What is Rusty Water and what causes it?

Rusty water originates from well sources with high iron content and from municipal water systems that have old, metal water mains. It may also come from metal well casings or tubes. Water that comes out of these often have a metallic taste. The water may also change the color of your laundry into an orange like gloss. Although it may sound dangerous, it doesn’t pose any health hazards. The most common cause for it to occur in your house are corroded pipes. One way to test if the rusty water is coming from your local water source is through collecting water from your home faucets. Let cold water flow and check if it has any slight change in color. After that let hot water flow and check also if there is any discoloration. If you notice rusty water in one of the samples and it goes away after a while or rusty water is only present in the how water supply, then the problem may be coming from the pipes in your home. If there is continuous rusty water coming from both hot and cold water supply then call your public water supplier and report it immediately.

How do you fix Rusty water in your house?

Whether the problem may be coming from the local water supplier or in your house, a replacement of pipes would likely be the solution. If the rusty water is coming from your house piping or the water heater, then hire a qualified plumber in order to fix the problem as doing it yourself may cause further problems. If the problem is your water heater then you should replace it. Once corrosion starts to happen it will advance until the tank will fail completely due to rust. To avoid having the same problems again if ever your problem is with the water heater, replace he anode rod every few years. The anode rod is a metal rod that connects into your water heater tank. The sole purpose of it is to attract corrosive particles so that the water heater tank is spared. So if the anode rod is corroded to the core then the rust will penetrate into the water tank itself. The rod usually last for about 5 years but do check every year if there’s some changes in your laundry or if it has a metallic taste.

 

For more information on plumbing and how it potentially affects your water supply, contact Vinny’s Jersey Plumbing, located in Wayne, New Jersey.  We also service other towns in New Jersey, such as Rutherford, Livingston and Elmwood Park.