Reddish brown stains on plumbing fixtures such as your sink, tub and toilet are aindication that you may have a problem with iron water. Iron water not only stains your wash basins and toilet, but its ugly red stains can also ruin your clothing and linens, or anything else that runs through your washing machine. Iron water also can form scale in your pipes and water-using appliances, which can not only make your water look bad, but smell bad, too.

Iron water is created when water passes through iron bearing rocks in the earth. It can also be caused, by water standing in iron pipes. If your water exits your tap clear but turns your sink, toilet or tub red after standing for a while, it’s called clear water iron. If the water exits the tap with a red tint it’s called red water iron. This means the iron has already oxidized in the ground, your well, or your water system.

If you see reddish brown stains in your sink, toilet, tub or shower you should call Passaic Bergen Water Softening and we will send out a certified technician who can test your water. Small amounts of clear water iron can be corrected by a water softener. Red water iron and larger amounts of clear water iron can be controlled by running the water through a filter containing an oxygen-rich mineral or environment. The iron is then oxidized into solid particles that can be trapped in the filter and washed down the drain.