Rust Coming Thru Pex Lines?

housedocs

I've got a problem that has me scratching my head as to the cause. Last week we tore out a garden tub in a modular home and replaced it with standard 5' tub. All of the plumbing in this place is plastic, water lines and drains. Went there yesterday to finish up the drywall taping in the bathroom around the tub and client said that when you first turn on the water you get a burst of rust coloration in the water, hot or cold, doesn't seem to matter still does it, but only when you use the tub for the first time each day.

The only metal in the system is from the shower body to the spout, couldn't get the pex fittings to work with the spout, so I am thinking this must be the culprit. What has me baffled is why I can only get this situation to happen once, after the water has been shut off overnight. Any thoughts folks?

__________________
"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure". -Mark Twain

Teetorbilt

The standing water in the pipe has time to accumulate rust overnight.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

TimNJ

Do they have well water or city water?

mdshunk

Before I got my water system installed years back, the first burst of water in the morning from every fixture was rusty water. There was dissolved iron in the water, and it would rust overnight while standing in the pipework.

Your customer has apparently not experienced this issure before, and this is new. You didn't use black iron pipe from the valve body to the spout by chance, did you?

Teetorbilt

md, does anyone use black iron pipe on potable water systems?

This is allowable on fire systems here.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

mdshunk

Gee, I hope not. I was just ruling out stuff. Anything's possible. Gas lines and fire sprinkler's are about the only uses for black iron in these times.

What the heck do I know, anyhow? I'm just throwing some stuff out there. If I get lucky, then I look smart. Helps with this fat head disfunction that I have.

Teetorbilt

None of this really matters. It appears as though Housedocs is going to replumb with plastic. Sometimes you bite the bullet.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

housedocs

They're on city water and the only metal I used was just a couple of galvanized pieces to run the tub spout out from the shower body, so there's no water standing in any metal line overnight, also this is only happening with the new tub, no problem with the plumbing in the dbl sink we install in the same bath or for that matter in the other tub we installed.

Customer isn't worried about this at all, but it's buggin me, being the perfectionist type that I am

I do appreciate the brain storming.

__________________
"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure". -Mark Twain

747

I had that happen when the plumber change my tub spot in my second bathroom. It would shoot out rust color water. Didn't do it before. It did it for about a month. And one day it stopped. It doesn't do it anymore. It was the only place it did it. Meaning no where else. Not the other bathtub or any other facuets.

plumguy

The only thing the hot and cold share is the line from the valve to the spout. You need to replace the galvy with copper or brass. Galvy is actually steel pipe coated with zinc and it has a tendency to flake off and clog the system and also rust.

housedocs

I took the spout off yesterday and removed the 4" piece of galvanized, dried it all out and spray painted the inside with some rustoleum, let it set overnight and we're still getting the same thing. I think swapping it out with brass is going to be the ultimate solution. Just has me scratchin my head, cause I've tore out lots of galvanized pipes and never because the client had rust coming out with the water like this.

__________________
"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure". -Mark Twain

Teetorbilt

House, this is only common in new installs because the minerals in the water eventually seal off the interior of the pipe. Of course, this varies with the quality of the water.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

plumguy

That is interesting!! I can't believe you would go thru all that.... to paint a nipple as opposed to replacing it.But, it sounds like you are eventually going to narrow it down. It is a tough way of doing things especially in a customer's home...waiting for a dollar nipple to dry overnight. Either way good luck!