Magical Color Changing Showerhead! - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Gimmick · 06-15-2005, 11:56 PM

This sounds really stupid, but it's really getting to me! The story: I moved into my current apartment about two and a half months ago. Its a real nice apartment (besides the hole my buddy put in the wall!) The only problem when I moved in was the showerhead. It was one of those ones that makes the water feel like its stabbing you with little needles! So about two weeks after moving in my roommate bought a new showerhead. When he bought it it was like a greyish off white color. The day after he bought it I went in to take a shower and noticed the head was now pink!

I figured maybe I was just tripping and had thought it was grey or maybe I saw it in the wrong lighting or something, so I went and woke my roommate up and asked him,"What color is that new showerhead you bought?" He said,"Its grey, why?" I showed him it had turned pink, and he was as dumbfounded about it as I was! So I figured I would share this odd experience with all of you wonderful people and see if any of you had any logical explanation I haven't thought of, or just some kind of input!

Daniel_ · 06-16-2005, 01:44 AM

Got any pictures?

ShaniFaye · 06-16-2005, 03:01 AM

It could be the water doing it.....The water I have at home turns the walls around the bathtub and the bathtub pink (and yes parts of the shower head)

I never can remember but I think its hard water that causes that...I always get hard water and soft water confused.

Pip · 06-16-2005, 05:52 AM

^Ditto, except in my shower everything becomes orange. I have no idea what kind of water I have though, probably soft.

Redlemon · 06-16-2005, 06:06 AM

From a bit of googling, it appears that there is a 'pink slime' called methylobacterium that often grows in showers. Could it be that?

Molecular Analysis of Shower Curtain Biofilm Microbes:

Quote:

Methylobacterium spp., especially Methylobacterium mesophilicum, have been cultured from pink-colored biofilms of wet environments such as automobile air-conditioning systems, printing paper machines, and dental unit waterlines (3, 28, 44, 53). Considering the abundance of Methylobacterium spp. rRNA gene clones detected in this study, such organisms likely are responsible for the pink color of some shower curtain biofilms.

Jinn · 06-16-2005, 12:00 PM

Pink "algae" is indeed Methylobacterium mesophilicum. However, unless you can feel it on the head itself, its unlikely thats what it is. Is it possible that (1) Its actually a color changing head on the packaging and he didnt notice or (2) It's cheap plastic/composite that has a color-changing effect with heat? Some polycarbonates/plastic composites will change composition and color when you apply heat like color changing plastic mugs. If you've ever put the wrong kind of plastic in a dishwasher you can see this too...

..Just my two cents.

JiNN

Gimmick · 06-16-2005, 11:24 PM

I don't think its the bacteria cause it's not slimy or anything. It doesn't appear to be from hard water, I've seen the results of hard water. It might be but I don't think so. It didn't say it was supposed to change colors on the package, that's the obvious answer I thought of first. I found the package and read it. But the idea that might be from the hot water like in the dishwasher is a possibility. Thanks for your guys' input so far.

RoadRage · 06-18-2005, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pip

^Ditto, except in my shower everything becomes orange. I have no idea what kind of water I have though, probably soft.

Orange is probably due to high iron content in the water. My grandmother's well water had so much iron in it that it turned everything white to orange within several washings.

The pink color maybe the same thing occurring, but at a much slower pace. Keep watching to see if it starts turning orangy.

Then again, it could be too many 'shrooms.

crxforum · 06-19-2005, 11:53 PM

Welcome to the world of living with hard water. It will eventually go orange, then brown then a deep brown. My old shower looked like a murder scene from the iron deposits.

CRX Forum

Daniel_ · 06-20-2005, 01:04 AM

Depends why you have hard water of course.

I live on a chalk/flint geology and we get hard water with calcium deposits - so everything goes dusty white.

I guess if you live on iron bearing rocks you get red, and copper bearing rocks would give green....

crxforum · 06-20-2005, 11:04 PM

Living on the Canadian Shield ownes my shower and sink. Sometimes in the bathroom the old pipes that we never use will shoot out brown water for a few seconds from that water just sitting in those pipes. I make sure to run them for like 20min before people come over because they dont know we dont use those pipes ever and get shocked when they see the iron come out from the tap when they turn it on.

