Brown Water From Your Tap, Causes and What May Be Wrong.

Brown water coming from your tap is almost always one of two things. Rust or sediment that’s built up in the pipes over years, or damage further along the supply that’s knocked it loose. Run the tap a bit and see what happens. Check whether it’s the hot tap, the cold tap, or both, that alone tells you a lot about the cause. Either way, don’t drink it. If it doesn’t clear on its own, get it looked at.

Get in touch: Call 0800 181684

Why is the water in my home brown?

Brown water isn’t something you want coming out of your own taps. Looks alarming, and fair enough, it should get your attention. But most of the time it’s one of a handful of common, fixable problems, not anything catastrophic

What Causes Brown Water From a Tap?

No. Treat it as unsafe every single time, even though it’s not necessarily toxic. Water running brown? Get an engineer out rather than waiting to see if it sorts itself.

There’s a health side to this too. Rust causes brown water, and rust also happens to be a decent breeding ground for bacteria. So it’s not just about how it looks or tastes, there’s a real reason to take it seriously rather than shrug it off.

How Do I Get Rid of Brown Water in My Home?

A few things worth trying, and which one actually helps depends on the cause.

Quick note first: none of this is guaranteed to fix it. For a proper, lasting fix, get in touch with ASL and we’ll send someone to sort it properly.

Start simple, run the taps and try to clear the pipes. Sometimes that’s genuinely all it takes, clear water within minutes. Other times you’re leaving the kitchen tap on a trickle for 20 minutes, maybe doing that a couple of times, before it properly clears.

Real ASL Case Point

On Thursday 4 July 2024, a customer reported brown, muddy water coming from the downstairs cold tap, which was beginning to affect the hot water as well. ASL investigated, replaced the affected section of water pipe and flushed the supply until the water ran clean again.

Is the Brown Water Coming From the Hot Tap or the Cold Tap?

While the taps are running, check which one’s actually affected. Tells you a lot.

Hot tap. Usually points to rust building up inside the water heater itself, and that’s what’s ending up in your water. Time to get the heater inspected.

Cold tap. Is hot water clear, and only the cold discoloured? More likely the supply pipes bringing water into the property. Run the cold tap again to check. Still brown, and it might be worth contacting your water supplier directly as they can inspect the network and flush the discolouration out from their end.

What Else Can Cause Brown Water From My Taps?

An unexpected pipe disturbance. Construction work on your street can disturb the mains without you having any idea it’s happened, and that’s often enough to dislodge particles sitting quietly in the pipe. Result: brown, orange, or sometimes a deep yellow.

Emergency services using the supply. Less common, but it happens. The fire brigade draws heavily on nearby water, pressure drops, and sediment that’s been settled for ages gets stirred back up. Normal supply usually returns within 20 minutes to an hour of them finishing.

Organic material getting stirred up. Dirt and natural sediment settle at the bottom of pipes over time, and normally there is no issue at all. It becomes one when something speeds the flow up suddenly, like firefighting, a burst main, or construction, and stirs it all back into suspension.

A water main break. A broken main can force water up from underground with real force, sometimes a geyser several feet high, flooding whatever’s nearby. Domestically it’s usually quieter than that, water pooling somewhere unnoticed, doing damage gradually. Corrosion’s normally behind it, rust weakening the pipe from the inside until it cracks. Think you’ve got a broken main? Get it repaired fast.

What Should I Do If I Have Damaged or Broken Pipes?

Brown water from broken or damaged pipes, rather than something that’ll clear itself? Get in touch with ASL Limited. Drain repair and replacement is what we do, and our engineers will fit durable replacement pipework so your water stays clean, clear and safe going forward.

Not sure whose responsibility the pipe actually is, yours or the water company’s? That’s covered in ASL’s separate blog on blocked drains responsibility.

FAQS

Is it safe to shower in brown water?

Best avoided if you can, especially if rust or a burst main might be behind it. Wait for it to clear, or get it checked first.

Will running the tap always fix brown water?

Not always, but worth a try. Trickle it for 20 minutes, maybe twice. Still not clearing? That’s a sign it’s more than routine sediment.

How do I know if the problem is my responsibility or the water company’s?

Depends where the affected pipework sits. ASL’s guide on blocked drains responsibility walks through where that line usually falls.

Related Reading

Does your water meter continue to spin, despite there being no water running and there are no signs of a watermain leak? ASL can assist. 

Call ASL Limited on 0800 181684 for watermain installation and repair

Discovering water damage can be a timely and expensive investment, and it’s strongly advised you contact a plumbing or drainage engineer for further support. Find out what types of water damage exist and how we can help. https://www.asllimited.co.uk/drainage-blog/types-water-damage-help-advice