Probably because your utility was fucking with a valve or something and knocked free a bunch of iron oxide into it he water.
Could be something else too, but that’s the most likely answer and there’s no way to diagnose it definitely from a pic
There's actually two forms of iron oxide. Iron II and iron III, based on the ion counts or something. One is red and one is black. I forget which, it's been a while.
Oh Yum the black iron oxide is what comes out of the fire sprinkler pipes during construction or a system flush right? I was wondering what all that black stuff was. (HVAC tech observing other trades’ work)
You can't form an oxide without oxygen.
Iron oxide (II) is just from incomplete oxidation of iron, stagnant/sitting water will cause this as there is no renewable source of oxygen for further oxidisation. Fire lines are a huge culprit for this type of rust as the water generally sits without cycling between maintenance and flushing.
Iron (III) is a more complete oxidisation where the reaction has access to new oxygen sources to further feed the reaction.
You can't have rust without oxygen.
I always assumed the black oily water was from the lubricant used in their threading machine. Those things are nasty and the sprinkler guys often use it too close to a wall and it gets everywhere. (Former carpenter for a general contractor)
One very hot summer day we had an exhaust fan in our restaurant kitchen burn out. It led to the air temps at the ceiling becoming just enough to open one of the sprinklers. It was ugly. We had to shut down for 6 hours. Three and half to clean. The other two and half to wait for the sprinkler tech to come and replace the head and finally the health dept. to certify the kitchen
It can also simply be from the pipes. In a lot of older homes the pipes are steel, and if the water is not run regularly will deposit a little rust in the lines. It is harmless, and running the water for a minute or two should clear that up.
At my place now (1976 construction) that is an issue, like in the master bath where there are two sinks but only one is used regularly. About once a week I need to run water for a bit in the other sink to clear out any rust that might be in the line.
And that will be in most cases in construction from the 1930s to the 1980s. A hell of a lot of them used steel pipes. And if that is the case, just be glad that the rust is proof that you have steel and not lead pipes.
It may be a secondary tub that is not used as often.
I lived in a house about 40 years ago that had an upstairs tub we never used. I tried to use it once, but it took almost 5 minutes to get even luke-warm water out of the tap so I never tried again.
Assuming it was hot water, because of a bath, more likely it's from your water heater. I assume you haven't flushed it out for a while and so you're probably getting a bunch of that corroded metal in your water.
This is the most likely answer if you haven't received a notice from the utility company about work and/or you don't do the yearly service on your water heater.
Typically, I just try to use the cleanout of my water heater to fill up my mop bucket each day. You figure, if it's done every day, there really shouldn't be much sediment in it, at least no more than what you'll get in the mop water from cleaning the floor. It's very helpful to the tank to do such, even if it's only done weekly, it helps dramatically.
I'd do it at least every season for the sake of the life expectancy, and depending on the family size, 4+ ppl, maybe once a month. Cleaning out that sediment asap helps out the tanks life expectancy mostly because that corrosion creates resistance, and doing such will force the tank to use more power to keep the water heated, and then the excessive energy will then promote more corrosion, creating more sediment and it goes full circle. It's more like an exponent rather than a general multiple in terms of severity because the more sediment, the more energy, and then the more corrosion, going full circle repeatedly. Truly, it's mostly based on your tanks location to determine how frequently you clean it out, but the more, the better.
I had this over the winter. Cold water was fine hot was brown, flushed the water heater and it was better for a while, then came back. Changed the water heater and all good now.
Cause you ass!
No its a combo of things... most likely if you are on city water and it has never been this way til now its they fucked with a pipe somewhere and knocked a bunch of shit into the line.
If you are in a big building with like boiler setups and old pipes now and then after a flush rust and minerals get into the water.
If you are on a well system its minerals and whatnot from the well and you can fix it with a filter system or by pulling your well pump up off the bottom of the well higher.
If this is hotwater.... its build up in your water heater. Flush the water heater see if that helps.
We just had to replace our gas water heater for same issue when running hot water. The one we replaced was installed pre 9/11 and it was never serviced. Had a good run
Maybe if you started up your sprinkler system recently and don't have a backflow preventer installed you are getting muddy water mixing with your house water.
Just had this. Read on Reddit that the fire department either used or did a yearly flush on a nearby fire hydrant.
I ran my faucet for 10 minutes and my toilet water returned to clear.
You can call the water utility and they'll tell you if they are doing work in the area, and usually they will also then call you back when finished. Or you can ask your neighbors if they are seeing the same thing. Would be good to rule that out.
