Common problem · TN LLP #5045

Brown or Rusty Water

Discoloured water from the tap, all the time or just at first.

Quick answer

Rarely an emergency, but do not drink it until you know the cause. Brown or rusty water is usually iron — either from corroding galvanized pipe inside the house, from the water heater, or from the supply itself on well water.

Discoloured water tells you something is shedding iron into the supply, and where it comes from is usually revealed by when it happens. Brown at first draw in the morning points inside the house. Brown all the time points upstream.

How you know this is it

Rusty or brown water at first draw, clearing after a minute
Discoloured water all the time, at every tap
Only the hot side discoloured, which points at the heater
Staining on fixtures, tubs, and laundry
A metallic taste alongside the colour

What usually causes it

Corroding galvanized supply pipe inside the house, common in pre-1960s construction
A water heater at the end of its life shedding rust from inside the tank
Iron in the supply on a private well, which is very common on the rural properties around here
Disturbed sediment in the city main after work or a hydrant flush, which clears on its own
A failed anode rod in the water heater

Common questions

Brown or Rusty Water: your questions answered

Is it safe to drink?

Iron itself is more of a taste and staining problem than a health one, but we would not drink discoloured water without knowing why it is discoloured. On a private well it is worth testing properly.

It is only the hot water. What does that mean?

That usually puts it in the water heater — either the tank is corroding or the anode rod is spent. Both are worth looking at before the tank fails outright.

We are on a well. Can you fix it?

We treat the water after it reaches the house, which handles iron, sulphur smell, and sediment. We do not work on the well, pump, or pressure tank — that is separately licensed in Tennessee and we refer it out.

Are you licensed?

Yes. Tennessee Limited Licensed Plumber #5045, issued by the state Board for Licensing Contractors and verifiable at verify.tn.gov. Across eighteen local competitors, not one publishes their number.

Book Drain Pros TN for whole-house water filtration.

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TN Limited Licensed Plumber · #5045 · verify at verify.tn.gov

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