Faucet Screen Maintenance

Q: What caused the screens on two of my faucets to clog up at the same time? All of a sudden both taps stopped working, and just before I bought new ones I discovered deposits plugging up the filter screens on the ends of the water outlets. The stuff looks like small bits recently broken off a surface. What’s happening?

A: It sounds to me like a mineral deposit has broken loose somewhere in your household water supply pipes, then made it's way to your faucets as water was drawn from them. This isn't uncommon and is no cause for worry. In all likelihood it won't happen again anytime soon, and if it does you'll know exactly how to fix it. The need for cleaning tap screens is more common when dealing with water systems that draw from wells or lakes, but it's a maintenance chore that might be required anywhere, even if you’re supplied with water by a large municipality.