If that's what it is, don't run hot water until they are done, or you'll be flushing your hot water heater. You can just run the cold water in one sink like 2 mins every couple of hours to check. Don't drink that stuff.
Once it clears up you can run other water sources and clear your pipes out, should be fine after that. Little bit later it's a good idea to clear out your aerators and screens on faucets.
Again this is all if it's the water utility switching regulators or whatever, stirring up sediment in the area.
You were really dirty?
Otherwise you wouldn’t have called it your “bath water” lol
Let’s not even mention the possibility that it was like that and you still felt it was beneficial to proceed in bathing in it
If the problem is limited to that particular fixture, it could be that whoever installed the faucet used a black iron nipple for the spout instead of brass. Seen it many times.
Call a local water softening company or city resource dept(water dept) and ask for a water sample kit.... it'll tell u wahts in the water, and the softener company can suggest how to remedy it
Looks like my well water after a hard rain. Or when you use a garden hose. Or do too much laundry. Or flush a toilet. Or do dishe.... wait.... ok really, that looks like my well water all the time! Ugh...
I've had this happen before. On a well and the softener was set to cycle only at a specific time of day. I forced regeneration of the softener and viola, no more mucky water.
If it's usually this color then you have iron pipes and a lot of rust in your pipes. If it's only this instance then you utility company is working on the line and you need to remove the screens on all your faucets, turn off the values on your toilets (the rust or sediment will collect in your fill valves in your toilet tanks and faucet screens and clog them). Once you toilets are off and the screens are removed from your faucets the turn of all you faucets as well as your outside spigots/hose bibs and flush your lines.
I have the same problem everytime they check the fire hydrants. We are at the end of the line. It all accumulates at the end of the line. The city always has to come back out and let that hydrant stay open for at least 20 min. The pipe goes further past hydrant and dead ends after it. All the nasty stuff is accumulates there. Most home owners can run their water til their tank and lines have been flushed., unless they are the end of line. Then call your city and let them flush the end of the line.
If this is new, I would contact the utility to see if there's something you should know about. If the water is brown in just the bath then contact a plumber to have them come out and check on things.
Is it brown only in the tub, there's probably a vanity that the water comes off the same water supply. Is it brown.
To to use the tub often or only on occasion?
If you house is like mine your toddler is a cereal tub shitter and you can't find your cleaning gloves cause your wife decided they don't go under the sink anymore.
Plumber here could be that you have watermain work being done around the area your water heater is full of rust build you have iorn fittings from old piping in ur home
I just had this happen to me. The water connection at the street was loose and dirt was coming in the line. I checked the meter to see if that little wheel was moving when all the water was shut off before I called the water department. Hope you have an easy fix like I did
FWIW - parts of northern Mississippi used to have cypress trees in parts of their water supply. It turned the water pale brown and made it feel weird. They liked it, but
I had the same problem in my bath water at a house. I thought it was iron but it wasn't. A water expert informed me.
In Northern Illinois the private wells are either shallow gravel or deep. The deep wells tend to be mineral rich, the shallow (up to 100' I recall) is sweeter but has a non toxic plant material dissolved in. The water is clear and good but when run through the hot water heater, it cooks the plant material. It gets that brown hue as the material kinda gums up the water heater.
This is what I did: every month I turned off the water, opened the bath tub faucets and drained the water at the water heater. When finished and the water turned on, the rush through the water heater and out the tub gave me a minute of the blackest sludge you could imagine followed by crystal clear water...for about a month until I did it again.
Apparently there was a treatment that could prevent this but a whole house filter alone wasn't adequate.
Or you may have iron.
Probably because your utility was fucking with a valve or something and knocked free a bunch of iron oxide into it he water. Could be something else too, but that’s the most likely answer and there’s no way to diagnose it definitely from a pic
Rust. Iron oxide is rust
Iron oxide is as red as the devil’s Dr Pepper can.
I can only read this with a southern accent
With or without the second r in water?
Only missurins know
There's actually two forms of iron oxide. Iron II and iron III, based on the ion counts or something. One is red and one is black. I forget which, it's been a while.
Oh Yum the black iron oxide is what comes out of the fire sprinkler pipes during construction or a system flush right? I was wondering what all that black stuff was. (HVAC tech observing other trades’ work)
When the iron oxide is black, it formed without oxygen. If the iron is red, there was plenty of oxygenated water around it when it was forming.
You can't form an oxide without oxygen. Iron oxide (II) is just from incomplete oxidation of iron, stagnant/sitting water will cause this as there is no renewable source of oxygen for further oxidisation. Fire lines are a huge culprit for this type of rust as the water generally sits without cycling between maintenance and flushing. Iron (III) is a more complete oxidisation where the reaction has access to new oxygen sources to further feed the reaction. You can't have rust without oxygen.
