was installed and you are just getting remnants from that event. I would put an on faucet water filter which will filter out anything coming from the tap and give you a better chance at proving where it is coming from (for your landlord)... If it was a city water thing, then you neighbors would have issues so I do think it is in your apartment building .
  • Reply 15 of 16
    marcukmarcuk Posts: 4,442member
    It isn't limescale....right?
  • Reply 16 of 16
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MarcUK View Post


    It isn't limescale....right?



    The vinegar was a test for that...



    Given that it didn't dissolve.... it isn't likely...
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