CRX Forum

06-15-2005, 11:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
Gimmick Upright Location: Where the Mormons run rampid, and six wives is a must!	Magical Color Changing Showerhead! This sounds really stupid, but it's really getting to me! The story: I moved into my current apartment about two and a half months ago. Its a real nice apartment (besides the hole my buddy put in the wall!) The only problem when I moved in was the showerhead. It was one of those ones that makes the water feel like its stabbing you with little needles! So about two weeks after moving in my roommate bought a new showerhead. When he bought it it was like a greyish off white color. The day after he bought it I went in to take a shower and noticed the head was now pink! I figured maybe I was just tripping and had thought it was grey or maybe I saw it in the wrong lighting or something, so I went and woke my roommate up and asked him,"What color is that new showerhead you bought?" He said,"Its grey, why?" I showed him it had turned pink, and he was as dumbfounded about it as I was! So I figured I would share this odd experience with all of you wonderful people and see if any of you had any logical explanation I haven't thought of, or just some kind of input!

06-16-2005, 01:44 AM	#2 (permalink)
Daniel_ Evil Priest: The Devil Made Me Do It! Location: Southern England	Got any pictures? __________________ ╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗ Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air, And deep beneath the rolling waves, In labyrinths of Coral Caves, The Echo of a distant time Comes willowing across the sand; And everthing is Green and Submarine ╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

06-16-2005, 03:01 AM	#3 (permalink)
ShaniFaye Submit to me, you know you want to Location: Lilburn, Ga	It could be the water doing it.....The water I have at home turns the walls around the bathtub and the bathtub pink (and yes parts of the shower head) I never can remember but I think its hard water that causes that...I always get hard water and soft water confused. __________________ *I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!*

06-16-2005, 12:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jinn Lover - Protector - Teacher Location: Seattle, WA	Pink "algae" is indeed Methylobacterium mesophilicum. However, unless you can feel it on the head itself, its unlikely thats what it is. Is it possible that (1) Its actually a color changing head on the packaging and he didnt notice or (2) It's cheap plastic/composite that has a color-changing effect with heat? Some polycarbonates/plastic composites will change composition and color when you apply heat like color changing plastic mugs. If you've ever put the wrong kind of plastic in a dishwasher you can see this too... ..Just my two cents. JiNN __________________ "I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

06-20-2005, 01:04 AM	#10 (permalink)
Daniel_ Evil Priest: The Devil Made Me Do It! Location: Southern England	Depends why you have hard water of course. I live on a chalk/flint geology and we get hard water with calcium deposits - so everything goes dusty white. I guess if you live on iron bearing rocks you get red, and copper bearing rocks would give green.... __________________ ╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗ Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air, And deep beneath the rolling waves, In labyrinths of Coral Caves, The Echo of a distant time Comes willowing across the sand; And everthing is Green and Submarine ╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

06-16-2005, 05:52 AM	#4 (permalink)
Pip Likes Hats Location: Stockholm, Sweden	^Ditto, except in my shower everything becomes orange. I have no idea what kind of water I have though, probably soft.

06-16-2005, 11:24 PM	#7 (permalink)
Gimmick Upright Location: Where the Mormons run rampid, and six wives is a must!	I don't think its the bacteria cause it's not slimy or anything. It doesn't appear to be from hard water, I've seen the results of hard water. It might be but I don't think so. It didn't say it was supposed to change colors on the package, that's the obvious answer I thought of first. I found the package and read it. But the idea that might be from the hot water like in the dishwasher is a possibility. Thanks for your guys' input so far.

06-19-2005, 11:53 PM	#9 (permalink)
crxforum Crazy	Welcome to the world of living with hard water. It will eventually go orange, then brown then a deep brown. My old shower looked like a murder scene from the iron deposits. CRX Forum

06-20-2005, 11:04 PM	#11 (permalink)
crxforum Crazy	Living on the Canadian Shield ownes my shower and sink. Sometimes in the bathroom the old pipes that we never use will shoot out brown water for a few seconds from that water just sitting in those pipes. I make sure to run them for like 20min before people come over because they dont know we dont use those pipes ever and get shocked when they see the iron come out from the tap when they turn it on. CRX Forum