How do you fix brown tap water?

Author: Dr. Laurie Schoen  |  Last update: Tuesday, July 29, 2025

You can eliminate brown water from your home for good by running cold water from your tap for at least 20 minutes. If the water is still brown after this, contact your city's utility provider and request that they flush out the brown water with a fire hydrant. If the problem persists after this, call the professionals.

What to do if my tap water is brown?

Flush your hot water heater if needed, inspect your piping, clean your aerators on your faucets and then try flushing your cold water for 5 minutes and it should clear up the discolored water.

How do you change brown water to clear?

WSSC suggests running all COLD water taps for about five minutes or until the water runs clear. Begin with the lowest faucet in your home or business and then open the other faucets one at a time, moving from your lowest floor to your highest.

How long does it take for brown water to go away?

Usually, the water will clear on its own within a few hours. If after a few hours and the water has not cleared then you will need to call for a professional opinion. The most common reason for residential brown water coming out homeowner's tap is from damaged or recently replaced water pipes.

How do I fix brown water coming out of my sink?

You may need to consider a filtration system or some other kind of iron removal solution. Check if the brown water is coming from only your hot water or cold water. If water is brown from hot water only, then your water heater needs to be flushed out.

Fix Dirty Brown Water Coming from Faucet

How do you remove Brown from water?

Run the Faucets

In some cases, brown water is caused by a small amount of rust build-up in your pipes. By running the faucets until the water becomes clear, you can get rid of brown water.

Is it safe to bathe in brown tap water?

While the water may not be harmful in small doses, it's generally recommended that you avoid drinking or cooking with it until the issue is resolved. Bathing in brown water is usually safe for your body, but it might irritate sensitive skin.

How to fix brown water from a faucet for a few seconds?

After running your tap for a few minutes, clean water from your water heater or water main will replace the discolored water. Since iron is an essential nutrient, this condition poses no health hazard. If the discoloration bothers you, however, flush the tap until the water becomes clear.

Is brown tap water OK?

Is it safe to drink? If your water suddenly looks orange or brown, run your tap for a few minutes to see if it returns to a clear colour. If this doesn't work, contact us on 1800 278 278 and we'll investigate it. You shouldn't drink the water until we have looked into it.

What is the solution to brown water?

If discolored water due to extreme weather is a problem for you, we recommend choosing a powerful iron removal solution like IronShield, which can handle up to 10ppm of iron (typically, water softeners only treat up to 2 or 3 ppm).

Why is my brown water not clearing?

If you've noticed brown water at one fixture or throughout your home, it's a sign that rust might be throwing a party in your pipes, and trust us, it's one you don't want to crash. In most cases, a fix could involve anything from simple repairs to a full re-piping, especially if the rust and corrosion are extensive.

How do you purify brown water?

Boiling is the best way to kill disease-causing organisms, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. The high temperature and time spent boiling are very important to effectively kill the organisms in the water. Boiling will also effectively treat water if it is still cloudy or murky.

How do you make colored water clear again?

Using bleach, you can change the color of colored water, making the color seem to disappear before your students' eyes.

How to make brown water clear?

You can eliminate brown water from your home for good by running cold water from your tap for at least 20 minutes. If the water is still brown after this, contact your city's utility provider and request that they flush out the brown water with a fire hydrant. If the problem persists after this, call the professionals.

Who to call if my water is brown?

Odds are there is sediment in your water heater tank. To clear things out, drain and flush the tank, let it refill and heat up, then test the water again. If it's still discolored, it's time to call a plumber to take a look. This is a sign that the contamination is coming from the main water supply.

What to do if your tap water is dirty?

To clear the discoloured water, run the cold water tap nearest to your internal stop tap. Run the water on a thin flow, about the width of a pencil, for about 20 minutes. If this doesn't work, turn the tap off, wait 20 minutes and try again.

How do you fix brown water from a tap?

How to fix brown water coming out of my tap. Nine times out of ten we see that time is the best solution. Give the water in the mains lines a couple of hours to settle down and you will usually see the water run clear again.

Why is my tap water brown all of a sudden?

Usually, disturbed minerals, sediment or rust will mix with the clear water to cause tap water to appear brown. Brown tap water can be a result of something that has happened to the water mains, or it can be an issue to do with your property's internal plumbing or connection to the water mains.

Can I shower with brown water?

Generally speaking, it's NOT safe to consistently expose yourself to brown, rusty water – drinking or bathing in it for an extended period of time could cause some health issues. Believe it or not, it's actually also safe to drink. In other words, it won't kill you.

Why does my tap water leave brown stains?

High calcium in the water leaves a white residue which is most visible on metal surfaces like faucets and showerheads. Brown or black staining is usually the result of high levels of dissolved manganese. A great place to check for manganese staining is in the water tank on your toilet.

Why is my toilet water brown but not my sink?

Excess minerals in your water supply might be the reason behind that brown color. Common culprits include iron and manganese. When the water enters your toilet tank and sits for some time, these minerals can precipitate and form deposits, resulting in a brown tint.

How do you flush brown water?

Discolored Water/Flushing Guide
  1. Begin with the SINK faucet on the lowest floor of your home or business.
  2. SLOWLY open the COLD water SINK faucet. ...
  3. Repeat this process on each floor, moving from the lowest to highest, only opening the COLD water SINK faucets.
  4. You should also flush your refrigerator's water lines.

Is slightly brown tap water safe to drink?

Brown water may, understandably, cause alarm and spark concerns about its safety for consumption. Fortunately, this discoloration is typically a result of sediment, rust, or other particles accumulating in the water supply. So, while it might not be aesthetically pleasing to look at, it's generally safe to drink.

What are the side effects of iron bacteria in water?

Iron bacteria are not known to cause disease. Howevegr, they can create conditions where other disease-causing organisms may grow. They can also affect how much water the well produces and may cause clogging issues. To be safe, test the water for nitrate and coliform bacteria.

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