Brown well water is not only unsightly and foul-tasting but it can be very dangerous if consumed. But what causes well water to turn brown and how can you get rid of it?
The five most common causes are:
- Rusty pipes
- Iron ore buildup
- Iron bacteria buildup
- Dirt and debris
- Septic runoff
In this guide, we’ll examine each one closely, explain why they turn your well water brown, and share what you can do about it.
Why Is My Well Water Brown?
Many different things can cause well water to turn brown. Here’s a quick rundown of the five most likely causes and their solutions.
| Brown Water Cause | Sign | Solution |
| Rusty Pipes | Brown water from a particular faucet, visible rusty pipes. | Replace Pipes |
| Iron Ore Buildup | Iron taste & odor, stained clothes during laundry | Get an iron filter system (Our recommendation: Springwell ULTRA) |
| Iron Bacteria Buildup | Thick & slimy water, brown-reddish buildup in well | Shock well or use a chemical injection system (Our recommendation: Springwell Injection System) |
| Dirt and Debris in Wells | Debris in water at bottom of cup | Get a sediment filter or tannin removal system with a water softener (e.g. Springwell Tannin Removal System) |
| Septic Runoff | Septic tank is close to your well | Change the position of your well (i.e, build a new well) |
Let’s take a closer look at all five causes.
Why Is My Well Water Brown All of a Sudden?
1. Rusty Plumbing
Rust, or iron oxide, is a common issue in older plumbing systems, especially those with cast-iron pipes.
Over time, using rusty pipes, appliances, and fixtures will lead to brown water, as rust will leach into your water as it makes its way to your faucets. This means the water in your well might not actually be brown at the source, but it can turn brown on its way to your faucets.
2. Iron Ore Buildup
Iron ore can also build up inside the well when it enters the well via surrounding streams, soil, and aquifers.
Whatever the cause, if iron ore builds up in your well, you need a water filtration system built specifically for iron removal. You have a ton of options, but we recommend you check out the Springwell ULTRA well system. It’s primarily an iron filter system but it also comes with a whole-house carbon filter and salt-free water softener.
3. Iron Bacteria Growth
In some cases, you may notice a brownish-red buildup sticking to the walls of your well. While this might look like rust, it’s actually a buildup of iron bacteria. Iron bacteria deposits will be thick and slimy and stick to the pipes’ insides.
Although bacterial colonies don’t cause any known diseases, they can encourage the growth of more dangerous germs. The buildup can also impact water flow in pipes, decreasing the water pressure in your home.
The best way to get rid of iron bacteria in wells is to either shock the well (with a chlorine concentration) or use a chemical injection system to continuously feed chlorine (calcium hypochlorite or liquid sodium hypochlorite) into the well using a chlorinator pump. We recommend the Springwell Chemical Injection system for this purpose.
4. Dirt and Debris
Dirt and debris buildup is another common cause of brown well water. Over time, sediment from the surrounding rock and soil formations can gradually accumulate in the bottom of your well. Usually, this alone shouldn’t cause your well water to turn brown.
However, if the well casing is damaged, the sediment can start to mix with the water in the well, turning it brown. Or, if your well pump isn’t working properly, it may stir up sediment at the bottom of the well, which then turns the water brown.
Plus, heavy rains or floods can wash dirt and debris into the well, causing water discoloration.
5. Septic Runoff
If your house has a septic system, it may be the reason why your water is brown. A malfunctioning septic system can leak fluid into the groundwater, resulting in brown well water. If your septic tanks are situated close to your well, then you’re particularly at risk of this.
Septic runoff contamination is incredibly dangerous. It can foster a wide variety of viral, bacterial, and parasitic diseases, some of which can be deadly.
Water contaminated by septic runoff can be particularly toxic for young children, elderly adults, and immunocompromised individuals.
How to Get Rid of Brown Water in Wells
The first step in tackling any kind of contamination or discoloration problem is to identify the source by either testing the water or hiring the services of a professional plumber.
Having identified the source, you can then take the necessary steps to resolve the issue. Of course, the steps you take will be different depending on the source of the problem.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you should proceed:
Step 1: Test Your Well Water
The first step is to do a chemical analysis of your water. Water testing kits can identify which contaminants are present in your well water.
You can find DIY water testing kits online or at your local home supply store. Some kits test for specific contaminants, such as iron, while others offer a broader range of targets, such as dissolved chemicals, bacteria, and pH levels. Make sure you get the most suitable one for your well.
For more accurate results, you may want to send your well water to an independent lab for analysis or contact your local health department for home water testing. A certified laboratory can test for uncommon or trace contaminants. Most testing institutions will also tell you the concentration of different impurities so you can come up with a more effective treatment solution.
