Mold In A Pipe Or Hot Water Heater?
We live in an apartment and all of a sudden, we smell mold when we turn on the hot water in the bathroom. The hot water from the sink and shower both smell moldy. The bathroom is kept clean and free of mold and mildew. We have tried bleaching the tub, sink, and drains, but the mold seems to be in the hot water coming out of the pipes.
This is a new one for me. Can mold live in a pipe or hot water heater. If so, how do we combat it?
Thanks for your help!
Related posts:
- I Had A New Hot Water Heater Installed And Now Input Water Pipe To Upstairs Bath Is Blocked. What Can I Do? We have galvanized pipes and the installer says that...
- Forgot Salt In Water Softener,now There Is Mold, What Do I Do? OMG, I forgot to put salt in my water softener....
- My Gas Hot Water Heater Was Relit Today And Now Water Is Coming Out Of The Pipe That That Comes Out Of The Wal It is a pipe next to the water heater that...
- There Is A Bad Meat Like Smell Coming From Around My Water Heater Area What Could It Be? I live in an apartment pretty old and the smell...
- Hot Water Heater Broken! Help Please? Ok, so I just took a shower and now there...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
7 Responses to “Mold In A Pipe Or Hot Water Heater?”
Leave a Reply
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Are your neighbors having the same problem? Your best bet is to talk to your manager, but I would check with the neighbors first to see if you are the only one.
December 23rd, 2009 at 2:18 am
from what you are saying , no mould can not live in a pipe it need Oxygen to live, but its possible that the tank that holds the cold water in the loft can and will grow mould , again this mould will contaminate the water and possibly make it smell,, but you would see debris in the water, but my guess is that you should check the tank in the loft, be care full you may not like what you see(something dead) if this is the case,, turn of cold water inlet drain tank , remove debris, scrub with weak bleach solution , fill tank, drain again to flush bleach , the fill again and use,
December 23rd, 2009 at 3:59 am
If your water heater isn’t turned up high enough it can be a problem with a slightly contaminated water source, or water heater. Contact management, and request that they turn your water heater to be set at 180F (160F if you have children). The higher temperature will kill the mold, mildew, bacteria, or other fungus in the water heater. It may take a few days to flush a sufficient volume of water through the unit/pipes to solve the problem.
December 23rd, 2009 at 8:09 am
There are certain types of mold that can live without air. But there are none that can live without food. That is, organic matter. So the mold is not in your fresh water pipes. It is in the drains. When you turn on the water, the odor is pushed up out of the drain. Bleach and water do not kill mold. Bleach is a bactericide. Bleach bleaches mold, making it hard to see, but does not kill it. Only a fungicide will kill mold. Make sure that you get a fungicide for indoor use. I can recommend EcoH from Ecoquest. Pour it down the drain full strength and let it sit. There are others that work just as well.
December 23rd, 2009 at 10:58 am
maybe chemicals in the water (from the water supplier).
get your landlord to check it out.
i would agree that mold can’t grow in the pipes.
water should NOT BE SET OVER 120 degrees. not 160 or 180. boiling is 212 how hot do you really need it?
tell the landlord that you think it may be making you sick and you want it checked out as soon as possible.
no where in your message do i see reference to a tank, or tub in the attic. water is never stored in a tank before it comes out of your faucet,
the only tank that maybe involved would be the large tanks you see out on the roadway that hold hundreds of thousands of gallons, and that’s controlled by the water works people.
good luck to ya.
December 23rd, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Gosh thats a hard question to figure out. Maybe (with the mgr permission) you can drain the hot water tank and fill it with new clean water. Or perhaps if the tank is very old replace it. It is very hard to get a smell out the a tank like that.
December 23rd, 2009 at 2:44 pm
are you on well water or city water