What Causes Water Discoloration and How to Get Rid of Brown Well Water?
While turning on the tap water, if you observe brownish water continuously, it’s an alarming situation that needs to be addressed on high priority.
Iron entry into the water, rust, tannin, broken-down water softener resin beads, bad Well structure, silt, and muddy pipes are some of the common causes of your brown well water that needs to be taken into consideration while fixing the discoloration issue.
Don’t worry, down in this post, we have discussed why your well water turns brown all of a sudden and a detailed guide on how to get rid of brown well water with proven methods.
Some of these ways are easy to implement even at home, while some of the solutions may require a little investment and attention.
Common Causes of Brown Well Water
The entry of harmful substances into your well water supply is a major reason that gives water a brown color.
Let’s learn all the common issues that caused the color of your well water to turn brown.
1. Iron Entry into Water
Iron is one of the famous metals found on the earth’s crust. Its entry into the water is common in those areas in the world which are richest in iron as mineral iron.
When there’s heavy rain, snow water gets mixed with the earth’s surface water and causes complications when combined with iron.
Now iron is readily available on the earth’s crust and enters the pipes and water motors through corrosion activity.
Moreover, iron can enter the well water via a compromised water pipe or steel well casing.
If water is contaminated with iron and magnesium in excess, it may cause several diseases, including diarrhea, flu, temperature, and many others.
It’s a reason to lessen the shine of clothes and all the materials you wash with red or brown water.
There are several iron compounds that affect the water, including:
Furthermore, there are also some ironic bacteria that attract and create iron in the water.
Related: Best Whole House Iron Filters
2. Rust
Rust is another reason for brownish water, which is due to a mixture of iron and water with oxygen.
When rusty pipes, hard water faucets, hot water heaters, hot taps, and other plumbing fixtures of your home or well system are affected for a long time by iron i.e. when ion persists in your pipes, it results in brown discolored water.
3. Tannin
Tannin is a naturally occurring organic compound that mainly happens in peaty soil, trees and plants, and other areas which face natural exhausts.
When you cut these trees and plants, there are 100% chances that rainwater mixes with the shallow well water and makes it brown. A tea-like color appears in this case.
4. Muddy Pipes
If you live in an area where too much mud occurs naturally or due to human activity, it’s another reason why your well water is brown.
5. Silt
Silt is a mixture of dissolved solids with water. On the other hand, it is also found on the earth’s crust with many other heavy metals, and due to plumbing or construction activities, it’s easy to get into the water.
The ultimate results are a cloudy water appearance and brownish water for a well.
Some people drill a well or repair the old well, which is not good at the side where sediments are typical. Due to this, silt enters the pipes and causes brown well water.
6. Positioning of Well Pump
After the Well drilling, if your Well pump is wrongly installed too deep towards the bottom of the well, it is possible that the water pump sucks the sediments and sand, turning your water brown.
In this case, you need to consider lifting up the Well pump a bit higher to avoid it sucking up these particles.
So, above are some causes why your healthy water becomes brown while you are caring a lot about it. Now, if you want to treat water, let’s learn how to test it.
After that, it would be easier to implement the right fix as per the need.
How to Test Brown Well Water?
It’s best to test if your water is affected by iron or not. A brown color is the symbol of the presence of iron in well water.
On the other hand, you can also check the smell or taste of your water. If it’s an earthy smell, it is usually due to the surface water and if it tastes or smells like metal, it means water is affected by iron.
You must test the water to ensure there’s no dangerous element that has seeped into your well.
Small water testing kits to identify metals are available in the market. You can get those kits, follow the instructions, and place the iron in the water for results.
Moreover, some kits also inform us about the quantity of iron and other particles in the water. You may quickly know if a metal is available in excess in it or within the acceptable range.
Proven Methods to Get Rid of Brown Water
After knowing the reason and testing your healthy water, the next step is to remove iron bacteria from it.
Down are some simple yet authentic and compelling ways to get rid of brown well water quickly. Most people consider it tough to clear well water, but that’s not the actual point.
Extracting iron from well water is possible but time taking task. So, don’t wait and follow these ways to gain pure water, which is not only good for your health but is also suitable for washing purposes.
