Is Discolored Hot Water Always a Problem With The Water 
Heater?
Having rusty discolored hot water flow from your taps is always a sign of trouble. Given that all hot water originates from your water heater, this appliance is the most likely culprit. But it isn’t the only possible cause. At Lakeland Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, we help homeowners save money. That’s why we’re sharing several important things to know about rust-colored water and its connection to water heaters.
Rust-Colored Water Can Have Many Possible Causes
When metals like steel and galvanized iron age, they oxidize. Durizing oxidation, they release tiny rust particles. If present in high enough concentrations, these particles give water a brownish tinge and a distinctive metallic taste.
Rusty water might indicate poor water heater maintenance, advanced water heater age, or the degradation of water supply pipes and pipe fittings. In rare instances, it’s due to problems along municipal water supply lines.
How to Know If Your Water Heater Is the Culprit
The most common cause of rusty discolored water is corrosion within water heaters. However, the pipes that carry heated water throughout your home experience less use than your cold water supply lines. Gaps between usage give rust particulates more time to settle. When you turn your hot water taps on, swift-moving water flushes accumulated rust out. If your heated water is rusty at first, but clears after running for several seconds, you may have rusty supply pipes.
Check for Single-Tap Issues
Check all the taps throughout your home for problems with rust. The problem may be fixture-specific. The supply pipe to a single sink, basin, shower, or tub could have corroded connections or other rust-related issues. If every tap produces rust-colored water, the problem likely lies within your water heater.
Check Your Cold Water Taps
Another way to rule out water heater problems is by checking for discoloration at your cold water taps. Turn your cold water on and capture it in a clear glass or a white container for assessment. Heavy concentrations of rust in the water that flows from cold water taps indicate advanced pipe corrosion. You may need repiping service or a partial pipe replacement.
Why Water Heaters Make Hot Water Rusty
The metal components of standard, tank-based water heaters are in constant contact with water and oxygen. This makes oxidation inevitable. To slow this process, water heaters have sacrificial anode rods. These rods travel the length of water heater tanks and attract corrosive elements. In so doing, they sacrifice themselves and protect tank interiors from rust damage.
Failed Anode Rods
Sacrificial anode rods can last up to five years. But in homes with excessively hard water, these components can fail after just six months of service. Hard water has high concentrations of dissolved minerals, and these minerals can quickly overwhelm anode rods. Rust-colored water may be a sign that it’s time to replace your water heater’s anode rod.
Built-Up Sediment
Anode rods don’t capture and retain all corroding elements within water heater tanks. Throughout their lifespans, and increasingly so as they wear down, residual hard water minerals settle at tank bottoms. These minerals create sediment layers that get stirred up during activity.
Over time, sediment can turn into hard, shell-like coatings that expand and contract with temperature changes. Your rusty discolored water may be due to bottom-of-tank sediment if your water heater makes loud cracking, popping, or banging sounds. Often referred to as kettling, these sounds occur as water boils through hard sediment layers.
Rusted Water Heater Connections
Although a less common cause of rusty water than failed anode rods and sediment layers, rusty water heater connections can cause discoloration, too. Rusted iron pipes and corroded or poorly insulated fittings can both cause and contribute to discoloration. Your rust-colored water may be due to failing water heater connections if you have pooling water around your water heater’s fittings and visible corrosion in these areas.
Is Rusty Water Dangerous?
Consuming small amounts of rust-colored water isn’t always dangerous. But discoloration may be a sign of bacterial growth and the presence of harmful microorganisms. Whenever your tap water is discolored, avoid drinking it, cooking with it, and showering or bathing with it.
What to Do When Your Hot Water Has Rust
Start by looking for the potential cause of discoloration. Check for single-tap issues, cold water issues, and evidence of corrosion around your water heater’s connections. For a sure diagnosis, contact Lakeland Benjamin Franklin Plumbing.
How to Keep Your Hot Water Rust-Free
To avoid rusty discolored water, schedule annual water heater maintenance. By regularly flushing your water heater’s tank, our team can prevent heavy buildups of sediment. These visits also allow us to inspect your water heater’s anode rod and replace it as needed.
Treat Hard Water Problems
If you have excessively hard water in your home, consider water treatment. Whole-house water softeners treat water before it enters water heaters and water supply pipes. This slows the rate of corrosion. It also extends the lifespan of plumbing-connected appliances and plumbing systems.
Schedule Timely Water Heater Placement
Replace your water heater before it reaches the end of its lifespan. Replacing water heaters before they experience age-related failure can help you avoid water damage. It will also ensure consistently high water quality. Standard water heaters typically last between eight and 12 years. Tankless water heaters often last between 15 and 20 years. Although tankless water heaters don’t heat and hold water like standard models do, they aren’t impervious to corrosion, and they can produce rusty discolored water, too.
Call Lakeland Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
Never bathe in, cook with, or consume water when its safety and quality are in doubt. If you have rusty discolored hot water, contact Lakeland Benjamin Franklin now! If there’s any delay, it’s YOU we pay!