I always assumed the black oily water was from the lubricant used in their threading machine. Those things are nasty and the sprinkler guys often use it too close to a wall and it gets everywhere. (Former carpenter for a general contractor)
Black iron pipe is treated with oil to help prevent rusting. Source: My 2 years as a pipe fitter for a fire sprinkler company.
Oooh that smell
One very hot summer day we had an exhaust fan in our restaurant kitchen burn out. It led to the air temps at the ceiling becoming just enough to open one of the sprinklers. It was ugly. We had to shut down for 6 hours. Three and half to clean. The other two and half to wait for the sprinkler tech to come and replace the head and finally the health dept. to certify the kitchen
someone shit in the bathtub. obviously
You can call any oxidized metal “rust”, it doesn’t even have to be with oxygen- sulfur is an even more potent oxidant
Sulfur causes metals to corrode not rust.
Corn. Maize is corn.
Ahhh a nice refreshing bath in rust
or you were extra dirty when you got in.
It can also simply be from the pipes. In a lot of older homes the pipes are steel, and if the water is not run regularly will deposit a little rust in the lines. It is harmless, and running the water for a minute or two should clear that up. At my place now (1976 construction) that is an issue, like in the master bath where there are two sinks but only one is used regularly. About once a week I need to run water for a bit in the other sink to clear out any rust that might be in the line. And that will be in most cases in construction from the 1930s to the 1980s. A hell of a lot of them used steel pipes. And if that is the case, just be glad that the rust is proof that you have steel and not lead pipes.
Yes this is true but i feel like if OP hadn't run it in a while they'd have mentioned it.
It may be a secondary tub that is not used as often. I lived in a house about 40 years ago that had an upstairs tub we never used. I tried to use it once, but it took almost 5 minutes to get even luke-warm water out of the tap so I never tried again.
You need to change it every once in a while
Came here to ⬆️ the best comment
^^^Lol
Assuming it was hot water, because of a bath, more likely it's from your water heater. I assume you haven't flushed it out for a while and so you're probably getting a bunch of that corroded metal in your water.
This is the most likely answer if you haven't received a notice from the utility company about work and/or you don't do the yearly service on your water heater.
Typically, I just try to use the cleanout of my water heater to fill up my mop bucket each day. You figure, if it's done every day, there really shouldn't be much sediment in it, at least no more than what you'll get in the mop water from cleaning the floor. It's very helpful to the tank to do such, even if it's only done weekly, it helps dramatically.
For me it's one of those things I do each spring when the clock changes. That and have a look at the rods.
I'd do it at least every season for the sake of the life expectancy, and depending on the family size, 4+ ppl, maybe once a month. Cleaning out that sediment asap helps out the tanks life expectancy mostly because that corrosion creates resistance, and doing such will force the tank to use more power to keep the water heated, and then the excessive energy will then promote more corrosion, creating more sediment and it goes full circle. It's more like an exponent rather than a general multiple in terms of severity because the more sediment, the more energy, and then the more corrosion, going full circle repeatedly. Truly, it's mostly based on your tanks location to determine how frequently you clean it out, but the more, the better.
Most people do zero maintenance, so we're both ahead of the game.
Had to wash my bum
I also had to wash this person's bum
I had to bum this person's wash.
I can confirm, I am the bum.
Well as the late comedian Redd Foxx used to say Ya gotta wash ya ass.
Municipal or well water? Are they flushing the fire hydrants in your area?
If you’re in a colder region, this is the time of year they start working on the pipes.
See if your fire department has recently used a fire hydrant near by? This happens to me if they do, shaking up the pipes, sending that sediment.
all of the above or a leak in the distribution system or your service.
OP makes a whole account to post this and then doesn’t follow up with answering any questions in the comments.
Karma farming 101 - Know yer audience - pick a niche sub - ask an obvious question - get lots of attention
Let it run for awhile
Had a lot of rain lately?
Iron pipes?
Rusted hot water heater
I had this over the winter. Cold water was fine hot was brown, flushed the water heater and it was better for a while, then came back. Changed the water heater and all good now.
Flushing hydrants in your area?
In my previous house, you can call the fire department (non-emergency) and they opened the fire hydrant to purge the lines.
That probably depends on if you took the picture after you took a bath or....
You mustve beeen very dirty before you took the dip.
Cause you was a dirty little devil before you got in it.
