Appearance of your water
From time to time you may notice a change in the appearance of your drinking water. We have listed some of the common causes of discolouration in your water and given advice on how you can prevent and resolve the issue.
Discolouration and your water
If you are experiencing discolouration in your hot water taps only you will need to consult a plumber.
What to look for:
- Black, brown, orange, red or yellow in appearance
- Does the water appear clearer after you run the tap for a short time?
- Is the issue with all the cold water taps in your home?
What could be causing the issue:
- The supply contains more iron or manganese than normal
- The supply is at a lower pressure than normal
- There is an issue with your internal plumbing
Why is my cold water supply discoloured?
It’s important to know that there will be no harmful levels of iron or manganese in your tap, it will just look unappealing & unpleasant.
Some water mains are made from iron and over time changes of pressure to your water flow can move sediment from the pipes into your water causing discolouration. This is quite unlikely to happen and usually occurs after a pipe has burst.
Occasionally there can be traces of manganese in the water supply. Manganese can occur naturally at elevated levels in water and build up in the distribution network. When these particles are disturbed by events such as a burst pipe, they can make your water appear black.
Your internal plumbing or appliances could be causing the issue as they may contain higher than normal levels of metal. Older pipework and plumbing over time can start to rust which can cause the water to become discoloured.
How can Icosa Water help fix this?
A discoloration event should not last more than 24 hours. However, if it does please contact our Customer Services Team on 0330 111 0780 or email us at customerservices@icosawater.co.uk with your contact details as we might need to flush the system.
If you notice this to be an ongoing issue which affects your hot water supply and your neighbours are not affected, it could be an issue with the internal plumbing your home such as;
- Your service pipe might need replacing (the pipe on your property that links you to the mains supply)
- You may need to clean or replace your header tank
- The tap being fed from the tank might need to be cleaned
Self Help
We recommend that you flush your system by running your cold water taps. Flushing the system can help to clear the cause of discolouration.
