Thank you everyone! I tend to agree with the assessment that we have metal in the water. I know we have hard water but have never had it analysed (we've only been here since the fall and have a filter on our drinking water, but the brand new toilets to get a dirty tinge pretty quick. And am a little annoyed that the pool store is telling me we don't have a metal problem and selling us other products that are not working. I am going to try the sock and batting and see if that helps just because I don't have a sump pump on hand. I'll keep you posted!

Cheryl