When you’re turning on the faucet in your kitchen to wash your dishes or in your bathroom when preparing to take a bath or shower, the last thing you want to see coming out is discolored hot water. Along with being concerned about its appearance, you’re probably wondering if the discolored water is safe for you and your family to use.
Here at Boss Plumbing, we know that discolored water can be the sign of a variety of plumbing problems, most of which are associated with your hot water heater. To help you understand more about discolored hot water, here are some tips we’ve put together about whether it’s dangerous, what causes it, and how your discolored water problem can be fixed.
Is Discolored Water Dangerous?
When your hot water is brown, the good news is that it does not present a danger to the health of you and your family. While it is not poisonous, the appearance of brown water means it contains high levels of iron, which occurs naturally in your tap water. If you don’t take care of the problem in a timely manner, the continued buildup of iron can result in your home having hard water that could ultimately damage your home’s pipes and fixtures.
Should rusty pipes be causing your discolored water problem, which happens frequently in older homes that have metal pipes rather than today’s PVC piping, you should remember that while your water may not be poisonous, it may be the perfect spot to be a bacterial breeding ground. Since these pipes may be corroding and starting to leak in various areas throughout your home, this can also create a mold and mildew problem that could lead to illness.
Instead of letting your brown water problem lead to other more serious problems in your home, turn to us here at Boss for plumbing repair services in Los Angeles that are always affordable, professional, and prompt.
Why Does Discolored Hot Water Occur?
Since our Boss Plumbing team has more than three decades of experience providing plumbing services to homes here in Los Angeles and its surrounding communities, we know there can be many reasons for discolored water in your home.
Water Heater Issues
If it’s only your home’s hot water that is discolored, we can virtually guarantee the underlying problem is with your water heater. Should you have a water heater that is at least 10-15 years old, it may be corroding on the inside. When this happens, the rust will slowly work its way into your home’s pipes, ultimately becoming obvious to you when you turn on faucets in your kitchen, bathroom, or elsewhere. Should you notice corrosion on the outer part of your water heater’s tank or hear banging noises coming from your water heater’s interior, replacing it with a newer model will be a smart decision on your part.
Burst Pipes
Iron pipes that are rusting will eventually burst at some point. When they do, those burst pipes will need immediate attention from our Boss Plumbing team. The rust that was present on the inside of the pipes will quickly accumulate in water lines, leading to a constant stream of brown water emitting from your home’s taps. If your home’s water lines are as old as the pipes that burst, give us a call here at Boss Plumbing to schedule water line repair services as well as a re-piping job for your home.
Sediment Buildup
As your water heater ages, minerals from the water begin to accumulate on the bottom of your water heater’s interior. If you don’t address this problem, this will prevent your water heater from operating efficiently. As a result, it will take longer for your water to heat up, reduce the life of your water heater, and increase your energy bill month after month. To prevent this problem, we suggest you rely on us for regular water heater maintenance services such as flushing your water heater once each year to keep the sediment from hardening.
Municipal Water Supply Problems
Sometimes your home’s discolored water may be caused by problems with your area’s municipal water supply. These may include a broken water line, repairs that may be taking place nearby, or other issues such as tremors from an earthquake that may disturb city water lines. To discover if this is what’s causing your problem, check the cold water taps in your home. If your cold water is also discolored, the municipal water supply is to blame.
Old Water Lines
Just as your water heater and pipes can deteriorate over time, so too can your home’s water lines. When they do, your home’s hot and cold water will both start to look rust-colored. While it’s important that you let our Boss Plumbing team take care of any water heater repairs you may need, you’ll also need to let our plumbers provide you with options for re-piping your home, since this will likely also be necessary.
How Can a Discolored Water Problem be Fixed?
As you have probably figured out by now, there are a number of ways in which our Boss Plumbing technicians can fix your home’s discolored water problem.
The most common fix to this problem is usually replacing your old water heater. Even if your water heater is only 10 years old, it’s possible it could be nearing the end of its service life. Once visible corrosion is present, strange noises come from your tank, or your water doesn’t heat up as usual, let us install a new water heater as soon as possible.
Other ways this problem can be fixed include replacing old pipes or water lines, flushing sediment from your water heater, and contacting your local public works department if you suspect a municipal water supply problem.
Contact Us Today
When you need water heater services here in Los Angeles, contact us here at Boss Plumbing to schedule your service call. Offering affordable prices, outstanding customer service, and experienced technicians, you’ll get the best of everything from us here at Boss Plumbing.