Plumbing Question For VN

[TC 83]

Seeing if anyone has any input for a plumbing issue I'm having with my household water and it's directly tied to my irrigation system. If the irrigation system is turned on our faucets will run murky water with black looking particles. You cant necessarily tell unless you fill up a tub and then you can really see how dirty the water is my wife refuses to bathe the kids in it. The residue seems to hang around for days. So we haven't ran the system in 3-4 years. The main line from the street runs to the house and underneath the house it appears they tee'd off under the house and ran back outside to run irrigation lines. I've attached pictures below that show the T and cylinoid valve to open up water to the irrigation system. My thinking is that I need a back flow preventer. If you turn on the irrigation you can hear gurgling in the hot water tank too. I'm just thinking that the pressures are sucking the dirty water from the irrigation system back into the house main and running to the faucets. I've also never blown out my irrigation lines too. Any help/recommendations is greatly appreciated.

 

[pismonque]

Seeing if anyone has any input for a plumbing issue I'm having with my household water and it's directly tied to my irrigation system. If the irrigation system is turned on our facets will run murky water with black looking particles. You cant necessarily tell unless you fill up a tub and then you can really see how dirty the water is my wife refuses to bathe the kids in it. The residue seems to hang around for days. So we haven't ran the system in 3-4 years. The main line from the street runs to the house and underneath the house it appears they tee'd off under the house and ran back outside to run irrigation lines. I've attached pictures below that show the T and cylinoid valve to open up water to the irrigation system. My thinking is that I need a back flow preventer. If you turn on the irrigation you can hear gurgling in the hot water tank too. I'm just thinking that the pressures are sucking the dirty water from the irrigation system back into the house main and running to the faucets. I've also never blown out my irrigation lines too. Any help/recommendations is greatly appreciated.

Yes, you absolutely need a backflow preventer. Even if that isn't where the residue is coming from, it could. Your theory about dirty water being sucked back into your house is exactly what can happen.

Immediately after the tee there should be a a shutoff valve and then a bp, both before the solenoid valve. You can talk to a plumber about flushing and/or disinfecting the lines in your house.

 

[Toujours Pret]

Check valve, easy fix. Suprised there's not one.

 

[Go aeiou]

Yes, you absolutely need a backflow preventer. Even if that isn't where the residue is coming from, it could. Your theory about dirty water being sucked back into your house is exactly what can happen.

Immediately after the tee there should be a a shutoff valve and then a bp, both before the solenoid valve. You can talk to a plumber about flushing and/or disinfecting the lines in your house.

Agree, do it right. Listen to your wife.

 

[TC 83]

Yes, you absolutely need a backflow preventer. Even if that isn't where the residue is coming from, it could. Your theory about dirty water being sucked back into your house is exactly what can happen.

Immediately after the tee there should be a a shutoff valve and then a bp, both before the solenoid valve. You can talk to a plumber about flushing and/or disinfecting the lines in your house.

So I had the work done. Installed new shutoff and double check backflow valve before solenoid. They had to redo the lines (looks like pex) due to space. The work looked good....hoping the problem is solved...turned on the sprinklers...ran some water...wife even said the water looked clearer than ever (lol)...then turned on our tubs....heartbreak. You can see below what it looked like. Thoughts?

 

[Toujours Pret]

Assuming you let the tub run a bit?

 

[pismonque]

Well, first of all, your money wasn't wasted because you did need the backflow device anyway. Even if that wasn't bringing in the sediment, it was always going to be a water quality risk.

I don't know if the plumber flushed the lines in your house but if not, there could have been residual stuff in the lines. If you flush the lines and it's still happening, you could have a break in the main between the meter and your new work, although it seems like that would have become a bigger and more noticeable problem by now.

Probably should start by just flushing all the lines in your house and see if that clears it up.

 

[malinoisvol]

Have you flushed the water heater?

 

[Obsessed]

I can’t tell from the pics, but if you don’t have a water shut off valve before the back flow, add one.

