I'm ex Auckland and never had this problem. Any one else have water issues they've dealt with?

My next challenge to deal with before I set up the tank...This is manganese. Mid battle with the council as they say it's not their problem due to the easement.

. by danaj2009, on Flickr

(And no, I didn't put her in the bath lol)

Rather ironic that this is posted in "freshwater" :slfg:

I've seen water like that come out of the tap at Kumeu when I was working there many years ago. I think the guy had a well though. Where is this place?

I thought you had rusty pipes or something. On a worrying note...

The element is a required trace mineral for all known living organisms. In larger amounts, and apparently with far greater activity by inhalation, manganese can cause a poisoning syndrome in mammals, with neurological damage which is sometimes irreversible. According to results from a 2010 study, higher levels of exposure to manganese in drinking water are associated with increased intellectual impairment and reduced intelligence quotients in school-age children.

What easement do they refer to? Is this town supply or a well?

Thanks for that, I've actually struggled to find any decent information on the effects of Manganese.

We're in Ashhurst, a small village not far from Palmerston North. We're on bore water. The easement is the driveway set up and that the mains are not on council owned property.

If the water is acid it will put manganese and iron into solution. Iron makes the water taste foul and stains the bath, while manganese makes mother's whites come out grey in the wash. The cheapest way to cure the problem is aeration. It will oxidise both to a less soluble state which can then be settled out before use. Addition of chlorine will do the same thing.

The NZ Drinking water standards at the moment only apply to populations served of 501 or more.

The maximum acceptable value for manganese is 0.4 mg/litre.

Do you know what your values are and what population the supply serves?

By the colour of the bath water I would think you have a lot of iron in there as well. The joys of private or semiprivate water supplies. This is usually a problem in peat country. I assume you have your own onsite sewage treatment and disposal system as well

Looks like the issue is with the PN water supply.

http://www.pncc.govt.nz/servicesandfacilities/commonservices/waterservices/discoloured-water-and-swabbing-information/

Sewerage etc is all on town supply as is the water. Just sourced from a bore. There is no staining of the bath etc, but laundry does come out brown.

It only happens about 6pm at night. I suppose when everyone is using water.

I'm having the council test samples I have taken. I just hope it is tank suitable (when clear) as 215 ltrs through a water filter will take a while lol

It will be the chlorine oxidizing the iron and manganese to a less soluble state and it could be partly settling out in the mains, then getting stirred up again. You should be able to settle it out in a drum.

Yes I have noticed it separates in the samples I have taken for testing. Brown flakes in the bottom of the jar.

Good suggestion about a drum. Although this does add a rather annoying addition to the task.

I'm still struggling to find informative info online, and you lot seem to know quite a bit about this. Is the risk minimized when the water is clear? It only turns brown for around an hour per day, and of course I'd avoid water changes during this period or if the water was discolored. Monday to Friday, 5:00pm - 7:00pm lol.

It also appears that many Under bench water filtration companies will not hold up a guarantee against Manganese when discussing drinking water. Can't blame them really.

It would seem to me that the best way would be for the council to remove the iron and manganese before reticulation.

You can also collect rain water for peace of mind. Or a more expensive option is investing in an RO/DI unit? Not cheap but will take out 99.99% of impurities.

You can also collect rain water for peace of mind. Or a more expensive option is investing in an RO/DI unit? Not cheap but will take out 99.99% of impurities.

You will be replacing filters very quickly with such high level of "impurities"

+ RO does not normally produce great volumes of water.

How about a heavily planted tank to remove the heavy metals from the water?