What's going on with your water?
Tell us what your water looks like and we'll let you know what might be making it look different.
Bits in water
Fixing the problem
Bits in your water supply are normally short-lived and can often be cleared by allowing the first incoming cold water tap to run for five minutes.
If you experience short term discoloured water and you need water for drinking or cooking, please follow this advice:
- Run the first incoming cold water tap for several minutes (this will usually be your kitchen tap).
- Fill a jug and leave it to stand until any sediment has settled to the bottom.
- Pour the clean water from the top of the jug for you to use.
If running the tap does not clear the discolouration, please check with your neighbours to determine if their water is also discoloured.
If your neighbours do not have discoloured water then the cause is almost certainly due to pipework between the main in the road and the kitchen tap. It may be worthwhile checking whether you have any lead pipes in your home.
Works in your area
If the bits in your water are being caused by some work we're doing or a burst pipe, you should be able to find the incident and check on the status on our map.
Why it happens
Bits in your water supply can be caused by naturally occurring iron and manganese deposits. It can also be associated with the corrosion of unlined Iron mains or a deterioration of your supply pipe. Normally these deposits don’t affect anyone, but can on occasion be disturbed and re-suspended into the water resulting in discolouration. This can occur during a sudden change in the direction or flow rate of water within the mains, such as when there is a burst or through an increase in demand; for example when the fire service connect to the mains network.
While your tap water is discoloured, don’t run the hot water tap or use dishwashers, washing machines or any appliances fed by your hot water supply.
In our experience, discoloured water caused by main deposits is unlikely to be harmful to health.
What are Yorkshire Water doing to reduce the likelihood of discoloured water?
Yorkshire Water has over 31,000 km of mains in the ground and supplies water to almost five million people in the Yorkshire region. The Company has a process to prioritise where mains rehabilitation or cleaning/flushing may be required.
In areas where there is localised historic discolouration, Yorkshire Water operates a programme to flush clean the water mains. Flushing is a proactive and controlled way of removing the sediment which causes discoloured water and therefore reducing the likelihood of it occurring in the future.
We will always let you know when this activity is being carried out in your area.
The quality of water leaving the water treatment works continues to improve with more effective removal of naturally occurring iron and manganese from the water. Yorkshire Water will continue to replace cast iron mains and will continue to clean many of our large diameter trunk mains where mains deposits are known to be an issue.
Light brown or tea coloured water
Fixing the problem
Tea coloured water is normally short lived and can often be cleared by allowing the first incoming cold water tap to run for five minutes.
If you experience short term discoloured water and you need water for drinking or cooking, please follow the advice:
- