Tap Water Looks Rusty: When To Call For Help
Nobody wants to turn on their faucet and see brown water flowing out, especially when most Xenia, OH, households use their tap water for drinking and cooking. When sink water appears rusty, it makes you question whether it’s safe to use and why it’s rusty in the first place.
Luckily, rusty tap water typically isn’t dangerous or harmful to ingest. Still, it can be off-putting.
Are you wondering why your tap water looks rusty? Maybe you already have a pretty good idea and are looking for steps to turn your water’s color back to normal.
Keep reading to learn more about why your tap water looks rusty and what to do about it.
Why Is My Water Turning Brown?
The first step to fixing the hue of your water is to understand why your tap water looks rusty.
Sometimes, water can contain a buildup of minerals. Minerals like calcium can determine whether our water is hard or soft, and other minerals can simply change or discolor the water. When too much iron or manganese is present, water can change to a darker brown or yellow color.
Where does the iron or manganese come from? Excess sediment and minerals can enter the water stream from various manufactured or natural resources. For example, if there’s too much iron buildup in your home’s pipes, the iron can run off into the water and color it from there.
Alternatively, there could be excess sediment in the water source itself, which will lead to discolored water for your home and any other homes that rely on that water source.
Is Brown Water Dangerous?
More often than not, brown water is not dangerous to drink, cook with, or bathe in. In fact, depending on the type of mineral, some experts propose excess minerals in our water may be beneficial to our health.
Because minerals like iron are most likely the cause of your discolored water, it’s not dangerous to consume. Contaminants that are dangerous to consume include pollutants like arsenic or lead.
Still, if there are any hazardous levels in your water supply, your town should notify you and eventually turn off the water. If you’re not sure whether your water supply is safe, look for notices from local authorities.
When to Call for Help
It’s important to differentiate between water turning brown from your faucets or outside water source.
If the water is turning brown from your pipes, you can call for plumbing repair help from your local plumbing company to correct the issue. However, if the discoloration is coming from the water source, there’s not much you can do other than report the issue.
How can you tell when the discoloration is coming from your pipes? Check out these telltale signs:
- Only your hot water comes out brown
- Only certain faucets produce rusty water
If you notice that only your hot water comes out as brown, it could indicate sediment buildup inside your hot water heater tank. If this is the case, you’ll need to call a plumber to fix the water heater tank as soon as possible.
Though sediment in your water heater tank may seem benign, it’s anything but. Over time, residue can lead to water heater leaks, costing your home hundreds of dollars in water damage. Additionally, it could lead to water tank breakdown, which adds to your costs significantly.
If you notice that only certain faucets produce rusty water, it reinforces the idea that the excess sediment is coming from pipes (rather than your water source in general).
Once you notice rusty-looking water coming out of some faucets but not others, call a plumber to inspect your drains, pipes, and property.
If you believe that the source of the rust-colored water is a public water source, call your town’s water department to report the issue.
Call Dean’s Plumbing for Plumbing Repair
Does your Xenia, OH, tap water look rusty or brown? No homeowner wants to see discolored water flowing from their faucets. Luckily, there’s a way to fix the problem and enjoy clear, refreshing water once again.
Contact your local plumbing service for the most efficient plumbing service around.
As a family-owned local plumbing service, Dean’s Plumbing knows how to treat your home like it’s our own. With experience dating back to 1990, we know what it takes to repair your home’s plumbing system and leave you satisfied with a job well done.
Call Dean’s Plumbing today to schedule your appointment for exceptional plumbing repair services.