You will need it for maintenance on the irrigation system

The black deposits you are getting are coming from the water heater imo.

 

[SmokyRiverDog]

So I had the work done. Installed new shutoff and double check backflow valve before solenoid. They had to redo the lines (looks like pex) due to space. The work looked good....hoping the problem is solved...turned on the sprinklers...ran some water...wife even said the water looked clearer than ever (lol)...then turned on our tubs....heartbreak. You can see below what it looked like. Thoughts?

Pre-rinse before you bathe.

 

[Zues1]

Agree about the water heater. If you run just cold water do you still have the issue? Flush the water heater, or if it's a few years old just replace it

 

[TC 83]

Have you flushed the water heater?

About a year ago but I'm going to do it again now that I know there's no backflow from the irrigation.

 

[TC 83]

Agree about the water heater. If you run just cold water do you still have the issue? Flush the water heater, or if it's a few years old just replace it

Well that's the other odd part. It does turn the toilets water dark too which is just a cold supply.

 

[TC 83]

I can’t tell from the pics, but if you don’t have a water shut off valve before the back flow, add one.

You will need it for maintenance on the irrigation system

The black deposits you are getting are coming from the water heater imo.

Yeah we put a shutoff before the BF. I'm going to flush the heater next. That seems to be the consensus.

 

[chattavol420]

Oh damn. It really is a plumbing thread. I though this was going to a joke when I opened it. Was prepared to laugh and needing to flush saban down the toilet. Or a Kirby smart guy stuck in yours. Bla bla. But no...op legitimately went on Vol nation for questions to his home project.

 

[LouderVol]

Well that's the other odd part. It does turn the toilets water dark too which is just a cold supply.

Sounds fairly universal. I would check the line before it got to the water heater if the cold water is also gunked up.

 

[Orange_Vol1321]

Sounds fairly universal. I would check the line before it got to the water heater if the cold water is also gunked up.

If the toilet water or cold water is discolored also it isn't the water heater. Im guessing you dont have a well if you're running a irrigation system. What kind of pipe brings it in to your house from the meter? PVC, Iron etc? Do you have any kind of water softner or filtration sytem on your water coming in?

 

[pismonque]

Wait though. In your OP you said you hadn't run the irrigation in 3-4 years because when you do you get the sediment. So I'm guessing all that time it was off you weren't having a sediment problem then?

That would seem to implicate the lack of a backflow device like you first suspected, and would rule out a problem in the main coming into your house. That being the case, it could be that within the system of lines in your house there were just residual pockets of sediment lurking in more isolated or less used dead-end lines that are still migrating into other parts of the system. If so, just flushing out all the lines would take care of it.

 

[Obsessed]

If the toilet water or cold water is discolored also it isn't the water heater. Im guessing you dont have a well if you're running a irrigation system. What kind of pipe brings it in to your house from the meter? PVC, Iron etc? Do you have any kind of water softner or filtration sytem on your water coming in?

Wells running irrigation systems every day.

 

[DefenseWins]

Try running the water for a couple of days and see if that fixes it.... you might want to snake the lines and see if there are breaks in the line... or it could be something like someone hooking something up wrong. I work remodel so I have seen some funny stuff. Always a good rule of them check on the cheaper options before getting into the expensive stuff... the work you have already done was necessary regardless though.

 

[Grudenator]

May also need a water treatment system. I can already tell you, judging from the water, that the shower heads are probably super stopped up.

 

[Orange_Vol1321]

Wells running irrigation systems every day.

Maybe so, I wouldn't run it off a well personally.

 

[Coug]

I’ve got a strange issue that has just recently come to light. The toilet in the bathroom at times won’t refill itself until I open the sink faucet. It also seems to mostly occur only late at night. Any ideas?

 

[Toujours Pret]

Change out your fill valve and see what happens

 

[SmokyRiverDog]

I’ve got a strange issue that has just recently come to light. The toilet in the bathroom at times won’t refill itself until I open the sink faucet. It also seems to mostly occur only late at night. Any ideas?

Bad solar cell on the automated switch?