Plumbing in Sydney: Could Your Iron Pipes Be Corroding Your Water Supply?

The water we drink every single day needs to be of the best quality to stop us getting sick. Many nasty diseases can come from drinking poor quality water. But surely the plumbing in Sydney wouldn’t let that happen? If you spoke to any plumber working in Sydney, he’d tell you different.

A big problem with the plumbing in Sydney is that many of the pipes used are iron. Iron rusts and corrodes and this affects the water supply. How? Primarily if your pipes are corroding, it will change the colour of your water and you might even notice little specks of things floating in it. But why is this happening?

Generally, it is plumbing from before the 1970s that will corrode and cause this change to your water. The problem is that before the 1970s and 80s, any plumbing in a Sydney home would be of a galvanised iron material, which unfortunately does rust. So what can you do?

First of all, don’t be alarmed, it’s an easy problem to fix and you won’t suddenly find yourself coming down with some awful illness. You might have already noticed that the coloured water often only appears in the morning – this is because no water has been used overnight so there is a buildup of corroded material. The quick fix solution is to simply run your tap for a few minutes until the water returns to coming out clear. However, if you’re finding that your water pressure is definitely not what it used to be, you will most likely need to get your pipes replaced. Alternatively, you might find that your cold water is always crystal-clear but its the hot water that is coming out brown and with bits in it. If this is happening, the problem is that it’s actually you’re hot water system that is corroding. Any plumbing contractor in Sydney worth his salt should be able to help you fix this easily.

There’s no need to be worried by your iron pipes corroding your water supply, but it is important that you keep an eye on the issue in case your pipes do need replacing.