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When turn on hot water it is brown

Acey_AAcey_A Member Posts: 49
in Plumbing
Hello, notice when I turn on the hot water in shower and in the sink the water is brown. I have to continue to run The water then it will run clear. Now sure about the kitchen or other sink in basement, because the lighting not good that I can tell. Help much appreciated. Thank you
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Comments

  • ZmanZman Member Posts: 5,328
    What type of piping do you have? Galvanized?
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
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  • Acey_AAcey_A Member Posts: 49
    @Zman I had to look it up didn’t know what that meant, but yes I do.
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  • ZmanZman Member Posts: 5,328
    I guess I also should ask if you are on a well and what you know about your water quality.
    Galvanized pipe tends to corrode over time. The corrosion is intensified when heat is increased. My guess would be that that is where the brown is coming from.
    How old is the house? Has any of the original piping been replaced? Are you experience low pressure in areas?
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
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  • Acey_AAcey_A Member Posts: 49
    @Zman I have city water. The House was built in 1959 almost sure original piping and the pressure is fine
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  • Jamie HallJamie Hall Member Posts: 11,397
    If you really have galvanized pipe, that's your problem. Been there, done that. Even have the T shirt. Two solutions: put up with running the water until it clears, or repipe it. The latter shouldn't be that hard, depending on how the house is piped.
    Br. Jamie, osb

    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England.

    Hoffman Equipped System (all original except boiler), Weil-Mclain 580, 2.75 gph Carlin, Vapourstat 0.5 -- 6.0 ounces per square inch
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  • Acey_AAcey_A Member Posts: 49
    @Jamie Hall running the water it what I will do for now. Is it safe after the brown has gone to use the water to cook with? Would you know?
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  • pecmsgpecmsg Member Posts: 945
    Its only iron, just be careful with the washing machine!
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  • pecmsgpecmsg Member Posts: 945
    I would be surprised if galv is on the water supply. After almost 60 years it would have been replaced by now!

    Please post pics
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  • Acey_AAcey_A Member Posts: 49
    @pecmsg what do you mean by washing machine? It could damage it?
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  • pecmsgpecmsg Member Posts: 945
    Stain the cloths!
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  • Jamie HallJamie Hall Member Posts: 11,397
    pecmsg said:

    I would be surprised if galv is on the water supply. After almost 60 years it would have been replaced by now!

    Please post pics

    You'd be surprised .. I've only in the last two years gotten rid of almost all the galvanized in Cedric's home (there's still about 10 feet left Hard to get to... All put in about 100 years ago.
    Br. Jamie, osb

    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England.

    Hoffman Equipped System (all original except boiler), Weil-Mclain 580, 2.75 gph Carlin, Vapourstat 0.5 -- 6.0 ounces per square inch
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  • pecmsgpecmsg Member Posts: 945
    Jamie Hall said:

    pecmsg said:

    I would be surprised if galv is on the water supply. After almost 60 years it would have been replaced by now!

    Please post pics

    You'd be surprised .. I've only in the last two years gotten rid of almost all the galvanized in Cedric's home (there's still about 10 feet left Hard to get to... All put in about 100 years ago.
    I didn't say impossible!

    I'm leaning toward the tanks rusting
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  • ZmanZman Member Posts: 5,328
    It all depends on the water. I had a property that made it about 55 years before the rust and water pressure became unbearable.
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
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  • EBEBRATT-EdEBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 6,101
    Built in 59" I doubt that it is galvanized. @Acey_A find yourself a magnet and see if it sticks to your water pipes. If it sticks you have galvanized pipe, if not it's probably copper
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  • Intplm.Intplm. Member Posts: 971
    Could be galvanized in the street. But probably copper from the street to the house. Heck. I have seen very old water mains made of wood dug up from the street.
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  • Larry WeingartenLarry Weingarten Member Posts: 1,608
    Hello, A few more things to look at are the age of the water heater and whether the anode has ever been changed. If the heater is "old" and the anode has not been changed, the tank could be giving you some rusty water. Also, if there is a recirculation line, you could be getting some backflow through it, carrying rust to the taps.

    Yours, Larry
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  • Acey_AAcey_A Member Posts: 49
    I have a indirect water heater installed 2015, not
    sure what a recirculation line is, but I look it up and check. Thank you
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  • LeonardLeonard Member Posts: 840
    City water pressure in our 61 year old house was dropping over the years, till finally it was too low. I opened the sinks and listen along pipes. All copper piping but found a steel plug in a copper tee. Rust from plug expanded across the Tee and choked off flow, almost completely.
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