Black mould coming out of taps

I've had long strings of black mould/mold coming out of both hot and cold water taps in the bath tub and bathroom sink.  While I can clean the opening of the tap with an old toothbrush, I suspect this issue goes all the way into the pipes.

Coincidentally, I've also been battling a VERY bad allergic rash for the past year, which I am starting to think may be due to our water.

If the mold is the source of my allergy, we're definitely going to have to take aggressive action, and we will be renovating our house soon anyway.  Has anyone else had to deal with this?  How have you tackled the problem?  We've looked into filters for the water (in case it's not a mold thing but something else causing me to itch), but we're not sure how it would be handled if the problem is extensive.

Anyone have any thoughts?

bleah, that cannot be good.  No suggestions though.

Call your local water supply company and ask if they can recommend anyone to test the water? Its possible that there could be a free service for testing, and some sort of grant to resolve the problem.

is it only in the bathroom? Lead pipes by any chance?

Whatever it is it's not good.  too would call the water company about a test. It might be something that just hasn't made it to the kitchen...yet.

This is algae, or mold, plus calcium deposits from the water in the taps that sits, and due to humidity, darkness and opportunity grows this black mold.
You should always dry around your basin and bath taps.
Secondly there are sprays and cleaners with mold killer in them which can eliminate this problem.
If you already have mold in your shower, tiles and taps. Buy some mold spray and a mask and gloves.
Give all surfaces a good wetting with it, and then leave it to soak in for an hour or so, then return with the mask on and gloves, and give the whole bathroom a good scrub. Then repeat with a bathroom cleaner like vim, and rinse it all off, you should do this once a month in a damp, dark bathroom, as it will grow again.

I 'inherited' mold in our en-suite shower cubicle (along with other grime) in our then only 7 year old house. I've bought 2 specialty mold sprays, and while it did help, some mold spots are still on the silicon. We need to strip that off and apply new AFTER cleaning, but motivating DH to do it is impossible.

I agree with Alan B - dry around the taps and use a cleaner quite often. In the meantime, another thought is remove the taps and use a brush to clean the pipes as far as you can reach. This website http://www.cleanstore.co.uk/ has a lot of specialty cleaning stuff and reasonable prices.

We also had what seemed like years of calcium deposits in the toilets, and mold under the rim. One toilet had mold inside the tank, but a good clean out with bleach cured that.

If this is way down in the pipes, you may need to set aside more £ when you start renovating. If the water pressure isn't what it should be, the pipes may well be clogged with calcium deposits.

You may have a freshwater tank somewhere if you live in a multi-storied house or a flat on a higher floor. I have always been afraid to look in ours. Seems like a perfect place for mold and mildew.

Thanks for all of the suggestions everyone!

I will definitely look into having the water tested ASAP.  The more I think about it, the more I worry about the fact that we cook with and drink this water!  It will at least be good for peace of mind.

You may have a freshwater tank somewhere if you live in a multi-storied house or a flat on a higher floor.

We do indeed have one of these in the attic, but it has a closed top, so I've never checked inside it.  I wonder if there's any kind of treatment that can be done in the freshwater tank to clean things...

Vadio and Alan B-- Our shower/tiles aren't especially moldy.  I do clean religiously, so it never has a chance to grow on tiles, but I worry about the unreachable parts!  I did notice last time the plumber had our toilet tank apart that it was VERY black.  I never even thought to look in it. 

The house was built in the early 60s and I'm fairly certain pipes are probably all original (the landlord hasn't really put much into renovating this place).  If there are lead pipes, must they be replaced, or is it just more likely that these problems would occur in lead pipes?

We've been renting this house for 2 years but will be buying it/renovating soon enough, so I will certainly have things investigated further then.  I'll be much more at ease when we have new fixtures installed, if that's the problem!

Thanks for the suggestions!

Houses built in the 60s should have copper pipes in most cases. Lead is DANGEROUS for more reasons than you want to know, and generally went out in the 50s or earlier, but I understand that it was still used in the 70s in the UK. Lead solder was also used, and if present should be removed. I would check when you start to renovate, and if you have a full survey done before you buy, make sure that is addressed. I mentioned lead pipes because they were more common in older houses., and the older the pipes, the more likely they are contaminated. I think the nature of lead makes them more susceptible to build up of calcium deposits.

Any tank should be periodically drained, especially in older houses, as they can be mold pits. Think of it like a swimming pool that needs to be chlorinated, or a well that needs treatment as ours did in rural Virginia. Sad to say, the tank may need to be replaced, but a good plumber can best advise you on that.

While we are on the subject of lead, older houses can also have lead-based paint, which should be removed or treated so it cannot flake. Ingestion of lead can cause brain damage in small children in particular. Not trying to scare monger, but these are issues you need to be aware of before you buy.

Thanks a million vadio-- I knew about lead paint being dangerous, but wasn't sure if lead pipes were just as bad, considering pieces should (hopefully) not actually be chipping off.  I understand the water can be contaiminated by contact though.

We drain the water from the tank upstairs once a year when we head home for the States over Christmas (to try to reduce the risk of pipes freezing while we're gone).  I will suggest this all to the contractor, though, to give a once-over while he's in the house.

A few years ago the pipes did burst in the kitchen, and my fiance said he was fairly sure the pipes were copper when the plumber had the wall opened up, but it could be possible that they were upgraded in the kitchen and not the bathroom.  Again-- it will all be thoroughly checked out!

I also managed to arrange a water test for Monday by NI Water.  I mentioned on the phone that I have a rash that could be being caused by the water, and they said they'd send someone out ASAP.  Hopefully nothing too horrible comes up, but you're right, this is all good stuff to know before we officially sign the papers.

Although...we are doing co-ownership, and from what I understand it doesn't have the same types of inspection clauses, etc., as buying a house with a 100% mortgage?  Will raise the questions anyway!

Thanks again

Hello, just wondering if anyone has had a skin rash seemingly related to mould in the faucet?  I have a rash over most of my body--symmetrical--have eliminated most ingested causes--my water smells a bit mouldy--thoughts?

Hello, just wondering if anyone has had a skin rash seemingly related to mould in the faucet?  I have a rash over most of my body--symmetrical--have eliminated most ingested causes--my water smells a bit mouldy--thoughts?

It's possible? However, I'd see your GP for a full analysis!