Help! Grease coming out of bathroom faucet

[Diehard]

As mentioned previously, "Back flow, by way of siphonage, from another apartment is very possible, when you have a loss of supply pressure." (Or back pressure.)
Chances are that the building is equipped with a backflow prevention device on the service entering the building, to protect the City/Town water supply from back flow from the building. Also, the plumbing codes do a good job of helping to prevent contamination of potable water due to cross connections with potential contaminates. However, it does not eliminate ALL the potential scenarios of cross connections and backflows due to back pressure or siphonage.

Here's is an example of how it can happen. Also, it's possible for a contaminate to enter the piping system from a lower lever and then when normal pressure returns, it can flow to a higher level in the piping system.

NOTE: This is simply showing what is possible anywhere and not necessarily what took place within the subject building.

 

[Channor]

I would have immediately taken that to the super and demand they find out what is going on. I am not trying to scare you but that substance should not be coming out of your potable water supply. If work was performed on the building supply the contractor should have taken steps to flush the system.

Thanks. The reason I haven't done that yet is I kind of already know what they are going to say.... they will probably say "oh, it's probably due to last week's water shutdown, just flush more it will clear out" instead of doing actual investigative work.

But I'll definitely bring it up if I observe the substance a third time (so far I've seen it on two different days).

 

[anticlmatic]

What exactly is a water shutdown? I took it to mean your water service was interrupted while someone worked on the pipes.

Honestly if I found yellow slime in my water I wouldn’t drink it until I had some definitive answers.

 

[Channor]

What exactly is a water shutdown? I took it to mean your water service was interrupted while someone worked on the pipes.

Honestly if I found yellow slime in my water I wouldn’t drink it until I had some definitive answers.

My bad, I should have clarified. The building’s water was turned off for 4 hours, because the city was doing something with the water mains a block away. I think something like replacing the branch pipes that go into other buildings.

 

[TomFOhio]

I doubt if they would of been doing any soldering on their repair.

 

[Channor]

I doubt if they would of been doing any soldering on their repair.

one last question: if this were to be leftover flux from my pipe replacement work two years ago, and knocked loose recently, would you expect its texture to stay waxy? Or would it have solidified a long time ago?