Ever turned your taps on, only to find them running with brown, red, yellow, or orange water? Steel and iron water pipes are affected by oxidation, in the presence of moisture to form rust (iron oxide). It can be very disheartening for a homeowner to have taps running with colored instead of pure colorless water. Below, we examine the causes of rusty water and how to get rid of it:

Road construction and maintenance work on main water pipes usually stir up the sediments lodged on the bottom of such pipes. The suspended particulate matter flows to your taps causing the water to have a rusty color. Such water continues to have a brown color until it settles which usually takes time.

Severe weather can also contribute to rusty water by depositing sediments in the stored water. Storms and floods cause water to become stirred up leading to colored water being absorbed into the main pipes. Such water takes long to decant to enable sediments to settle at the bottom during treatment before it can be used, which is not usually done.

Rusty water can be caused by rusty plumbing inside your home. You can establish this when rusty water only runs from specific taps, or the color dissipates within a short time of leaving a tap running.  Most internal plumbing is constructed using galvanized steel or copper pipes. Copper pipes are more preferred due to durability and ability to maintain high water quality over time. Galvanized steel pipes start to manifest signs of rust and corrosion after twenty years. Debris and rust from inside steel pipes which have been left unused for a long time. When such pipes are put back to use, rust dislodges, making the water to become rusty. Also, the direct connection of copper and steel pipes enhances corrosion in steel pipes.

How to Get Rid of Brown Water

Usually, brown water due to internal corrosion in your plumbing will clear up after you run the tap for some few minutes. The best way to get rid of brown water caused by internal corrosion due to rusty galvanized steel pipes s to replace the pipes with copper or plastic pipes. Rusty water can be a precursor to more severe problems including leaks and low water pressure.

Sources of water with a high content of iron and old water main pipes are the significant causes of rusty water. If water has become contaminated at the source due to reasons such as disturbance of main water pipes during construction or due to bad weather, it might take longer to clear up. Filtration is the best way to fix the problem of rusty water when the source has too much iron. Specially designed water filters can be used to sieve out the iron and other impurities including manganese which causes water to have a brown color.

Call A to Z Statewide Plumbing today at 954-981-2133 to have your plumbing problem solved.  You can also leave your review on our website and we will be glad to hear from you. Alternatively, you can submit a service request and our technicians will soon be on their way to your home.