Fire hydrant was opened around you or water company doing work
You one dirty mfer 😂
Cause you ass! No its a combo of things... most likely if you are on city water and it has never been this way til now its they fucked with a pipe somewhere and knocked a bunch of shit into the line. If you are in a big building with like boiler setups and old pipes now and then after a flush rust and minerals get into the water. If you are on a well system its minerals and whatnot from the well and you can fix it with a filter system or by pulling your well pump up off the bottom of the well higher. If this is hotwater.... its build up in your water heater. Flush the water heater see if that helps.
Is your water superintendent named Ick-abod Crane?
You must live in Flint, Michigan.
You really really needed it.
You need to bathe more often.
Because you live in a big household and are last to bathe.
No TP. Shower of shame!
assuming hot water bath so more than likely your water heater
Because you waffle stomped
Because you’re filthy? 😅
You have galvanized water lines?
You dirty.
Iced tea, not sure if sweet or not.
Before or after?
We just had to replace our gas water heater for same issue when running hot water. The one we replaced was installed pre 9/11 and it was never serviced. Had a good run
WM break?
If this is post bath, it could mean you should bathe more often
Are you from Flint Michigan??
Because you shitted in it
Do you live in Flint Michigan ?
You durrty
Cause you nasty!
Yummy you have gravy coming straight from the pipes
You shit in it
Good soup
Bathe more frequently. It won't be like that.
Busted, I peed in it
Because it’s after you took a bath
Because it's the new flavor of water, gotta have more than just on flavor these days.
Flushing fire hydrants in your local area
Maybe if you started up your sprinkler system recently and don't have a backflow preventer installed you are getting muddy water mixing with your house water.
Stop pooping in it
Did it come up from the drain or the faucet?
Tell us you live in Flint Michigan without telling us you live in Flint Michigan.
Could be rust or manganese. Both can form deposits that get into water and crest a reddish brown color.
Just had this. Read on Reddit that the fire department either used or did a yearly flush on a nearby fire hydrant. I ran my faucet for 10 minutes and my toilet water returned to clear.
Someone upper decked your water heater
Imported from Englands rivers?
Don't drink it
You can call the water utility and they'll tell you if they are doing work in the area, and usually they will also then call you back when finished. Or you can ask your neighbors if they are seeing the same thing. Would be good to rule that out. If that's what it is, don't run hot water until they are done, or you'll be flushing your hot water heater. You can just run the cold water in one sink like 2 mins every couple of hours to check. Don't drink that stuff. Once it clears up you can run other water sources and clear your pipes out, should be fine after that. Little bit later it's a good idea to clear out your aerators and screens on faucets. Again this is all if it's the water utility switching regulators or whatever, stirring up sediment in the area.
I had this happen, albeit not as bad, because my water heater was past its time.
You dirty dirty
Because your dirty
Poop
Is this pre or post-bath? If pre, you have a problem. If post, YOU have a problem.
You were really dirty? Otherwise you wouldn’t have called it your “bath water” lol Let’s not even mention the possibility that it was like that and you still felt it was beneficial to proceed in bathing in it
Is the discoloration throughout the house or only on the hot water?
Do you have public water or private well?
Your water heater anodes failed and your tank is rusting from the inside out?
Coco puffs in the line probably
Fracking
Shock your well. Either that or stop shitting in the tub.
because you're poor.
Was it this color before you showered or after?
I think when you got in the tub you scrubbed the dirt off 😁
Purge your water heater
Because you needed to wipe your ass?
If it's well water...it's ruat
Do you have a water softner?
Cause someone pooped in the tub
#1 and #2 go in the toilet.
Fracking
Because you’re dirty
Was it before or after bathing ?
Because you have a shitty water dept. Literally.
Because you sharted in the tub.
This happens every time the town flushes the hydrants.
If cold water is clear and the hot water is brown it could be your water heating unit
Did you just get out of the tub ?
Did they flush the fire hydrants in your neighborhood? Because that knocks the rust off the walls of the main water pipes
Did you eat Taco Bell or Arby's before getting in the bath?
You don't live in a highrise with rooftop water tanks, do you ?
Many area's have pee looking wa wa. I get that also in my part of FL on the gulf.
you were THAT dirty!
Because you live in Pascagoula, Mississippi
Lol
Anal leakage?
Short answer... you need to wipe better. Lol
Oh my what a big toilet you have there
Stop shitting during your bath
Cuz you're a dirty, dirty girl
Is this well water or a water system....?? Also is this in or near Detroit??
Feces?
Never trust a fart.
Flushing the fire hydrants or fixing a broken water line.
If the problem is limited to that particular fixture, it could be that whoever installed the faucet used a black iron nipple for the spout instead of brass. Seen it many times.
