A brown stain has developed on the inside of my dishwasher. Why?

Iron and manganese are very common minerals found in New England ground water.  While posing no health threat, they can be an aesthetic problem, such as causing stains on your dishwasher.  The District, through treatment, removes iron and manganese.  However, there can be residual amounts of these minerals in the piping system of the District which can become dislodge at times from a variety of reasons.  High temperature can cause dissolved iron and manganese to “come out of solution”.  The higher the temperature, the more likely that iron and manganese will precipitate out and deposit on the surface of dishwashers or china.

To avoid this problem, beware of possible times of discoloration and try to avoid using hot water during these times.  Additionally, residents may want to employ a hot water tank maintenance procedure of flushing their hot water tanks annually in the spring.  The District does supply, upon request, an item called Red Be Gone which can help remove staining.  Some home remedies include fresh lemon juice because of the citric acid present.