When people get tired of their regular life, they need a short or long break. And that time they go for a vacation. Some people love to visit their friends and family, and some people want to spend some time in the wild, far away from cities, to enjoy nature. But after this break, they need to head up to their previous place, called home. When you reach home from a long, tiring trip and find a smelly, brown toilet, how do you feel? I know it’s very disgusting and bothersome. But this is a widespread issue. If you want to know why this happened to you and the solution, you must read this article.
What causes brown water in the toilet? How to fix it?
It would help if you noticed that when you continuously use the toilet, there is no brown or any other color water you see. But what happens is that after any vacation, you get some brown water from the toilet, creating a spot in it. There are many reasons behind this issue. Like hard water stains, rust in the pipeline, organic matters, etc. Most of the time, many people face the issue of their old drainage system and rust in the channel. So, what is the possible reason for this brown water issue and how to solve this problem is given below:
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Rust issue:
When you notice the brown water in the toilet, the first thing that comes to your mind is that there is rust in the pipeline. The iron pipeline is the primary source of this discolored water. If your building has an old drainage system, this problem shows you that this pipe gets old and rusts. Rust is a natural chemical reaction between iron in the tube and oxygen in the water. This rust element full of iron was slowly supplied into the toilet water tank. But this iron is not harmful to your health, but this is a considerable accumulation of growing bacteria and mold with many spots on the toilet. And that gives you an ugly-looking washroom. So, if your building is old and its drainage system is also aged, you notice some tiny particles in the water, then this issue is related to rust.
Solution: there is some solution to this problem. Like:
- Change the old pipe and install the plastic pipe to avoid future issues. It’s not reactive with water.
- Install a water softener to remove any hard water issues,
- If you notice a stain or ring in the toilet bowl, you can use a toilet cleaner like CLR pro. If the spot is not old, you can follow the vinegar and baking soda method. But if the stain is old and stubborn, you need to use the chemical to clean the toilet and return its previous look.
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Mineral deposition:
If there is no issue with your pipeline, then there is the possibility that the problem is hard water or the water you supply on the toilet has minerals like iron, calcium, and magnesium. And yes, this hard water is also the reason behind brown water in the bathroom. When coming into air contact, the calcium and magnesium become brown in color and make a spot in the toilet.
Solution: for that time, you can solve the issue by flushing the toilet several times. After that, you can find freshwater just like before. If you want to avoid this issue, increase water filtration. And for stains, use a strong toilet cleaner to clean them.
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Organic issue:
When you go for an extended vacation, the drainage system is also going into a resting period. That means no water passes through it, and after some time, it gets dry. This organic matter comes from the dry drainage system. This component makes the toilet water dirty with a brownish color. And this matter also creates bacteria and mold in the toilet, which causes a terrible odor.
Solution: for this issue, you need to flush the toilet several times and clean it with vinegar, baking soda, or any other toilet cleaner solution. After using the bathroom for a while, it returns its previous look.
This reason is the most common villain behind the brown color water in the toilet. But after doing this, if you face this kind of issue again, the problem is not related to this, and you need to call the plumber to help you out from this situation. Don’t overlook the issue because it lays mold in the toilet. The mold carrier toilet is unhygienic to use, and you can notice a horrible smell in the washroom.
Is brown water in the toilet serious?
The brown water of the toilet is not a big deal. And if this has happened to rust in the pipeline, then keep in mind that this water only contains iron. This chemical is not harmful to health. But this matter fastens the accumulation of the bacteria and mold there. This also creates a very uncomfortable odor in the washroom and makes it unhygienic. Other things are also doing this issue just like this. So when you notice any unpleasant experience, you must try to solve this as soon as possible. No one loves to use a dirty, ugly toilet.
Final discussion
Vacation is a must to remove the stress of daily life. And for this brown issue, you can live a circular job life. Don’t overthink this, and you must find a solution to solve this brown issue from the toilet with the help of a plumber or by yourself. But only a vacation can give you a new time to start your previous busy life. So deal with it and make a good memory during the vacation.
Hi, this is Robert Crossan, the owner of this website, has 17 years of experience in the installation, maintenance, and repair of toilets and plumbing systems. After completing the Level 2 Basic Plumbing course in 2005, I started working in both domestic and commercial buildings as a professional plumber. So I can figure out the core difference between different toilet models and brands. It also helped me monitor their work performance and setbacks.