Your home lacked an uninterrupted water supply, so you drilled a well to provide that. Undoubtedly, you are going to benefit from it probably your entire life. But wait, why is the well water turned yellow? Are you facing a similar problem? We are not going to wait for the well water to clear on its own, nor can we drill an emergency well in such a time.

Yellow well water is a common problem faced by well owners. But there will be some causes behind it. Unsafe for drinking, yellow well water looks so dirty that you can’t even use it for other household chores.

The water in the well may have turned yellow because of rust in the pipelines, the presence of iron bacteria, or because the mud was dissolved in the water. Whatever the reason is, you have to look for it and prevent it from happening again. We are going to look for the possible reasons and determine how this all can be avoided.

If well water is the only source, you have or you are getting clean drinking water from it, it’s of utmost importance that you find out the causes behind it and take appropriate steps. After all, water is an essential requirement for living, and you must have access to it at all times.

Is yellow water safe for drinking?

Unless we are not sure about what causes the watercolor to change, we should avoid drinking. It’s always better to be preventive than to suffer afterward.

In case you consume yellow water for a long time, you may have to suffer from skin and hair problems. If continued, it can lead to more serious problems and health hazards.

So, categorically, yellow water is unsafe for drinking, but you can use it for other purposes if you like.

If you are ever faced with this problem, get your water tested and look for the reason why your well water turned yellow. Read on if you want to know more.

Why is my well water yellow?

Water discoloration might not pose a serious threat, but it looks ugly, so much so that we don’t even use it for watering plants. Yellow water is no exception. This change of color can happen due to several reasons. Let’s go deep down into it and see what causes this problem.

Tannins in water

Tannins are known as compounds that are found naturally, and when dissolved in water, they change their color. However, it’s important to note that tannins do not cause any threat to human health, but a change of watercolor is a matter of concern. Affecting the water quality, tannins should be removed.

Rust

Whether it is your water heater or water supply lines, rusting is usually found at these two points. To determine, turn on hot and cold faucets, and if you are getting yellow water only from the hot tap, its water heater, or otherwise, it’s in your water lines.

In the same manner, corroded faucets also change the watercolor. You must keep a check because, in this case, the water in the well would be clear, but the water coming out of the faucet will be yellow.

Chemical elements

Remember that there are a number of chemical elements found in groundwater, such as iron, magnesium, nitrate, fluoride, or sulfur. Anything present in high quantities can affect the water properties. The presence of iron bacteria or manganese can cause the well water to turn yellow. In order to get clean water at your end, it’s necessary to remove iron bacteria.

Maintenance and repair

You must be thinking about why maintenance or repair would cause the well water to turn yellow? Most often, it happens because when you do the repair work, the rust or other contaminants spread to other areas of the plumbing system. The contaminants that were building up at one stop would spread throughout, causing the watercolor to change.

How to fix yellow water?

Whether it is yellow well water or is it the brown water coming out of your faucet all of a sudden, it needs your immediate attention. For your health and wellbeing, clean and pure water is vital. Since there are multiple reasons that cause the water to change, it’s crucial to find out the source of the problem.

Water testing is the most reliable option, and it tells you about specific properties and contaminants present in water. The minute you are done with testing, you will have an idea to treat yellow water.

Meanwhile, do not underestimate the value of water filters. Whether you are selecting a water filter for the well pump or the sediment filters, the choice matters.

Besides using the water filters, you need to have a complete water filtration system installed at your home. Moreover, keep inspecting the system to see if it’s working correctly. At times you get the yellow water just because of the improper functioning of the filtration plant.

Conclusion

Yellow well water is a problem that you can detect immediately, but the more important thing is to find out the reason behind it and how you can get it resolved.

If there are no problems found in the plumbing system and the water heater, then it might be the chemical elements causing the watercolor to turn yellow. To determine this, you need to get your water tested from authorized laboratories.

Above all of that, a water filtration system has become a need of the hour, and it helps you get clean and pure water at all times.