Iron bacteria and toilet tanks

[Susan Gray]

My well was treated for iron bacteria a while back. The water looks
good, but there's still an awful lot of rust "slime" in the toilet
tanks. How can I get rid of this - just try to scrub out the tanks or
is there a better way?

Thanks,
Susan

[Speedy Jim]

Add maybe 1/2 cup of bleach to the tank water. That will kill
most of the stuff; later you can scrub the tank with more bleach
solution. Add a little bleach to the tank water every week or so
to keep the growth in check.

The bleach may deteriorate the rubber flapper over time; you can
get much better life by replacing the flapper with one of the
red "super rubber" types/

Jim

[John Galbreath Jr.]

Get a product called "Iron Out". Follow instructions about applying to
toilet tank.

--
John Galbreath Jr.
http://www.FireLogs.com
mailto:Jo...@FireLogs.com
Birmingham, Alabama
888.321.Logs

"Susan Gray" <SL-...@wiu.edu> wrote in message
news:7a510962.02100...@posting.google.com...

[dicko]

Do the cup of bleach as previously said, but do it only once. I had
nothing but trouble with the rubber flapper deteriorating and leaking
when I used one of those slow-disolving chlorine bleach tablets in the
tank.

I later found this gadget at Menards. It works great and havent had to
replace a rubber flapper since. It puts the chlorine directly into the
bowl and not in the tank where it can harm the flapper.

http://www.puricle.com/

dickm

On Wed, 09 Oct 2002 12:50:11 -0400, Speedy Jim <vo...@mail.nls.net>
wrote:

[Susan Gray]

Thank guys - I appreciate the advice!

[Gary Slusser]

"Susan Gray" <SL-...@wiu.edu> wrote

I think there's a lot of misinformation about IRB, iron reducing
bacteria, or referred to as iron bacteria. Unless you have a slimy
deposit at the water line in the toilet tanks, you probably only have
Ferric Iron, household rust, deposits or problems. That happens when
Ferrous iron, dissolved in the water is oxidized and the particulate
deposits on surfaces as rust or rust stains. The slime of IRB is
slippery, snotty, sticky thick and from clear to colored rusty orange to
brown usually. To test you flush the toilet and rub your finger tips and
palm on the surface of the tank at the water line and below it. Rusty
orange and slippery without snotty thick does not mean IRB.

So how are you identifying IRB and how and when was the well treated? Do
you have a softener or iron filter etc.?

Gary
Quality Water Associates

[Gary Slusser]

"Susan Gray" <SL-...@wiu.edu> wrote

> Thank guys - I appreciate the advice!

If it's really IRB Iron Out and bleach may not get rid of it without
scrubbing the surface clean, then applying bleach to 'kill' what is
still there that you can't see. But if there's IRB in the well it will
come back in time.

Gary
Quality Water Associates

[Susan Gray]

"Gary Slusser" <qwas...@ptd.net> wrote in message news:<UJgp9.3998$Ye5.1...@nnrp1.ptd.net>...

I had the pressure tank replaced a couple of months ago and the
plumbers told me then that we had IRB. The well was shocked probably 6
weeks ago. I'll have to check the toilet tank to see how slimy the
residue is (sounds like a fun Friday night!)

Susan

[Beach Bum]

In article <7a510962.02101...@posting.google.com>, SL-
Gr...@wiu.edu says...

Be interesting to see what you find. I was pretty much convinced that I
had IRB, but replacing the old galv pressure tank (I couldn't believe the
stuff that came out of it) and adding a 20 micron particle filter has
resolved the problem completely.

Steve