"Shower Filter Turns Black in 2 Days"... Jinju One-Room Village in Uproar (Comprehensive)

More than 20 people gathered in similar cases
City: "If complaints come in, identify the cause"
The cause of similar cases is 'Manganese'

Questions are being raised about the condition of tap water in the one-room apartment area near Gyeongsang National University in Jinju, Gyeongnam.

The appearance of a discolored shower filter. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Recently, on the Gyeongsang National University community within the university student community app 'Everytime,' a post was uploaded stating, "I live near the back gate of the school, and even if I replace the shower filter with a new one, it gets dirty within three days." This post received over 250 likes.

Most tap water filter companies recommend a usage period of about two months.

The author, a 23-year-old university student A, told Yonhap News on the 11th, "I moved into a newly built one-room apartment last March and replaced the shower filter immediately, but it turned black in just two days," adding, "Since then, I have been replacing the filter every week due to the frequent replacement cycle."

Initially thinking it was a temporary issue and enduring it, A said, "I plan to file a complaint next week after gathering similar cases."

As of 12 noon that day, 21 people had sent photos to A showing that their tap water shower filters quickly discolored. The common factor among them is that they all live in the one-room apartment area near Gyeongsang National University.

They all reportedly expressed concerns about the condition of the tap water.

In response, a representative from the Jinju City Clean Water Office said, "This phenomenon can have various causes such as nearby construction or problems with indoor water pipes," adding, "However, there is currently no problem with the quality of the purified tap water."

The official stated, "Once an official complaint is received, we plan to conduct water quality tests to accurately identify the cause."

Similar Phenomenon Observed in Jinhae... "Cause is Manganese Content"

Meanwhile, this is not the first time residents have been alarmed by the rapid discoloration of shower filters.

In 2019, in two apartment complexes in Jinhae-gu, Changwon City, several households experienced rapid discoloration of tap water filters within as short as three days to as long as two weeks.

In response, Changwon City conducted a detailed investigation together with related agencies and the private tap water evaluation committee.

The investigation identified the cause of the filter discoloration as the 'manganese' content in the tap water. Although the manganese content in the tap water was below the drinking water quality standard, manganese accumulated on the shower filters, causing discoloration.

The Changwon City Tap Water Evaluation Committee at the time advised, "When warm water is used, the oxidation rate of manganese increases, causing the filter discoloration to progress faster," and recommended turning off the boiler and flushing for 10 minutes or cleaning the hot water pipes when using hot water.

They also added, "Not only in Changwon City but also in other local governments, there have been citizen reports of tap water filters turning black, and the cause was also manganese content."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.