Why is my water rusty?

Question: We purchased a home built in the sixties. My question has to do with rust in the waterlines. We seem to get alot of rust in the toilet bowls and when we haven't turned on a faucet in one of the bathrooms for a while when we do turn it on rusty water comes out. Is there anything that can be done for this?

Karen

Steve’s Reply: This is a common symptom of a home plumbed with galvanized iron pipe. This material was used quite commonly in the 60’s. Galvanized pipe is made of iron with a zinc coating electrochemically bonded to it. The zinc coating protects the iron pipe from the effects of oxidation and has a typical life of about 20 years. Once the zinc coating fails, rust begins to form in the pipe. The rust forms at the joints in the pipe first and can eventually cover the entire length of the interior walls. As time goes on, the rust can continue to grow until the inside diameter of the pipe is virtually choked off. This rust leaches into the water continually but is only noticable when the water is allowed to stand for any time, such as in an infrequently used plumbing fixture. Rust colored water will come out when the tap is first turned on. Warm water accelerates the process, so you will usually see signs of rust at the hot water taps first.

Once galvanized pipes begin to rust, total failure is a possibility. To avoid the inconvenience of an eventual leak, you will need to replace the old galvanized water lines with new copper pipe. This is not an inexpensive process but the new copper lines will last a long long time--with no rust! Call a licensed plumber for a quote.

Good luck!

Steve Spratt is CEO of Home Preservation Services Inc. Click here to contact him.