What are Those Black Specks in My Water?

Filling your glass with cold water only to notice small black specks is extremely frustrating. While this is an alarming sight, there are many different approaches that you can take to get rid of them.

Keep these tips in mind from our plumber in Northbrook, Il to reduce and even eliminate the specks in your water.

Sources of the Specks

Understanding the causes of the specks is beneficial in learning how to eliminate them.

Pipe Corrosion

Like all things in life, there is an expiration date on your pipes. If your pipes are years old, they may begin to corrode and leave small pieces of a pipe behind that end up in your water. This contamination is the most present after your home’s water supply has been turned off and on again.

Corroded Water Heater

If you only notice the black specks when you turn on hot water in your home, this likely means that your water heater is the culprit behind the black specks in your water. Unfortunately, this problem is more common than you may think and these black specks can remain on the surface of your tubs, sinks or showers even when the water is off.

Broken Parts

If you notice that the black specks are a rubbery material, this may be small, disintegrated specks of a rubber gasket or flexible supply hose. This can be the result of the city’s water supply as the result of disinfectants that are used.

Cleaning Up Your Water

Our plumber near Northbrook, Il will take an expansive approach to get to the bottom of the issue. Possible solutions include water heater maintenance, water heater replacement or faucet repair.

Get in touch if you’re noticing black specks in your water, our team is happy to help.

About the Author


I’m Andy Visconi, the Operations Manager at BMW Plumbing since 1999.  When I’m not talking to our many Customers about their plumbing needs, scheduling one of our expert plumbers to a home or business or responding to plumbing emergencies, I can be found spending time with my wife Megan and two children.

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