Water & tank care
Why is my water brown or discoloured?
Discoloured water looks alarming but is usually harmless and temporary, most often disturbed sediment or iron. The pattern, all taps or one, hot or cold, clears or not, tells you what’s going on.
The common causes
- Recent mains work or a nearby burst stirring up sediment in the street (clears in a few hours).
- Iron in bore or tank water, orange-brown and inclined to stain (see our hard-water and iron guide).
- Rust from old galvanised pipes or a corroding hot water system.
- A tank that has had its sediment stirred up.
How to tell them apart
- Run the cold tap for a few minutes. If it clears, it was disturbed sediment, harmless and temporary.
- Is it hot only? Brown hot water often means a rusting or silted hot water system.
- Is it every tap and persistent? That points to your supply, iron in the source, or corroding pipes.
- Does it stain fixtures orange? That’s iron; a plain sediment filter won’t hold it back.
What to do
For a one-off after mains work, run the taps until clear and you’re done. For persistent discolouration, a water test tells you whether it’s iron, and an iron-removal filter is the fix. Rusting galvanised pipes or a corroding hot water system are a plumber job. Avoid washing whites while the water is discoloured, iron stains fabric.
Common questions
Is brown water safe?
Disturbed sediment and iron are generally not a health risk (iron is more of a staining and taste nuisance), but don’t drink obviously discoloured water, and if it’s persistent or you’re unsure, get it tested.
It cleared after running the tap, do I need to do anything?
No. If it clears within a few minutes it was just disturbed sediment, usually after mains work nearby. If it keeps coming back, that’s worth investigating.