My water heater, washing machine, and chronic hives

This is a story about the chronic hives I had on my legs that just stayed there for two years until I accidentally discovered the cause and solution.

When I first got the hives, I was not too worried, figuring one or two visit with the doctor and everything would clear up. Wrong. The doctor did not even try to guess what the big red spots on my legs were.

So a year passes, and as the second summer was approaching where I would not be able to wear shorts, I started to panic. But again the doctors did not help.

One day I had to add an item to the clothes in my washing machine mid-cycle. I lifted the washing machine lid and was shocked at the color of the water. Did I leave something in my pockets?

After running the load through a second cycle, I realized that the tub in the washing machine was really dirty. I tried to scrub the tub everyday for a week but kept on finding layer after layer of grime. Finally I bought a new machine.

Within two weeks my hives were gone.

Since then, I learned that sediment in my hot water heater, that is supposed to be flushed out regularly by the homeowner but was not flushed because I never knew you were supposed to, had accumulated in my heater, causing some of it to get introduced into my plumbing system, corroding plumbing stop valves, and getting into the tub in my washing machine.

The resulting sediment and rust from the corroding plumbing was getting on my clothes while they were being washed. The hives that appeared on my legs (but nowhere else on my body) have never come back.

That’s my story.

Bye,

-Sylliec