Unusual colours
A changed appearance of water can be an indication for unwanted elements in your water. It is generally recommended to test the water in your home regularly, as well as any new home or rented property. Although our drinking water quality is very high when it leaves the water suppliers, contamination can also happen between the water treatment facility and your tap.
Blue or green colour: Test for copper, as blue or green stains are usually a sign of copper in your water supply. This could be from your water supply, corrosive water or from copper piping. Copper can cause staining of xtures or laundry. Copper is regulated by the UK government with a recommended maximum contamination level of 2.0 mg/l. This level is low enough so that copper cannot be tasted (the taste threshold is about 5ppm). Copper could become a problem if it is higher than 30ppm in your water, with health effects including vomiting, diarrhoea, and gastrointestinal distress.
Red or brown colour: A red, brown or rusty colour could be caused by iron or manganese in your water. As a result, iron in water can cause stains in sinks and laundry. A test kit for iron is included in this test kit for the 13-in-One as well as
10-in-One Test Kit.
Brown colour: Rust (iron oxide) can temporarily give water a brown colour. Rust can be dislodged by a disturbance to a pipe, ie a change in speed or direction of water ow. Simply run the tap until the water clears.
Yellow Colour: This is rather rare and can happen when water passes through marshlands and then moves through peat soils. It is more commonly found in surface water supplies or shallow wells. The yellow colour may not be pleasing but it should initially not present a health hazard. Should you, however, be concerned about your water, then we always recommend an overall check of your water before consumption. Do not take any risks.
Cloudy white or foamy: Often caused by harmless tiny bubbles of air, which will clear when the water is left to stand. Air can enter water in the distribution system or it may come through a faulty tting in the property, ie. through part of the tap.
Another source could be natural minerals found in water, which is called hardness. The white particles are more noticeable after the water has been heated. They are akes of limescale, calcium carbonate, which have formed in the pipework or in the kettle and will settle from top to bottom. It is generally advised to test the level of hardness of your water to protect appliances.