When you own a home, keeping ahead of home maintenance chores can be tough. Plumbing concerns often go by the wayside until there’s an issue you can’t ignore. One such example: rusty water appearing when you run the tap.
We asked an Upper East Side plumber what the deal was with rust colored water coming out of the faucet. It turns out it’s very important to notice if rusty water is coming out of both the cold water tap and the hot water tap.
Rusty Water Could Mean Pipe Problems
If you have rusty water coming out of both the cold and hot water faucets, it’s a sign that there may be corrosion in your home’s pipes. This is an issue your Upper East Side plumber can identify with an inspection, and if it’s present, repairing or replacing the pipes can generally fix the issue.
Rusty Water Could Mean Water Heater Problems
However, if you have rusty water coming out of only the hot water faucet, the issue may be with your water heater. There are components inside the water heater that rust over the course of time. When this rust enters the water, it’s definitely time to have your plumber replace the water heater.
Other signs your water heater may be failing include leaks, any loud noises, and a failure to provide consistently hot water in reliable amounts. Many people don’t realize that water heaters wear out over the course of time. The typical average useful life of a water heater is between ten and twenty years, depending on the environment the water heater is stored in and how much hot water it needs to produce.
As a side note – you don’t have to see the iron in your water for iron to be there. Sometimes homeowners first become aware that there’s an issue with either their pipes or water heater when rusty stains start developing on the laundry.
