blue green stains in sinks...

[Jeffrey S. Campbell]

Hey folks...

this home had a couple of old sinks that had this staining in it... the tub which was old did not... leads me to believe it is a fixture think... but it is city water also... do you know what can make this staining?

thanks in advanced!

[rcooke]

Originally Posted by jcampbell

Hey folks...

this home had a couple of old sinks that had this staining in it... the tub which was old did not... leads me to believe it is a fixture think... but it is city water also... do you know what can make this staining?

thanks in advanced!

I think it is caused from a leaking tap and slightly acid water from the town depositing copper from the pipes in the sink.
Roy Cooke

[Dale Duffy]

Maybe this.

Sure looks like Drano stains.....

[Jeffrey S. Campbell]

I was thinking copper as well... never thought of drano tho...

[Eric J. Badofsky]

Looks a little too "blue" to be copper stains... I'm guessing cleanser.

From http://www.friendlyplumber.com/plumbing101.html :

"Blue, green or other unusual colored stains, can be caused in old, badly worn bathtubs and sinks, from cleansers not rinsed off thoroughly. When harsh abrasives (such as most scouring powders) are used regularly on these porcelain enamel surfaces, over several years they wear down the smooth surface, leaving it rough. Dyes used to encapsulate the cleaning particles in scouring powders or other colored cleansers can get into the crevices of such worn surfaces, and if not rinsed off, and allowed to stay and harden for days, can be almost impossible to remove. A strong chlorine bleach solution may lighten the stain, but will also further dull or discolor the porcelain surface. So one may have to live with the stain..."