OT: Grrrr... Frigging Fyzics!

Ouch! A shirtsleeve estimate says I'd need ~1.5G just to "charge" the hose. You wouldn't want to use that fluid for anything else (though you could drain the hose and store the fluid -- for "next" time).

But, the hose would be forever contaminated -- definitely not the sort of thing you'd want to be watering the yard with!

Would the brake fluid "attack" the material that the hose is made out of? IIRC, it removes *paint*...

The beauty of water is that it's so readily available and (generally), non-toxic ;-)

For $600 I could buy a lot of *beer*! Or pistachio nuts!

Ah, you show much better discipline than I, in that regard. If I make a quart of ice cream, it's gone by sundown! :>

(and I'm not real fond of SHARING :> )

Naw, the *cream* doesn't need to be frozen. I can put it in my little insulated "lunch bag". I need to pick up some milk, too, so this might start to get to be a tedious trip to do "on my feet"! Lugging a pint of cream is one thing; add to that a gallon of milk and the 3 mile return trip starts to feel more like 5 :<

"Hmmmm, how much do I *really* want that ice cream...?"

I was just saying you _might_ be interested. The fluid does have some interesting properties. And you could use a smaller diameter tube -- such as the tubing often found in a chem lab.

Jon

You might also try adding a bit of dishwasher rinsing agent to the water before you fill your hose and tube. The surfactant will significantly reduce the surface tension of the water and reduce the meniscus effect.

Mark Borgerson

Op Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:57:39 +0200 schreef Don Y :

It could even be both, reacting to each-other, thereby creating a film.

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Yes. I've tried an "alcohol wash" to see if that dissolves whatever it is. But, to no avail. :< It *does* come off with direct mechanical agitation. And, doesn't "reappear" when the tube is, once again, filled with TAP water. I've not tried reconnecting to the garden hose to see if that causes the haze to return.

It's more an annoyance than anything else. As soon as the inside of the tube is wetted, it regains its transparency. (not that it is really *opaque* in any case!).

Just another thing to wonder about...

Good idea! And, it wouldn't "suds" (which would be a real PITA). And, of course, it *shouldn't* (?) be toxic.

BTW, did anyone else notice how the gummit (?) has been working to remove phosphates (?) from detergents?

Yes, my sister-in-law claims her silverware doesn't get clean now. I honestly can't see much difference at my house. I dunno, 'perhaps' a tiny less shiny look.

I have thought that, if this is a real problem for folks, that encapsulating some TSP in gelatin caps and selling them on ebay as 'dishwasher boosters' might be lucrative. Until everyone starts selling them or the g'mint bans TSP.

I haven't noticed it but a neighbor has been complaining that her glassware has "streaks" -- that it didn't before (I guess this is important to some people! I figure if the glass doesn't *leak*, it's working fine!! :> )

Hmmm.. I would think TSP wouldn't be the sort of thing you'd want tinding its way into your body (?). I now it beats the hell out of my hands (feels like it removes your fingerprints from your *skin*!) when I forget to "wear protection" :>

If you have reduced forms of iron and manganese in your water, it may oxidize on contact with air and precipitate out as a film on the tubing and hose walls. We have a lot of that stuff in our well water. It often forms the oxide particles in the water pressure tank, but is then filtered out before the water goes to the water softener. We use the 'iron out' salt in the softener and it contains a small amount of citric acid or something that keeps the metals in solution so they don't stain clothes, dishes and clog the pipes.

The oxide films are insoluble in almost everything. I think only oxalic acid and perhaps sodium bisulfite will touch them.

Mark Borgerson

There's a good reason for that----the phosphates greatly stimulate algal growth. They're hard to remove at wastewater plants and can result in algae blooms in rivers and lakes.

Mark Borgerson

Ah, never considered that! I know I've always *deliberately* disposed of waste "wash water" (e.g., car wash) *on* the plants instead of letting it run off into the street (where it does no good for anything!). We'd considered routing the grey water from the washing machine out as well but it is an impractical plumbing chore... (unless we wanted to install a *pump* for this purpose) :<

I don't think that's the case. Note that our drinking glasses don't have this "haze" (recall, the "hose" was only in use for a short time).

I know we have very "hard" water -- esp with the CAP alotment. But, I think the biggest mineral contaminant is As at ~9 ppb. Water here has never been "great". And, rather than encourage conservation, their solution is to continuously reduce water quality (in favor of the GROWTH panacea).

This has to be something else. (my money is still on the hose!)

I tried an alcohol rinse and that didn't make any difference.

*But*, with nothing to lose, I left the alcohol in one of the tubes. When I eventually emptied it to put the tubes back in storage, that tube was noticeably cleaner! And, the alcohol had a yellowish tinge to it.

So, I screwed the two tubes together (since they have complementary fittings), put the end cap on one end and filled the assembly with alcohol. Then, capped the other end (lest it evaporate).

It's been sitting like that for 12-18 hours, now. The liquid has a noticeable yellow/orange tinge. I don't want to empty it prematurely but I suspect this will "clean" the tubes.

To prove to myself that there is a real discoloration, when I empty the liquid, I'll pour it onto a white napkin and let it set in a bowl until it evaporates -- just to verify that it *is* discolored.

Question is, do I want to then RE-fill the tubes with *tap* water, let them sit for several hours (the duration the "water level" was in use) and see if I end up with the same results?

Time to request some lab data from them? Maybe it's even online.

Eeeuw. Either your PVC is some cheap import of very questionable origin or your drinking water has some serious issues. I'd want to get to the ground of it.

Try it with a known good piece of PVC, preferably from a US manufacturer. If that gives discoloration obtain a copy of the latest water test report from your water utility. Seriously.

There could also be a more local source of contamination, an underground leak or something.

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I have the latest (annual?) "statement" in which they report on water quality. Aside from high levels of arsenic, everything looks well within "limits" (assuming the limits really are significant!)

The tubing came clean of the haze. Napkin has a noticeable orange/yellow tinge to it.

Note that the domestic water doesn't produce these sorts of results. I can leave a napkin soaking in tap water until the water naturally evaporates (wouldn't take long, here) and the napkin remains pristine white.

I hesitate to drag the garden hose indoors to repeat the experiment (it has since been relegated to "yard watering" duty).

I could refill the tubing with tap water and let it sit on the odd chance that it is something in the tubing or brass fittings...

The garden hose is most probably "Made in China" :>

The "vinyl tubing" was from a local hardware store. I will try to remember to check the markings next time I am there.

Again, tap water (which is not processed differently from the water delivered via the hose bibs) doesn't discolor napkins, etc.

So, problem is either in the tubing/fittings *or* the garden hose. (many hundreds of gallons have since flowed through that hose so no idea if any problem there would persist)

Arsenic is high? ... ugh ...

But ok, then it should not do this.

Oh, ok, I thought your tap water was doing this. Where did the water that made the haze come from?

Just give them a ring and ask where they get it from?

If the garden hose water comes from the same source, are there any steel pipes in the line? Steel fittings or nipples? Plumbers aren't always very concerned about dissimilar metals even though they should be.

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One of the consequences of reliance on wells. And, of course, CAP doesn't make things much better...

It's all "domestic water" -- just out of a hose bibb instead of "the tap".

I put a napkin in a bowl of water and let the water evaporate (to see what it leaves behind). Refilled the bowl a few times so at least a quart of water has "soaked" the napkin. No discoloration.

I will next try it with water from the hose bibb to see if any difference, there.

(I still think the hose itself is the culprit)

No idea. House is built on a slab so you can't see anything but the stops.