Seeing discolored hot water flowing out of your faucet is a little unsettling, but it usually doesn't mean your water is harmful. Identifying the cause will help you decide if it's time to call a plumber.
Cloudy, Milky Water
This is most often caused by tiny air bubbles. To check if this is the problem with your water, fill a clear glass and let it sit undisturbed for around 15 minutes. During this time, the bubbles should dissipate, leaving the water clear as usual.
Rusty Water
Reddish or orange-colored water is most often caused by rust somewhere in the plumbing system. If the faucet hasn't been used in a while or work was recently done on your plumbing system, let the water run for a minute or two. If the water doesn't clear up, you could have a corroded pipe that should be replaced.
If your hot water is rusty, but your cold water looks fine, you probably have sediment buildup at the bottom of your water heater tank. Flushing the tank will get rid of this. While you can do this yourself, it's worth having a plumber come in to do the job and inspect your plumbing system to ensure the problem isn't coming from somewhere else, such as a malfunctioning boiler.
Harmless iron bacteria are another possible cause of rusty water, particularly in well water. Treating your water heater with chlorine should clear this up.
Yellow or Brown Water
This kind of discolored hot water is usually caused by some type of organic debris in the water supply. Dirt, sand, decaying leaves, and other organic matter settle at the bottom of the water supply lines and when those lines are disturbed, the debris breaks loose and enters the water supply. This can happen when there's construction going on, large trucks moving through or anything else that could shake the pipes.
Because water heater and boiler problems are such common causes of discolored hot water, if you can't determine why your water changed color, contact a plumber to inspect your equipment.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about discolored water and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 260-376-2961.
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