How To Deal With Brown Water From Tap?

Imagine you’ve returned from a sweaty jog; you grab a tall, clear glass from the cupboard and turn on the tap for a refreshing drink.

But all you’re getting is discoloured, brown water from the tap!

While your thirst remains, your mind races with possibilities. Is it my plumbing acting up, or a water quality issue? Brown water isn’t safe to drink. Maybe it’s not brown, just cloudy, murky, or even yellowish.

Now, naturally, questions start flooding in. What should I do first? What’s behind this brown water problem? Can I tackle it myself, or is it time to call in a professional plumber? Is it serious enough to be an emergency? And, where’s that plumber’s number when you need it?

Your curious mind will want to know: Your Guide to Brown Tap Water

Set aside everything first, and know dirty tap water isn’t every day in NSW. Our drinking water quality is very high, and discolouration is rare.

So, don’t make any assumptions about whether you are experiencing brown tap water. It might be disturbed sediment from a burst water main or pump or due to sudden high demand. Or it could be organic matter in the mains, rust from your old iron pipes, or something like leaking pipes.

It could be anything but iced tea suddenly flowing from your tap. It could be caused by the following:

• A faulty network valve, valves opening or closing
• Damaged water heater
• Use of a water/fire hydrant by fire services or another third party
• Laying a new supply pipe
• Switching water back on following a mains repair or routine network flushing.
• Repairs, maintenance and upgrades to the mains network
• Reverse flow

Try to run your taps at full flow for several minutes. If it clears the problem, you’ll likely need to think about getting your old iron pipes replaced.

If running the taps doesn’t work, you should consider reporting to your local authorities and asking for their help.

Let’s delve deeper into this troubling issue of dirty drinking water.

1. Is the brown water from the hot or cold tap?

If it’s only affecting one or two taps or just the hot water, you might have a hot water system problem. Corrosion in the heater tap is often the culprit, particularly in older systems.

If so, consider calling your plumber and exploring a hot water system repair, hot water tap replacement or options for a new hot water system.

2. Take the two-bucket test

But if brown water comes from the tap and you cold water, this little test should give you a good idea of the cause of your dirty tap water.

Grab a clean bucket or even an ice cream tub, and fill it with cold water from your front garden tap. Now, fill another bucket from the backyard tap.

If the water out front is brown, it might point to rusting in your old galvanised pipes. Let the water run for a few minutes, then check again. If it clears, your water supply could be at fault, not the mains, especially if the back tap’s flow is even worse.

3. Is brown water safe for drinking?

Now, we don’t recommend you start slurping down brown water from cold tap outlets. Again, this isn’t a limitless supply of tea.

It is best to assume that brown or other discoloured water tap isn’t safe to drink. It may not be poisonous, but its discolouration could be a sign it can be potentially hazardous. If the issue is a rusty pipe, the rust itself is not harmful. However, since there is a leaking and rusted plumbing pipe, it is a breeding ground for bacteria that have also gotten into the water. Rusty water can also indicate the presence of lead in your water pipes, which can cause several health problems.

Call a licensed local plumber like Fixed Today to replace, repair, flush or treat the pipes.

3 Tips to Deal with Brown Water Flowing from the Tap

1. Ask the Neighbours

For example, checking if the neighbours have the same problem can help isolate the cause when you have a blackout. Consider popping next door and asking if your neighbours are experiencing a similar situation.

2. Isolate the Taps

If your neighbours don’t have the same dilemma of brown water flowing from the tap, focus on your home, plumbing and fixtures.

See if the issue is affecting all your cold taps or just one. If it’s just one tap, you’re most likely dealing with corrosion in a nearby pipe. This is crucial info for your plumber.

3. Wait A Few Hours

These issues often resolve on their own within a few hours or days. But if it lingers, chances are it won’t disappear without help. That’s when you should call a certified local plumber who can handle the job.

The plumbers at Fixed Today are fully qualified experts in every type of household plumbing problem. So, for fast response time and a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all plumbing services, get Fixed Today to fix your brown tap water problem with one of our plumbing services. Call us today!