Rust Colored Water When Running Hot Bath Tub Faucet Following New Faucet Install

[exneophyte]

Hi Everybody,

About a year ago, when I was traveling a lot for work, my father-in-law and wife decided to replace the bath tub/shower hardware in our upstairs bathroom because the bath faucet was leaking quite badly. Starting immediately, after the install we started seeing rust colored water for about 3 seconds when we first turn on the hot water side each morning. No other faucets in the house have rusty water and rust colored water does not come out when just the cold side is turned on.

Father-in-law said the rusty water would go away over time, but it hasn't. It hasn't gotten worse and it hasn't gotten better. I'm grateful for his help, but I'm thinking that something wasn't done right. The faucets and hardware were a pretty cheap Moen variety, but I've inspected them and can't see any corrosion in them. Right now I'm wondering if it isn't being caused by the dissimilar metals that are involved. I've taken some pictures of everything in the hopes that you guys might be able to say, "THERE IS YOUR PROBLEM!" Am I on the right track that the different metals are likely the culprit?

[HayZee518]

there's the problem!

problem is the nipple and malleable elbow. these are both steel and rust inside. why would you sweat solder a new fixture with copper and not the spout pipe? replace this and your problem will go away. use a drop eared elbow on the outlet side.

[exneophyte]

Thank you!

Thank you very much. I replaced what you told me to and there was no rust this morning!

[Azuverink]

Rusty water in my hot, in the kitchen.

Hi, I noticed a problem yesterday, actually a couple. One, my hot water was more luke warm when I wanted to take a shower and 2 I am getting gurgling and a short spurt of brownish water out of the hot water tap in the kitchen sink and it is still not warm. My husband thinks it could be a heater element going out in the tank. Ok, but then why the brownish water. We have well water. Pls any suggestions would be welcome. This is my husband and mine first house we are buying. So we do not know much about anything. It was my mom and dads and it is an old house, that needs alot of tlc. I think that all of our pipes are the pvc. Thank you.

[HayZee518]

hot water tank

it might be necessary to change out the hot water heater. after all these years I imagine there's sediment in the tank. and you mention well water. have you had the water tested for minerals? water with a high iron content will cause brownish water. also, to note, there is a sacrificial anode in the tank that's supposed to coat any rust spots inside the tank with zinc. it does this by galvanic action within the tank. sort of like a big battery. you may need a whole house water filter, but have the water checked out first before you install anything.

[kemiy]

Hi Everybody,

About a year ago, when I was traveling a lot for work, my father-in-law and wife decided to replace the bath tub/shower hardware in our upstairs bathroom because the bath faucet was leaking quite badly. Starting immediately, after the install we started seeing rust colored water for about 3 seconds when we first turn on the hot water side each morning. No other faucets in the house have rusty water and rust colored water does not come out when just the cold side is turned on.

Father-in-law said the rusty water would go away over time, but it hasn't. It hasn't gotten worse and it hasn't gotten better. I'm grateful for his help, but I'm thinking that something wasn't done right. The faucets and hardware were a pretty cheap Moen variety of faucet manufacturer, but I've inspected them and can't see any corrosion in them. Right now I'm wondering if it isn't being caused by the dissimilar metals that are involved. I've taken some pictures of everything in the hopes that you guys might be able to say, "THERE IS YOUR PROBLEM!" Am I on the right track that the different metals are likely the culprit?


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The presence of dissimilar metals in plumbing systems can indeed lead to corrosion, resulting in rusty water. It's possible that the new hardware introduced different metals that are reacting with each other or with the existing plumbing. Inspecting the pictures would certainly help in providing more accurate advice. Look for any signs of corrosion, especially at connection points. Additionally, consider checking if there is an anode rod in the water heater, as they can contribute to rust-colored water when they corrode.