Have you experienced colored water coming out of your faucets? This may look like water that is not completely clear, or it has a brown or cloudy/white tinge to it. Or have you noticed a pink or black color left behind on wet surfaces?
There are several reasons you could be experiencing colored water. Sometimes, the issue lies within our water mains, and we need to come out and flushing. Other times, the issue is within your individual home or plumbing, which would need to be inspected by a plumber. Explore the questions below or give us a call at 800-553-5191 to learn more about colored water.
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Biofilm is a growth of airborne microscopic microorganisms that move through the air. The microorganisms land on wet areas of your home and then develop to form a visible colony. The ring can be a range of colors, from pink, to orange, dark gray, and even black, and appears to have a film or slime-like appearance.
The best solution to any biofilm problem is to frequently clean the surfaces with bleach and to keep them free from moisture. The best cleaners contain Chlorine-based compounds (Sodium Hypochlorite). Once Biofilm has established itself, it will return to the same problem spots if regular cleaning is not continued.
For more information on Biofilm, please see our Biofilm Fact Sheet.
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If the colored water is not coming from every faucet in the home, then the water is coming in clear to your home and is picking up the color somewhere in your internal plumbing. This would be an issue that you would need to contact a plumber for.
If the water is coming out of every faucet colored, then you are receiving colored water from our water main, please call 800-553-5191 so we can investigate further.
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If the color of your water is a white, cloudy, or milky color, this could mean that you have air in your lines. The white color you are seeing is many small air bubbles that may have been cause by a main break nearby or some other event that allowed air into the lines. The air in your lines can be removed by flushing your internal system by running a cold water faucet for 5 to 10 minutes. If it does not clear, please give us a call at 800-553-5191 so we can investigate further.
If the color of your water is coming in brown, then you are most likely pulling in sediment from our main. Give us a call at 800-553-5191 so we can investigate further.
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If this is happening to only your hot water, then this means that the water coming into your home is clear and is most likely an issue with your hot water tank. The best way to check if it is in your hot water only is to check your toilets, as toilets are typically only connected to cold water, unlike other faucets in your home that typically mix hot and cold water. If you flush a toilet and it is clear, then your hot water tank is the culprit. This is an issue you will have to resolve by contacting an expert, such as a plumber. Do not continue to use hot water until the issue is resolved as this may damage your hot water tank.
If you have determined the colored was is your cold water, then this is an issue with colored water coming into your lines from our water main outside. Please give us a call at 800-553-5191 to investigate further.
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If there is construction going on in the neighborhood that may cause a disturbance in the water lines, such as road work where a water main was accidentally hit, this could cause colored water for your entire neighborhood. This most likely will not clear up until the construction is done for the day. Once the construction is done for the day, then you can flush your internal lines for 5 to 10 minutes to clear your internal lines. If this does not clear your lines, please give us a call at 800-553-5191 so we can investigate further.
Pennichuck routinely flushes our water mains to maintain our pipes, mostly in the spring and fall, but also at other times when we are experiencing colored water throughout neighborhoods. When we are flushing, this may cause you to experience colored water during our flushing times that day. If we have scheduled flushing in your neighborhood, you will receive a notification about this in the mail, and via phone, text, and/or email if you have signed up for that with us. If we are flushing in your neighborhood, please wait until we are done flushing for the day, then begin your internal flushing for 5-10 minutes. If your lines do not clear, please give us a call at 800-553-5191 to investigate further.
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If you have been experiencing colored water for days or weeks and have already tried flushing your line internally, please give us a call at 800-553-5191 so we can determine next steps with you.
If you just started noticing your colored water today, it’s a good next step to see if anyone else in the neighborhood has colored water. If others are having the same issue, there is most likely water in our main. Please call 800-553-5191 and report so we can flush our mains in your area.
If you do not know if anyone else in your neighborhood is experiencing the same issue or if you have determined they are not, please flush your internal lines in your house for 5-10 minutes, as it could be an issue in your homes internal plumbing. If this does not clear your water, please give us a call at 800-553-5191.
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If you have any questions regarding the quality of your water or colored water please give us a call at 800-553-5191.