Plumbing tips · October 17, 2026
Rusty water from the hot tap only
If the hot tap runs brown or orange and the cold tap runs clear, the color is coming from your water heater, not from the city or the well. Where it shows up tells you where to look.
Hot only, or both?
Run the cold tap on its own for a minute, then the hot. If only the hot is discolored, the cause is inside the water heater. If both hot and cold come out brown, the problem is upstream of it: the supply, a main being worked on, or older galvanized pipe in the house.
Where the rust comes from
A tank water heater is steel lined with glass, and it has an anode rod that corrodes on purpose so the tank does not. Once the rod is used up, the tank itself starts to rust, and that rust comes out of the hot side first. Hard water speeds the whole thing up.
Rod or tank?
If the rod is caught in time, replacing it and flushing the tank can clear the color and buy the heater years. If the tank has already rusted through, the discolored water usually comes with dampness or a leak at the bottom, and the heater needs replacing.
What to do now
Flushing a few gallons out of the drain valve at the bottom of the tank tells you a lot: rusty sediment pouring out means the inside is corroding. Have the anode rod checked before it gets to the tank.
Questions we get asked
Is rusty hot water safe to drink?
Rust is mostly a taste and staining problem rather than a health one, but it is a sign something is wearing out. Run the cold for drinking and cooking until the heater is checked.Why is the water only rusty first thing in the morning?
Water that sits in the tank overnight picks up more color. It clearing after a minute of running still points at the heater.Can I replace the anode rod myself?
It takes the right socket and a lot of torque, and an old rod can be seized. On an older tank it is worth having a plumber look at the rod and the tank together.Plumbing questions we answer
Where we go
Parker, Wise and Tarrant County, out of the shop in Springtown. Springtown, Weatherford, Azle, Boyd, Decatur, Newark, Millsap, Fort Worth and the country in between.
Call 817-487-8866