Believe it or not, mineral and rust stains in your toilet or tub — greenish stripes, a brown ring, lime scale — aren’t caused by anything you’re doing wrong in your cleaning regimen. It’s simply something in the water.
Calcium, lime, magnesium and iron, naturally found in hard water, attach to just about every surface they come across. Even if you have filters or water systems in place to soften the water, some of these minerals still slip through.
The rust-colored stains you find under your faucets or in your toilet turn up when iron meets air. Green or brown stains in the toilet usually indicate lime buildup. Lime scale forms as hard water evaporates and leaves a mineral buildup behind.
As it dries, it picks up any dirt particles along with it, and slowly the stain builds, layer by layer, on the inside of the toilet bowl. Yuck! The most common cause for brown water in your toilet is rust.
This rust can be affecting your entire plumbing system, or just the pipes leading to your toilet. The discoloration could also be caused by a well issue, or a blockage somewhere in your plumbing.
When you flush, the toilet is the water that refills the bowl coming out brown or discolored? Are you only noticing this in your toilet and not coming from any other taps (shower/sinks/etc.) throughout your home?
Finally, it’s possible you have one or more clogged pipes. To fix this, try using water softeners or chlorine to lower the iron content in your water. If the issue persists, call a professional plumber to diagnose and fix the issue.
There are still other possible causes of brown tap water. For instance, if the murky water is coming only from your hot water tap, it would be wise to check the water heater. If it’s more than a decade old, chances are it’s seen better days and needs to be replaced.