Home Improvement > BathroomOctober 10, 2005

Discolored Toilet Water

I have a toilet in a newly added bathroom which sat for about 2 years. On renewing use of the toilet, it began showing a brown, oily residue. It looks like rust, but is not. It wipes off easily with a finger swipe. It is in the tank and the bowl. It is even in the supply line. Has anyone ever seen this problem before? This residue does not manifest itself in any other fixture in the house.

Ray Dunbar from Provo, UT

Answers

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By Steve Lewis (Guest Post) 04/22/2008

I've got a similar problem in a toilet. I think mine is due to a copper pipe being attached to a galvanised steel pipe and the water being hard. The connection of those two metals encourages rust residue which collects on the toilet due to the hard water. Answer is to probably soften the water with a suitable device.

By Lori (Guest Post) 10/11/2005

I have never had this problem but I would try some oxy-clean -- put it in the tank and wait about half an hour before flushing it. It would probably clean right up. My friend has "roomers" and after a while, the bathtub needed some serious attention. She put oxyclean in the tub and let it set for awhile and the tub came out sparkling. That oxyclean is great stuff == does a great job in the laundry too.

By Leanne Mooney. (Guest Post) 10/10/2005

This is easy peasy - Just get some bleach preferably the heavy duty bleach whack a fair amount of it in the cistern and let it stand overnight or longer depending on how bad it is.

Alternatively you can grab some rubber gloves and the bleach and turn the water off to the cistern and rub away - to keep it clean every month just put some bleach in overnight. Works a treat I have one of the cleanest dunnies in Australia - I'm sure.

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