Brown Water From the Faucet? Causes and What to Do

Brown, yellow or rusty water is alarming, but it is usually fixable once you know where it is coming from. Answer these three questions and you will have a good idea.

Is It Hot Water Only?

If only the hot side is discolored, the problem is inside your water heater. The sacrificial anode rod has likely been used up and the tank is rusting from the inside. A water heater repair visit can confirm; if the tank is rusting, water heater replacement is the fix.

Is It Both Hot and Cold, Only at Certain Faucets?

That points to corroded galvanized steel pipes feeding those fixtures. Galvanized pipe rusts from the inside, shedding flakes and restricting flow. Repairs are temporary; the permanent fix is whole house repiping with PEX or copper.

Is It Every Faucet, Suddenly?

Check with neighbors. If they have it too, the water utility is probably flushing hydrants or had a main break, which stirs up sediment. Run cold water for 10–20 minutes. If you are on a private well, iron and manganese in the groundwater are the likely cause, and an iron filter from our water softener installation team will solve it.

Is It Safe?

Rust-colored water from iron is generally not a health hazard, but it stains laundry and fixtures and signals that pipes or a water heater are deteriorating. Do not ignore it — a corroded pipe that is shedding rust is a pipe that is close to leaking.

We diagnose discolored water in Chambersburg, Indiana, Meadville and throughout Pennsylvania. Call (888) 809-6756.