What Should You Do When Your Water Is Discolored?

Why Your Water Turns Brown

There are several reasons why your water can be discolored. The main reason can be because of the change in water pressure in the city water lines. Activities like flushing the water pipes can stir up sediment and minerals inside the pipes that flow with the water and come into your home. When this happens, wait a few hours or days for the water to clear up. If possible, don’t use hot water to prevent the brown water from entering your water heater. If the discoloration still continues after a few days, call a qualified plumber to check out the problem.

Many houses built before the 1960s have galvanized steel water lines. Because of their old age, these pipes can form rusty sediment that can flow to your sinks with water. If the brown water appears only in certain faucets in your home or it appears in the mornings when you first use your faucet but later the water looks clean, this can be the cause of rusty pipelines. For short-term solutions, you can apply a treatment system or filtration to make sure you have clean drinking water. In the long-term, it’s best to call Sunshine Plumbers for repiping the contaminated pipes in your home.

Other reasons for water discoloration can be because of a nearby construction disturbing the water deposits, a recent pipe replacement, broken pipes, malfunction of the filtration equipment, or water mixing with sediment in times of drought. Brown water is often not hazardous at all, so you can still wash your dishes and use the water. However, it may be best to have a separate source of drinking water until your water turns back to normal. It may not be a good idea to drink water that has rust and sediments in it.

How to Get Rid of Brown Water

• First, just try running the water for about 20 minutes. if the water clears, then it’s all done.
• If most of the brown water is cleared but bits of brown still appear, you can apply a water treatment or filtration system. These systems will need regular maintenance to keep functioning, and it’s the homeowner’s responsibility to keep track.
• If your water still appears brown, check with other households to see if they’re having the same problem. If so, it may be a problem caused by the city water line. Call the city to have them flush out the water and inspect the pipes.
• If the brown water still appears after the city’s checkup, pay attention to where the brown water is coming from. If it only appears when you open the hot water, the problem may be your water heater. Rust can form inside your water heater as well, so inspect it to see if that’s the case. This can also mean your water heater’s lifespan is coming to an end.

After all the hassle, if brown water is still appearing, it’s time to call a professional. Sunshine Plumbers can detect the source of the problem and repair it for you. Call us today to fix your water discoloration problem.