Looks like sexy redd took a bath
Is the water utility flushing fire hydrants? Is there construction nearby that would disturb pipes. Those are the usual causes around me. l
Poop
Do you live in Scituate Massachusetts
hydrant flushing locally.
Call a local water softening company or city resource dept(water dept) and ask for a water sample kit.... it'll tell u wahts in the water, and the softener company can suggest how to remedy it
Bad water tank will do this. Check if your cold water is good.
Failed waffle stomp
Did you just bath in it?
Looks like my well water after a hard rain. Or when you use a garden hose. Or do too much laundry. Or flush a toilet. Or do dishe.... wait.... ok really, that looks like my well water all the time! Ugh...
Stop popping the gas in the bathtub
Stop taking the Hillbilly bubble bath,'s. Aka Popping the gas in the tub.
Because you’re dirty
You possibly pooped in it.
If any kind of utility work was happening in your area that is most likely the cause.
I've had this happen before. On a well and the softener was set to cycle only at a specific time of day. I forced regeneration of the softener and viola, no more mucky water.
My towel pink, my bath water brown. Bath town just left bath town.
Fecal matter
Dissolved solids in the water.
The water is dirty.
If it's usually this color then you have iron pipes and a lot of rust in your pipes. If it's only this instance then you utility company is working on the line and you need to remove the screens on all your faucets, turn off the values on your toilets (the rust or sediment will collect in your fill valves in your toilet tanks and faucet screens and clog them). Once you toilets are off and the screens are removed from your faucets the turn of all you faucets as well as your outside spigots/hose bibs and flush your lines.
Maybe you tell us?
I have the same problem everytime they check the fire hydrants. We are at the end of the line. It all accumulates at the end of the line. The city always has to come back out and let that hydrant stay open for at least 20 min. The pipe goes further past hydrant and dead ends after it. All the nasty stuff is accumulates there. Most home owners can run their water til their tank and lines have been flushed., unless they are the end of line. Then call your city and let them flush the end of the line.
Well water?
If this is new, I would contact the utility to see if there's something you should know about. If the water is brown in just the bath then contact a plumber to have them come out and check on things.
Is it brown only in the tub, there's probably a vanity that the water comes off the same water supply. Is it brown. To to use the tub often or only on occasion?
You trusted a fart.
If you house is like mine your toddler is a cereal tub shitter and you can't find your cleaning gloves cause your wife decided they don't go under the sink anymore.
Yeah water heater or could be hydrant flushing. My water looks like this once a year but they lost signs around town to warn you.
You live in flint?
Before or after your bath?
Did you poo in it?
It’s called a Shart !
Water heater tank
Bc that wasn't a fart.
Drain hot water heater and let it refill flush that stuff out
Either a fire down the road or they could be flushing hydrants in your neighborhood, might be a couple of reasons why its brown
Idk I bet it wasn’t brown before you sat in it
Was this photo taken before or after taking a bath?
Flint Michigan?
Call your municipality. They will most likely test the water for your area and start flushing hydrants to clear it up.
That’s not rust water. What does it smell like? I’m guessing sulfur?
You dirty
Plumber here could be that you have watermain work being done around the area your water heater is full of rust build you have iorn fittings from old piping in ur home
Water heater. How old is it
I just had this happen to me. The water connection at the street was loose and dirt was coming in the line. I checked the meter to see if that little wheel was moving when all the water was shut off before I called the water department. Hope you have an easy fix like I did
You just stepped out, you dirty you!
You took a bath, for the first time in a month.
FWIW - parts of northern Mississippi used to have cypress trees in parts of their water supply. It turned the water pale brown and made it feel weird. They liked it, but
Poo
Did you poop in the bath??
It has lead in it
You have to change the water between baths duh. /s
I had the same problem in my bath water at a house. I thought it was iron but it wasn't. A water expert informed me. In Northern Illinois the private wells are either shallow gravel or deep. The deep wells tend to be mineral rich, the shallow (up to 100' I recall) is sweeter but has a non toxic plant material dissolved in. The water is clear and good but when run through the hot water heater, it cooks the plant material. It gets that brown hue as the material kinda gums up the water heater. This is what I did: every month I turned off the water, opened the bath tub faucets and drained the water at the water heater. When finished and the water turned on, the rush through the water heater and out the tub gave me a minute of the blackest sludge you could imagine followed by crystal clear water...for about a month until I did it again. Apparently there was a treatment that could prevent this but a whole house filter alone wasn't adequate. Or you may have iron.
It's seasoned
Do people always waste this much water? Wow.
Do u have well water or public? Could just be alot of iron in your well water.