Step 2: Choose a Treatment Solution Based on Your Test
Once you know the cause of your brown well water, you can work on treating it. There are a wide variety of solutions you can try depending on the test results:
1. Remove Brown Well Water by Using a Tannins & Water Softener System
Water with high levels of dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium is known as hard water. Hard water is also subject to contamination by compounds such as rust, which gives it a brown coloration. If the tests show that your brown water is the result of impurities such as rust or iron, installing a water softener and tannin removal system for your well may help.
Water Softeners use ion exchange to remove mineral buildup in water. Not only does this leave the water tasting better, but it can also prevent pipes, tanks, and heaters from rusting and subsequently, the water from discoloring.
2. Install a Sediment Filter
A water softener will remove mineral impurities but may not tackle issues such as silt and soil or bacterial growth. To remove sediment, it’s vital you install a sediment filter. There are two main types of sediment filters that are used for wells:
- Cartridge filters: These filters are installed at the point of entry to your home. They’re highly effective at removing small particles like silt and dirt. Cartridge filters are available with various micron ratings, so you can choose one that’s perfectly suited to the type of sediment in your well water.
- Spin-down filters: These filters are installed at the beginning of your well water line. They filter out large particles like gravel and sand.
To effectively remove sediment from your well water, it’s best to install both a spin-down filter to remove larger particles and a cartridge filter to remove the smaller ones.
3. Chlorinate Your Well
If your well water is brown due to bacterial growth, chlorination can help to kill unwanted bacteria colonies. In fact, it’s one of the best and most widely used disinfection methods.
Shock chlorination is one of the best ways to deal with advanced bacterial growth in your well. It’s a process of disinfecting water using ordinary bleach. You can use chlorine bleach containing 5% or more sodium hypochlorite to get the best results.
Preemptive chlorination after heavy rains might prevent microbial and bacterial contamination through soil and debris as well.
However, note that the chlorine residue might give your water a weird taste, color, and odor after disinfection. So, you may want to remove the chlorine from your water once it’s disinfected.
4. Contact Professionals
If septic runoff is the cause of the problem, you should immediately contact a professional water treatment expert. They’ll thoroughly analyze your water supply and septic system and come up with a plan to prevent further occurrences.
Depending on the severity of the issue and the state your well is in, there are cases when constructing a new well is the only solution.
If the problem stems from a rusty plumbing system, you need to call a plumber. They’ll identify which pipes are rusty and replace them.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends having your well checked and tested annually by professionals, even if you’ve installed all the best filtration systems.
Step 3: Retest Your Well Water After Treatment
Once your water is clean and clear again, it’s time to retest it for hidden contaminants. Even water that looks clean to the naked eye can contain dangerous impurities and toxins.
To retest your water, just follow the advice we laid out in step 1 of this process (use an at-home test or send a sample to a lab).
If the test results indicate dangerous levels of contaminants, then you’ll need to find a solution based on the type of contaminants that are present.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you need to install a softener or filtration system, the cost is likely to be in the $1000-$4,000 range, depending on the quality of the system.
However, if you need to replace your whole plumbing system, expect to spend between $2,000 and $15,000. Obviously, this will depend on the number of pipes that need to be replaced and the material of their replacements.
The worst-case scenario, though, is having to construct a new well. In this case, your expenses may run as high as $20,000. Of course, the depth and width of the well you want to construct will also affect that number.
How fast your well water clears depends on the solution you implement. Adding a filter to your plumbing setup can clear brown water in a matter of hours, while larger systems could take a few days to remove impurities.
Chlorination will take 30 minutes to disinfect water from contaminants. However, it may take longer for the water coming out of your faucets to be clear again.
Septic runoff or rusty plumbing, on the other hand, might take a little while, depending on the severity of the issue and the responsiveness and pace of the professionals you hire.
It’s never a good idea to drink brown water. At best, water containing contaminants such as iron ore is likely to taste foul. At worst, brown water can harbor dangerous diseases from septic runoff. So, always err on the side of caution and avoid drinking discolored water.
While you shouldn’t drink brown water, bathing or showering is most likely safe. Contaminants such as dirt and rust may look unsightly, but they are unlikely to cause any damage to your skin. However, until you’ve identified the cause, we wouldn’t recommend bathing in brown well water. If it’s caused by septic runoff, bathing in it could still be dangerous.
we have brown water in a new well
It really helped when you said that there might be a leak from the septic system when the water well appears to be brown, and it happens when the tank or its components malfunctions. With that in mind, it would be best to hire a water well drilling company to check the issue if we are in that kind of situation in the future. My husband and I plan to invest in that for our property so that we can save money in the long run by reducing our monthly expenses due to having another source.
A few months ago, we moved to a house with a water well, and this morning, we noticed that our water looks brown. We’re glad you described the possible causes of brown water, so we’ll read this carefully while we look for a professional to inspect our well. We appreciate your information on iron oxide buildup and how it’s found in old pipes.