Why is Your Water Discolored?

When you turn on the faucet in your Berkeley home and find the water flowing from it to be discolored, it can be unnerving to say the least. Depending upon the color of the water, the problems can vary. Some can be minor ones like high mineral content that can be taken care of with water softeners, while other problems may involve sewage leakages that may result in sewer lines being replaced.

 

Whatever the problem, it’s important to use the services of a licensed and experienced plumber when these situations arise. To help you better understand why water gets discolored, here are some suggestions regarding different colors and the repairs needed to solve the problem.

Orange or Red Water

When your water suddenly turns orange or red, the cause may be rust in the pipes. As metal pipes age, some of them begin to rust on the inside as well as the outside. When this happens, the rust inside begins to color the water that passes through, resulting in the orange and red colors people see when they turn on their faucets.

Much more of a problem in older homes than newer ones, this problem requires a plumber to remove the old pipes and install new ones made of PVC.

Black Water

Don’t look now, but if your water has turned black you may have some major problems awaiting you. While sometimes the problem may be something minor like small bits of dirt working their way through the water line, other times may indicate it could be mold in the water or high mineral content leading to the discoloration.

However, in most cases when the water turns completely black, it means sewage has leaked into the water. If this happens at your home, the sewer line may have developed cracks in it that allow sewage to leak into the nearby water supply, thus contaminating the home’s water. Expect to have the sewer line replaced, and also expect a high repair bill in the process.

Green Water

Green water almost always means a high concentration of algae in the drinking water. Fortunately, this is a problem that can be easily fixed.

Berkeley plumbers can add special chemicals to the water to make algae levels very low or virtually nonexistent, and can also add water filters to sinks in the kitchen, bathroom, and other places to reduce the levels of algae and other organisms in the water.

If your water is discolored in your Berkeley, CA home, call Albert Nahman at 510-843-6904 today, and we’ll solve the problem for you!