Why is My Water Brown?

Why is My Water Brown?

Homeowners should be prepared for any problems that may come from their home units, but some problems will come randomly and unexpectedly. If your home suddenly has brown water coming from your faucets, you will want to make sure you fix any repairs necessary in your plumbing system. Southern Air and our technicians want to explain why your home has brown water.

Common Reasons Why Your Water is Brown

There are multiple reasons why your water is brown. Here are three main reasons why your faucets are pouring out brown water.

Minerals and Sediment

Your water may be carrying minerals that cause discolored water. Your water line may have stirred up some sediment within the pipes and pumped it up to your house. Because it can happen in smaller amounts, the water may clear up by itself over time. If it does not clear up, there might be a larger build-up of minerals and sediment.

Damaged or Recently Repaired Pipes

When you repair your pipes or they shift because of damage, rust may get into the system. When your pipes change their place, the pressure used to pump your water into your home may have changed too. There may be loose rust in your system after your pipes have shifted around, which is causing your water to be brown.

Rusted Pipes

If your pipes are getting older, they may have rusted over. Similar to your damaged pipes, rust may have gotten into your system and caused your water to turn brown in color. If you believe that your pipes may have rusted over because of their age, you shouldn’t leave them unattended. Rusted pipes can create leaks in your system.

How to Determine Why Your Water is Brown

You should first ask around your neighborhood to see if any of your neighbors are experiencing the same brown water. If there are multiple homes with this problem, your utility company should be able to tell you when maintenance will come to repair the problem. If it is only your home, you should inspect additional factors in your system. These factors include:

• Does your water stay brown after running the water for 20 minutes?
• Does your water turn brown only in hot water? Only in cold water? Is it brown regardless of temperature?
• Are your pipes old? Do they need to be replaced?
• Does your water heater need to be replaced?

Determining these factors will help a specialist understand where the problem may be in the system. They may decide that the system needs to be flushed out or parts must be replaced. They can also install water filters and softeners to prevent future damage to your system. Once you understand where and why your water is brown, you can get a professional to fix the problem.

Professional Shreveport Plumbing Repairs with Southern Air

While brown water in your tap is not poisonous, you should not drink from the water, and you get your system looked at by a professional. Southern Air Heating, Cooling & Plumbing would love to help homeowners that may be experiencing problems in their plumbing system. Reach out to a technician for an appointment through our website!