swamp thing in kettle?

[jano]

This one puzzles me. 

The gf occasionally makes coffee or tea at her office and uses a bonavita electric kettle to heat a couple 8 oz bottled water from arrowhead (delivery brings them individual water bottles, not the big coolers jugs).  After a few days, the base develops "spots"; these spots aren't like any deposits I've seen.. they look more like mold spots.  It took some scrubbing to get them off.  So last time, I suggested she leave it be.  A few months later, there were  strands of some "growth", looked like mini swamp-thing algae.    Contacted BV, and they sent a replacement kettle a couple weeks ago.  Brand new kettle, washed it well, brought a few liters to water to boil, then relocated to her office, and after one day use, already has the spots.  I have a BV kettle in my office too, but no spots, and my office is across the street from hers.

Any idea?  Should she change her water source?  Is her office possibly contaminated with air-based pollutants?  Will she mutate into a toxic avenger, seeking revenge against stingy landlords to promote tenant improvements through negotiations, thus making the world a safer place to rent?

[ScareYourPassenger]

They sell mold test kits at Home Depot which you can send out to a lab.

[peter]

The only gripe I have w/ my Bonavita kettle is the way the gooseneck is connected to the body of the kettle - there's bit of the tube protruding into the kettle, which always leaves a trace of water in the kettle.  Not a big deal for me, but maybe that's contributing to the growth of these alien lifeforms.

[SJM]

I have some lye I could send you.....:-))))

[jano]

Yeah, she empties the kettle and usually stuffs a clean paper towel in.  I know she'd experimented with and without the paper towels.  A more detailed version, after the first time, I did boil vinegar once, and a second time used a small amount of bleach as well. 

Will check out the mold test kits from HD, thank you.  I didn't think mold became stringy -- this is more like algea.

I'm guessing if she wants to keep the unit at work, then she's going to have to wash it with bleach on a regular basis, ugh.

[peter]

And leave the top off of it so it can dry completely too?

[John F]

Is there a factor she isn't telling you is what I wonder..

I can't imagine stuff growing in the environment described.

[Intrepid510]

Is she making cowboy coffee?

hmm can we have a picture?

[ecc]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manganese

Does it bubble when you hit it with warm vinegar?   The water would look clear until the metal found enough o2 to "rust" out of the water.  If it was a bacteria or an algae I would think it would have other telltale signs, like smell.

It could also be carbon from a filter that needs replaced somewhere upstream.

I think this is a good place to mention a really nice low tech water test:  A gallon of the Gerber.  If it brews way better than your normal brew water, you fail.  Expensive to use every day, but for a test ...

[jano]

Attached demonstrates what the kettle looked like after her first and use at the office - the brown "stain" is new, something odd and unexpected, but it's the dark gray/black spots along the top of the picture I'm worried about.  Kind of hard to see in the picture.  Before handing her the kettle, I washed the inside with mild dish soap, rinsed very well, then brought to a boil twice with fresh water from my filtered tap.  So what you see is after her first and only use at her office; the company has 250-500ml bottles of sealed arrowhead, which is what she used.

The spots and brown stain (scorch mark?) cleaned up to brand new with a quick boil of vinegar/water, followed by the yellow side of the green scrubby sponges.  I boiled water from my tap several times already, no spots at all.  Next step, I will ask her to bring a bottle from her office to me, and if that proves negative, I will give her some of my water to take in which will hopefully prove it's an environment issue.  Oi.

I just hope nothing nefarious is going on in that office 

[JW]

Water as low as 0.3 ppm (0.3 mg/L) iron will leave reddish brown stains on things. Often there are certain bacteria that accompany iron in water, but she would notice if that was the case, as a biofilm would occur with a noticeable smell ( hydrogen sulfide). 

Iron and coffee do not go well together. It will react with chlorogenic acid ( pseudo tannin, negative Goldbeater skin test), giving off flavors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manganese

Does it bubble when you hit it with warm vinegar?   The water would look clear until the metal found enough o2 to "rust" out of the water.  If it was a bacteria or an algae I would think it would have other telltale signs, like smell.

It could also be carbon from a filter that needs replaced somewhere upstream.

I think this is a good place to mention a really nice low tech water test:  A gallon of the Gerber.  If it brews way better than your normal brew water, you fail.  Expensive to use every day, but for a test ...

All good points. Have her try the Gerber water. It is an easy cheap test.

[jano]

A gallon of the Gerber.  If it brews way better than your normal brew water, you fail.

Sorry, I don't quite understand the test?  when you say this: "if it brews way better than your normal brew water, you fail" ?  by "better" you mean as in no growth, or flavor?  Would be curious to know why this test would be good.  Looked up the water, and it appears to have ingredients?  Huh:  Purified Water, Calcium Chloride, Magnesium Sulfate, Potassium Bicarbonate.  Must be to give it a specific TDS or something.  Hmm.

[ecc]

A gallon of the Gerber.  If it brews way better than your normal brew water, you fail.

Sorry, I don't quite understand the test?  when you say this: "if it brews way better than your normal brew water, you fail" ?  by "better" you mean as in no growth, or flavor?  Would be curious to know why this test would be good.  Looked up the water, and it appears to have ingredients?  Huh:  Purified Water, Calcium Chloride, Magnesium Sulfate, Potassium Bicarbonate.  Must be to give it a specific TDS or something.  Hmm.

That didn't come out very well.  I meant to say, the Gerber should be close to the perfect brewing water.  If your brewing water has any taste or smell problems it should be apparent when you compare a cup brewed with the Gerber against your normal water.
 
Here is a link that lists some contaminants and how they are commonly dealt with.  They also offer real water testing, but it is expensive.
http://www.aquaknow.com/pdf/Corrective%20Action%20Brochure%20&%20Definitions.pdf

[JW]

The Gerber water doesn't have iron in it, and as Todd noted, is close to perfect brewing water. Since the spots showed up with the first days use, I thought the Gerber would be a good test.

[jano]

Understood.  Will continue tests and report back.