You just woke up and you’re about to brush your teeth. You stick your brush under the tap, turn the water on, and… a stream of brown, cloudy mush drizzles out. Or you’re in the middle of a hot shower, and all of a sudden you look down and see that the water you’re bathing in looks rusty.
Seeing your home’s tap water turn rusty is a traumatizing experience, especially if you don’t know why it’s happening. That’s why we put together this primer on tap water discoloration. The next time your water looks rusty or smells weird, you’ll know why, and you’ll be able to do something about it.
What It Is
Tap color looks rusty brown, yellowish, or reddish when it contains an excess of sediment or minerals. The most common discoloring minerals present in water are iron and manganese. Tiny metallic mineral deposits get into the water stream via several different sources. These minerals are responsible for the color and rusty quality of the water, as well as any unpleasant tastes or smells it might have.
Is It Dangerous?
It depends on the particular minerals in your water, but probably not. The EPA regulates the treatment of drinking water contaminants according to primary and secondary standards. Dangerous contaminants like lead and arsenic are covered by the primary regulations. If these contaminants exceed a maximum contaminant level, it (usually) isn’t supplied to the public.
The secondary EPA regulations cover contaminants like iron and manganese. These contaminants aren’t dangerous to health but taste, smell, or look bad and could stain clothing or cause skin rashes. Public water systems are compelled to test for primary contaminants on a regular basis, but testing for secondary contaminants is voluntary. In other words, rusty water might be gross and inconvenient, but it’s not actually dangerous to drink or bathe in.
Why It Happens
Rusty water discoloration can happen for a couple different reasons. See if you have any of the follow symptoms to learn where your water discoloration is coming from:
If all your hot and cold water goes brown all of a sudden…
…it may be the result of a nearby break in a city-operated water main or fire hydrant. Much of America’s plumbing infrastructure is outdated, so water main breaks that release sediment into the water supply happen pretty frequently.
It’s also possible that either your water heater or your water supply pipes have become rusty or corroded, and you’re just now starting to see the effects.
If all your hot water is discolored…
…then sediment or rust may have built up in your water heater’s tank.
If your cold water is only discolored when it comes out of a few faucets…
…then the problem is probably with a particular water supply pipe.
How To Fix It
Now that you have an idea of what caused your rusty water discoloration in the first place, you know where to start:
If all your hot and cold water goes brown all of a sudden…
…Call your water supply company. Chances are, something happened to a water main or a nearby fire hydrant. It’s also possible that the city is conducting maintenance on the pipe system, and they inadvertently stirred up some sediment.
Tell the water company customer service about your rusty water and ask if there’s any maintenance happening in your area. They should be able to tell you either when your water will clear up again or what they’re doing to fix the problem. Then, you just have to wait–hopefully not too long!
If all your hot water is discolored…
…Try draining and flushing your water heater’s tank. Sediment builds up in all water heaters over time. It’s a good idea to drain and flush the tank around twice a year. Sediment buildup isn’t just bad for your water; it’s one of the most common causes of water heater leaks.
If you flush the tank or just had your heater installed recently, there may be a more significant problem you should have a professional help you with. Too much sediment buildup could permanently damage your water heater, or (in rare and extreme circumstances) even make it explode!
If your cold water is only discolored when it comes out of a few faucets…
Start by running those faucets at full pressure for about 20 minutes or until the water clears completely. Sometimes, a small amount of rust may dislodge from the inner walls of a pipe and enter the water supply. If the problem is that minor, simply running the water should clean out the rust and clear the water again.
If your water still looks rusty after running it, however, or if the problem returns shortly after you flush the rust, it may be because your pipes have corroded. When too much corrosion or rust builds up on the pipe walls of your home’s water supply pipes, then minerals will leach into your water constantly, and your water will always look gross. If you have a corroded or rusted pipe, you should have it deep cleaned or replaced ASAP, before it causes even more serious problems.
If you’ve tried everything and you STILL can’t even bear to look at your rusty tap water, remember that Mike Diamond has your back. Give us a call, and we’ll quickly figure out why your faucets are spewing out that ugly brown stuff and make sure they’re cleared up again before we leave.
Nobody should have to shower in–much less drink!–rusty water. We can help make sure you never have to.
