Hello,
I just removed my kitchen faucet aerator to install a faucet water filter. Upon doing so, when I touched the washer (I think that's where it came from), my fingers got black stuff on them, appearing like blank in. The one thumb had a solid circle of this blank ink, like it was just stamped with a bingo marker, and the other thumb had a black doughnut shaped mark. This stuff was very hard to wash off. It literally looked like black ink. Afterward, I dabbed the washer with a paper towel, and the black stuff came off on the towel, so I'm pretty sure the washer was the main source. Has anyone else ever had this experience, and do you know what it is? It's a bit alarming that my water has been running through that. My water has always been clear with no discernible particles or black coloring in it.

Secondly, in installing the faucet filter (Culligan water filter), I used the adapter that came with the filter which had a new washer. However, I dropped the attachment at one point while trying to thread it. After I got it on, I noticed that when I dropped it, the new washer must have fallen out (it was in the sink). No water is leaking, but I'm guessing that there is no washer in there now. Is it OK to leave it as is (without a washer) since there is no leak, and the water is flowing fine? Or does the washer serve some purpose beyond just preventing a leak?

Thank you for any help, I appreciate it!



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1. The black stuff is rubber residue
2. The water did NOT touch the black stuff
3. The adapter may have had TWO washers to accomodate the two types of connections and yours used the one that did NOT fall out.

Call your Culligan Dealer and ask if the washer or two are required. Your installation instructions that came with the filter should have outlined the parts with a diagram. Did yours?

Best Wishes

Thanks for the help! I thought the black stuff was probably rubber, but I didn't realize it could mark my hands like that, so was unsure.

There were 2 adapters that came with the filter, each with 1 washer in it. The first time I installed the filter, it was leaking slightly where it connected to the sink. The instructions say you might need to use the old washer along with the washer supplied in order for it to not leak. So I removed it and was going to see if I could also use the new washer from the other adapter, but it was a different size, so I couldn't. I didn't want to use the old washer, so I just tried again figuring I'd tighten it more and see if that helped. That's when I dropped the adapter, and apparently the washer came out without me noticing until after it was on. I did tighten it more, using a lock wrench, and it's not leaking at all. I'm pretty sure there is no washer in it, though. I guess I'll just leave it as it is since it seems to be working well.

Thanks again!

Hi,
Thanks for the reply. The instructions did say to use the washer, and even to use the old washer in addition (so 2 washers) if there was leaking. I think I'm just going to leave it how it is since it seems to be working perfectly (even though I think I ended up installing it with no washer, lol).

quote; I thought the black stuff was probably rubber, but I didn't realize it could mark my hands like that,

Then you must never have changed an old black rubber toilet tank flapper. If it doesn't leak, regardless of how tight you made it, I can almost assure you that there is some kind of washer inside the connection.

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I recently replaced the aerator on my kitchen faucet with a faucet water filter. My fingers got black stuff on them and looked like blank in when I touched the washer (I believe that's where it came from). One thumb had a solid circle of this blank ink, as if it had been stamped with a bingo marker, while the other thumb had a black doughnut-shaped mark. This stuff was extremely difficult to remove. It looked exactly like black ink. I dabbed the washer with a paper towel afterward, and the black stuff came off on the towel, indicating that the washer was the main source. Is there anyone else who has had this experience and knows what it is? My water has been running through that, which is a little concerning. My water has always been clear, with no particles or dark coloring visible.



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