Most of the time, tap water in a home looks clear. If you suddenly notice it looks slightly brown, yellow, cloudy, or has visible particles, it’s a signal worth paying attention to.
Discolouration can happen for several reasons: work on pipes in your area stirring up sediment, rust from old internal plumbing, issues with overhead tanks, or in rare cases, contamination. A one-off brief change that clears after running the tap for a minute may not be serious, but repeated or strong changes mean something needs investigating.
You might call neighbours to see if they’re having the same issue, check storage tanks for sediment, or contact your water supplier or a plumber.
Ignoring discoloured water isn’t a good idea, especially if you drink from the tap or use it for cooking. Your eyes are giving you early quality control information.
