Well I think this is interesting. That last batch I started, as I said, was a bit dark and cloudy. so for no good reason, I let it run, almost forgot about it. so about 24 hours later, I uncovered it and.... the water was clear! Only a little black goop on the wire, and a small amount on the bottom of the jar. Test of the water says 30 ppms. Maybe the black water initially is cause by oxidation on the surface of the wire. Next time, I'll polish the wire with a pot scrubber before using to test my theory.
