Why do I sometimes see black particles in my water?

If the particles are rubbery, oily, and smudgy in texture then they are most likely from the disintegration of rubber materials used in plumbing fixtures. The first places to look would be at your plumbing gaskets, hot water flex tube and o-rings as they can disintegrate over time and can collect in toilet tanks, tubs and around faucets. Depending on the case you will want to drain your hot water heater to remove any remnants of the rubber particles.

The city currently utilizes chloramines as a disinfectant and it is known to cause disintegration of some types of plumbing fixtures overtime. If you experience frequent disintegration of your o-rings and gaskets contact the manufacturer, or replace with plumbing fixtures that are resistant to chloramine. Be sure to take off the tubing after taking all precautionary/manufacturer suggested steps as the outside of the hose or tubing may look in tact and the inside may be disintegrating.

If the particles are small black flecks they are most likely from filters that you have hooked up to your house that uses carbon filters to remove contaminants. If you do have filters and determine that this is the cause, you should change or flush your filters per your suggested manufacturer guidelines.

If the black particles smudge when you apply pressure they are normally due to the anode in your hot water heater needing to be cleaned or replaced following manufacturer recommendations. The hot water heater will then need to be drained per manufacturer suggestion, this should be done on a yearly basis to prevent build up inside your tank.

After you have found and corrected the issue, remove and clean your aerators from your faucets, then flush the system by running cold water for 5 minutes from each of your taps it will likely resolve the issue of black particles. If the problem continues after flushing and you have determined that the source is not a rubber gasket/ tube, your hot water heater or a filter, please contact the Water Quality Assurance Laboratory at 321-433-8709.

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1. What are the hours for Customer Service?
2.

Payment Kiosk

3. How does the payment kiosk work?
4. What if my service has been interrupted?
5. Is the drop box still available?
6. Do I need to have my bill with me to pay at the kiosk?
7. Does the payment kiosk provide receipts?
8. Does the payment kiosk provide change?
9. Does the payment kiosk accept coins?
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11.

General FAQs

12. How do I start utility service?
13. If my service has been disconnected for non-payment, how do I get my water restored?
14. What if my home is used as a seasonal property?
15.

Bills and Payments

16. How can I pay my bill? Where should I mail my payment?
17. How often will I be billed?
18. What occurs if my payment is late?
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20. What happens if I don't receive a bill?
21.

High Consumption and Leaks

22. How can I receive a credit for a pool fill?
23. Meters and Reading the Meter
24. How does Cocoa read the meter when it is covered by dirt or under water?
25. Who owns the water meter?
26. What is the watering restriction?
27. Does Cocoa ever estimate water meter readings?
28. How do we know the meter did not speed up?
29. How can I read my water meter?
30.

Water Line Breaks

31. What if I have a water line break?
32. What if I have a water line break after hours or on weekends?
33.

Misc.

34. Are there any Senior Citizen or Disabled Citizen discounts?
35. What is a cross connection?
36.

Water Quality Questions

37. Why do I sometimes see black particles in my water?
38. I had my water tested for free and they are saying I have some issues with my water, is my water safe?
39. Is tap water safe to be used for kidney dialysis?
40. Can I use regular tap water in my aquarium?
41. Can you recommend a water treatment device?
42. Is bottled water safer than tap water?
43. My tap water has a brown, red, or yellow color tint, what can I do?
44. My tap water sometimes looks milky or opaque, why is that?
45. The aerators on my faucets have white particles on them and there are white particles in my water. What is this?
46. Why is there white residue sometimes on my dishes, the shower, and in the ice cubes?
47. Why is it hard to get the soap off my hands, body, hair, clothes or car? (Hardness of water?)
48. Sometimes I smell an odor coming from my tap. What could this be?
49. My water smells and tastes like chlorine or bleach, what can I do?
50. Is fluoride in my drinking water?
51. What is the red/pink tinted stuff in my shower, toilet, or pet bowl?
52. What if I did not find an answer to my question about Drinking Water?
53. What is "backflow"