White stuff floating in toilet tank?

[plexplex]

I went to flush the toilet and nothing happened. I figured the chain had come detached from the lever arm, so I took the lid off of the tank and found all this white stuff floating in the tank water! And the lever arm failed because it appears to be corroded through and dropped the chain!

I checked the other toilet in the house and there's NO weirdness there, although I did observe the normal toilet appears to have a plastic arm while the weird toilet has a metal arm.

We got a water filtration system almost a year ago that includes a salt tank to act as a water softener. I'm paranoid that this may have contributed to this issues, but I'm pretty sure the salt is not supposed to come through to the water that comes into the house. (The tap water doesn't taste salty anyway!)

I've never seen anything like this. Any idea what is going on here, and why it's present in one toilet and not the other? Will try to include pictures of floating gunk, corroded lever, and normal toilet for comparison.

 

[Ric2013]

Might just be corrosion products from that metal lever? Clean it out and see it returns...?

 

[rpm]

Is it rock hard, as in needs a hammer to break a lump into small pieces or does it crumble away between fingers? Also I am confused when you say Normal toilet and Weird toilet.

 

[Ric2013]

Hi RPM, Well, I'm ever the optimist

I just thought it might be worth excluding the possibility that whatever that is didn't come down the supply pipe. Not sure the modern Fluidmaster valve would cope with that level of whatever it is, so it seemed logical to wonder whether perhaps the dirt does not stem from the supply. Could even have been dropped in last time the place was decorated...?

But I think you already have a better hunch. I'm interested to see what the consensus ends up being on this thread. It's a headscratcher for me!

Also I am confused when you say Normal toilet and Weird toilet.

I think the weird toilet is the one with the white bits in the cistern.

 

[plexplex]

Might just be corrosion products from that metal lever? Clean it out and see it returns...?

Perhaps so. I was just alarmed because we've been at the this house for about 6 years and never saw anything like that. But yes, we'll clean it out and see how things go!
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Is it rock hard, as in needs a hammer to break a lump into small pieces or does it crumble away between fingers? Also I am confused when you say Normal toilet and Weird toilet.

The buildup on the flush lever seems pretty hard, but if I give it some force, it will start to crumble. The bits floating on the water are flat and seem softer/squishy.

And sorry, the "weird" toilet is the one with the white stuff floating in the cistern, the "normal" toilet is that other toilet in the house that doesn't have any of these issues.

 

[rpm]

Hi Ric, I couldn`t click the like, agree, funny or winner so clicked optimistic for the clean it out and see if it returns bit.

Those flapper dump valves are brilliant, so little to go wrong and will cope in an old 9L cistern. In time the flap can distort and let water bye but a new flap is £6 so unhook the chain, disconnect the hinges and replace in under 5 minutes, what`s not to like about that kind of job. Totally agree about it being a headscratcher and could be something simple like the decorator as you say but then it could also be something really stupid such as a bag of crack was hidden in there or the house used to be 2 cottages and a wall was knocked through (2 different water supplies, one mains and one from a well?)

Anyway it is in the US and I`m not clued up on some of their stuff to really comment but I am interested in a post that isn`t to do with pan connecters, leaky taps, fill valves or size and run of pipes to drains etc.

Thinking on a little more the arm shouldn`t be under water anyway.

 

[plexplex]

Thinking on a little more the arm shouldn`t be under water anyway.

Hmm... I think you're on to something there. I had not given it much thought, but I suppose the flusher had been loose for awhile. And yes, the corrosion on the arm indicates that about 3 or 4 inches has been underwater for some time. When I tightened the flusher, the arm does rest in a much higher position than before. So perhaps that is all: it was a metal lever that was just underwater for too long and corroded to the point of failure. And perhaps the white bits floating are just a consequence of that corrosion? I hope that is all it is, and not that there are harsh chemicals in the water that will eat away at the rest of the plumbing in the house!

At any rate, I did get some replacement parts (plastic this time), so hopefully it will not be an ongoing issue!

 

[rpm]

Hmm... I think you're on to something there. I had not given it much thought, but I suppose the flusher had been loose for awhile. And yes, the corrosion on the arm indicates that about 3 or 4 inches has been underwater for some time. When I tightened the flusher, the arm does rest in a much higher position than before. So perhaps that is all: it was a metal lever that was just underwater for too long and corroded to the point of failure. And perhaps the white bits floating are just a consequence of that corrosion? I hope that is all it is, and not that there are harsh chemicals in the water that will eat away at the rest of the plumbing in the house!

