When rusty water flows from your faucet, don’t panic, and try to trace the cause of it. Rusty water may be caused by sediment in the pipes or rust from inside walls of your water mains. Water discoloration may not be a health hazard at all. All you have to do is avoiding washing laundry, or you can use a stain remover if you insist in doing so. But don’t ever use chlorine bleach because it might react when mixed with iron and become a permanent stain.

In water heaters, there is a long rod called sacrificial anode used to prevent rusting of the walls. When the anode loses its effect, and rust begins to form at the walls of the tank, sediment eventually accumulates at the bottom of the water heater that can affect its performance. You can try removing this sediment by yourself through draining and flushing the tank. When it’s clean, you can replace the anode to prevent rust from building up again.

Causes of rusty water:

• When water appears in different colors, it can be caused by varying chemical oxidation of the rust in iron, and by varying concentrations of rust in the water.
• Rusty water can also be caused by disintegration of poor-quality alloys of bronze found in valves, water pump parts and water pumps. This kind of water problem usually happens in high-rise buildings, and big industrial properties where water is usually pumped to high storage tanks.
• Another cause of rusty water may be extreme corrosion in copper plumbing. This problem can be attributed to your electrical system that may be grounded to the water pipes. This happens when you have a combination of pipe material like copper and galvanized steel. You can find out the presence of copper through water analysis.
• The presence of iron may occur in water under the ground like well supplying water in a community. This can be confirmed through water analysis.
• Manganese can also cause discoloration of water, and this can be discovered through analysis.

Resolving a rusty water issue can be a do-it-yourself process if you’re worried that hiring a professional can be expensive. But if you’re not sure that you can do it perfectly, then, call the assistance of an expert who offers flat rates on materials and labor. Sometimes, the more you want to save on money, the more you spend in additional cost when you destroy something.