Discolored Water From the Taps: What It Might Mean

You have probably encountered this before: you come back home after a vacation of one to two weeks. You turn on the faucet in the bathroom or the kitchen, and the first water to flow out is reddish-brown. Nothing to worry about, it will go away in less than a minute as the dry pipes clear out residue.

But what if water discoloration starts at a different time? One day you turn on your faucet, and the water that comes out is rusty-red, green, or even black. It might be harmless, but it also could be a warning sign of problems in the plumbing system or even a health hazard. We recommend you call us for plumbing service in Sun City, AZ, to see what’s wrong, and what we can do about it.

The Common Water Discoloration Issues

We have listed some of the common colors you may see coming from your freshwater and their possible sources. Please don’t guess at the problem—it’s something you want the professionals to look at.

• Yellow-to-Reddish Brown: e. something similar to what you would see in the water after a long vacation. This is the most common discoloration, and the source is usually from rust or dirt in the pipes. The darker the coloration, the more serious the issue. There are several different sources for this. You may have aging pipes or even an aging main water line that’s rusting. Leaks may be allowing dirt into the pipes. If only the hot water taps are showing this discoloration (please check to make sure), then the problem is coming from the water heater—it’s probably rusted-through and needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
• Blue-green: If your house has mostly copper piping, this color of water indicates corrosion in the copper. (Copper is “corrosion-resistant,” it’s not “corrosion-proof.”) The water will also have a metallic taste. You will need to have the corroded pipes replaced, and we also recommend you have water testing done to see if there is high or low acidity (pH level) that’s behind the corrosion.
• Green: Plain old green? Sorry to say, but there are algae growing somewhere in the plumbing system, and this is often because of leaking. At least you’ve got a major warning about the leaks, and you’ll want this fixed right away.
• Black: If you’re seeing black flakes in the water, it’s probably excess iron or manganese. This isn’t harmful to drink, but it doesn’t look nice and may warn that you have hard water that could be affecting the plumbing. If the water is simply a blackish color, it means mold. Bad mold—and that requires a plumber ASAP!

Plumbing Solutions of All Types

Reading through the list of potential problems, you’ll notice there are a range of different types of plumbing services you may need: water heater replacement, main water line repair/replacement, repiping, water treatment system installation. Our plumbers can handle all these services, and you can put your full trust in The Trusted Plumber to find out which services will solve your discolored water troubles.

The Trusted Plumber offers quality plumbing services to Glendale, AZ, and the surrounding areas. Call today to schedule plumbing work.

This post first appeared on https://www.thetrustedplumber.com