At any rate, I did get some replacement parts (plastic this time), so hopefully it will not be an ongoing issue!

The time delay with your posts being cleared first makes this thread disjointed however it was Ric`s post that got me thinking.

 

[Chuck]

From the way largish chunks are floating, I'd guess its a piece of expanded polystyrene that was put in there years ago and has got broken up. Perhaps a DIY water-conservation measure? Was the last owner of the house a bit of a DIYer?

 

[plexplex]

From the way largish chunks are floating, I'd guess its a piece of expanded polystyrene that was put in there years ago and has got broken up. Perhaps a DIY water-conservation measure? Was the last owner of the house a bit of a DIYer?

I don't know much about the previous owners, but we've been in the house for a few years and I think I would have noticed the polystyrene before. Plus it's hard to see in the pictures, but the floating bits were kind of flat on the surface of the water. More like pond scum than chunky.

 

[Chuck]

Plus it's hard to see in the pictures, but the floating bits were kind of flat on the surface of the water. More like pond scum than chunky.

Not polystyrene then. Is the 'clear' cistern fed with softened water and the 'white stuff' one fed with unsoftened water? (Or vice versa.)

 

[Shes Tagg]

We have just had this problem too this weekend, even the plumber didn’t know what it was !

 

[Jody584]

I had the EXACT same problem: soft white flakes floating in the toilet tank. Figured out it was indeed coming from corrosion on the metal arm, which was partially submerged. The metal arm was covered with white corrosion that was flaking off into the water. I replaced the metal arm with plastic and now all is well.

 

[Deleted member 121111]

I went to flush the toilet and nothing happened. I figured the chain had come detached from the lever arm, so I took the lid off of the tank and found all this white stuff floating in the tank water! And the lever arm failed because it appears to be corroded through and dropped the chain!

I checked the other toilet in the house and there's NO weirdness there, although I did observe the normal toilet appears to have a plastic arm while the weird toilet has a metal arm.

We got a water filtration system almost a year ago that includes a salt tank to act as a water softener. I'm paranoid that this may have contributed to this issues, but I'm pretty sure the salt is not supposed to come through to the water that comes into the house. (The tap water doesn't taste salty anyway!)

I've never seen anything like this. Any idea what is going on here, and why it's present in one toilet and not the other? Will try to include pictures of floating gunk, corroded lever, and normal toilet for comparison.
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The time delay with your posts being cleared first makes this thread disjointed however it was Ric`s post that got me thinking.

 

[Deleted member 121111]

The time delay with your posts being cleared first makes this thread disjointed however it was Ric`s post that got me thinking.

Aug 2021. I have one tank with white flakes. They refuse to empty from the tank, tho some swirl in the toilet and cluster in the center of the swirl until I put a tablespoon under the patch and remove it. However the quantity in the tank seems to remain the same! And to float, not mix. My question is, did a true answer get found? Or has the original reporter accepted metal corrosion as the answer (‘cause I am not finding that). So far, I’ve tested samples with vinegar, Clorox (at 50%), with Peroxide (really made the flakes “blossom” wildly), but haven’t found anything yet to decompose the flakes, or make them fall down INTO the underlying water. Sadly, I don’t know high school chemistry.

 

[Virginia Cooper]

white particles floating in the tank

 

[Frelon]

If they are floating gather the bits up with a tissue from the surface of the water and completely remove them. If they keep coming back look further up line for the source.

 

[Paul Barnes]

I had the exact same issue after I moved into a home that the previous owner never cleaned the tank. I just scrubbed it out and I was shocked how much dirt/mildew came off. It’s clean now with none of that floating whittle sediment. Never had the issue again.

 

[WC1]

Is the white stuff a product of dezincification ?
It usually has a white fluffy appearance.

 

[duberachi]

White flakes are typically a naturally occurring, harmless mineral called calcium. As water is exposed to oxygen, minerals precipitate and become visible. Home water filters are a typical way to get rid of these nuisance minerals.

 

[WC1]

Pretty sure they are not calcium.