Air Injection Filters
Air injection filters are a versatile choice based on oxidizing iron and removing impurities related to iron and its compounds.
Its ultimate goal is to introduce oxidized water which is safe for drinking and washing your clothes.
The installation process is straightforward. Buy an air injection filter and install it at the specific place where it fits perfectly. It works on the principle of combining impurities and harmful particles on the surface.
Keep in mind that this water system won’t remove tennis particles and iron-creating bacteria. But yes, it makes your healthy water pure and dangerously free.
Ion Exchange Filters
It’s another unique filter that aims to provide clear and pure water free of impurities and iron particles. Moreover, if you want to remove silt and brown particles, this is an excellent choice.
The ion exchange filter works on the principle of exchanging ions and removes harmful ions in the wastage tank.
Install this filter at the entry point of water so that the final water which reaches the showers, taps, and heaters is neat and clean.
Talking about its working, it has ion exchange capacities. Both positive and negative ions work together.
It will remove tennis, iron, silt, and other particles from the positive ion of the filter, while sodium and other valuable compounds from the filter move toward the pure water based on the attraction of negative ions of the filter.
Hence, the final water is pure and free of iron and any t’s particles.
Based on the overall review of an ion exchange water filter, customers named it the best way to remove iron particles, and iron-producing bacteria from water.
Moreover, it is available at reasonable rates and with the highest efficiency.
Reverse Osmosis Filters
If you want to remove 100% of the harmful organic materials from water, reverse osmosis is an excellent choice.
It’s an essential and versatile water treatment system that eliminates iron and other harmful particles, including lead, by a reverse filtration membrane.
Using a membrane only allows the valuable substances to pass and leave behind others. A filtration tank then removes those compounds.
It is helpful for those who want to own a whole-house water filtration system. It meets all your needs that are based on your desired results.
Moreover, you must be happy to know that it also removes lead, sulfur, and mercury, including many other dangerous substances for human health.
Also Read: Best 10-inch water filter cartridges
Sediment Filtration
Sediment filtration is a simple procedure that you can implement at your home quickly.
The name represents a simple filtration process that leaves behind large particles in the sediment part, including rust, iron, and ferrous.
In the end, debris and iron-free water are gained on the upper surface. Different types of filters depending on pore sizes are available in the market.
You can also check this article on how to remove black sediment from water.
Greensand Filters
Greensand filters are essential types of filters that combine sand and iron particles in the form of solid mass on water surfaces and separate them. It is similar to an air injection filter that is working to some extent.
It releases air to the water particles where iron is gathered on the surface and, by combining iron and other impurities making a solid mass.
This solid mass floats on the water’s surface and then is separated by the floating tank.
Most people confuse it with the air injection filter, but it is different. Here all iron particles are removed gradually in the form of solid mass.
Water Softener
One of the most important and easy ways that people like to implement is a water softener.
The main aim of this product is to soften hard water by removing ironic substances from water, making it clear and safe to drink.
Furthermore, this procedure is easy to implement as you only need a water softener to buy and install without the need for a professional plumber.
Replacing Pipes
The essential procedure is to replace your old pipes and get rid of the muddy and rusty water available in the pipes. It is the biggest reason to make your well water brown.
So, first of all, change your rusty lines and move towards the next step depending on the need for healthy brown water.
Call A Professional
If you implemented all the ways and are still unable to fix the brown water issue, the last method to treat the brown coloration in water is to call a licensed professional.
A licensed professional can solve your issue by performing the plumbing and well inspection, inspecting the Well casing, grout, well cap, air trapping, well hole, pressure gauge, etc. to help you get clear water in your faucets.
Final Verdict
Above is complete detail on why your well water may get brown all of a sudden and how to get rid of the contamination in your well.
It is primarily due to harmful substances including iron and magnesium in your water supply.
You can quickly test and treat brown water affected by the iron for better-tasting water with a refreshing smell, saving your clothes from brown stains.
These proven ways will help you easily clear and get rid of brown water entering your whole house supplies from the water well or city water.
Don’t worry, all the procedures are easy and straightforward and don’t require special plumbing expertise. If you have any queries regarding our article, we highly appreciate your questions.
