blue grit

[Mary Pribble]

We have well water and get blue grit plugging the HW line to the washer. We put in a house filter but still have the problem.

[Margaret WrightParticipant]

A blue grit (blue salt like crystals) is almost always associated with copper in your water.This copper can bond with types of sulphur (sulphate) and appear as blue salt like residue.The reason a filter does not work is because the chemicals that cause the blue grit (sulphate and copper) are very small and will pass through most filters.After going through the filter the copper and sulphate will bond together to form the blue grit (this will actually happen in your pipes and can be difficult to notice).This blue grit is actually called copper (II) sulphate and is know to be toxic in larger amounts because of the copper in it.The enviromental protection agency states that copper in drinking water should not have a concentration any higher than 1 part per million.You may want to have your drinking water tested for copper if you think this blue grit is there in large amounts.As for a solution, I would return the filter you bought, if you can, and replace it with an ultrafiltration (UF) membrane.UF membranes act much like filters, but; the actual type of material the membrane is made of selects what is removed from your water.In your case you would need a UF membrane that is specific to copper. Your local water treatment store should have one and could definately order one.These membranes cost more money but do not require a pump or any fancy setup. They setup much the same as a regular cartridge filter but will require more cleaning since they will be removing more contaminants from your water.UF membranes are almost 100% effective when treating drinking water.UF membranes will also remove bad odors, color and very fine silt.

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