Plumbing Mistakes You Will Never Make Again

Even the most famous home in Australia has had to deal with a rusty plumbing problem. The Lodge, which is the home for the current Australian Prime Minister, has had several years of renovation work done to replace rusty plumbing among other things. There are two telltale signs your home has rust in its plumbing pipes, and if you recognise either of these symptoms, it is time to give your plumber a call.

Low Water Pressure

It is rather frustrating to head home after a tough day at work and discover your shower is not giving you the therapeutic pressure blast of water that it once was. This drop in water pressure is one sign that the rust in your plumbing is making itself known.

As rust and corrosion attack the inside of your plumbing pipes, small parts of the interior of the pipe flake off and begin to settle in a small pile on the bottom of the pipe. Over time, this pile of corroded material will build up to a stage where it stops the water from flowing freely through the pipe. When water has to move over or around an object, the speed of the water slows down, and this is one reason why you may now have low water pressure.

Discoloured Water

Yellow or brown discoloured water coming out of your taps or shower head is another indicator that rust is causing a problem in your home. This colour change happens when the rust in your pipes becomes dislodged and the iron minerals in the rust mix with the water. While this high-iron water is not going to cause your health any harm, it can stain your clothes if this coloured water is used to do the laundry.

Bear in mind, however, that discoloured water does not automatically mean you have rusty plumbing. The discoloured water could also be an indicator that the sacrificial anode in your hot water heater needs replacing. The sacrificial anode located within your hot water heater attracts the heavy minerals in the water, and it slowly corrodes rather than letting these minerals enter your plumbing and corrode your pipes. If the anode is at the ends of its life cycle, it is possible the minerals in the water are now causing rust to form inside your hot water heater.

If you have either of these two signs present in your home, you need the assistance of profession plumbing services to determine whether the issue is caused by your pipes or your water heater anode. Once the root of the problem is determined, they can advise you on whether replacing the pipe or replacing the hot water heater anode is going to bring your house plumbing up to scratch once more.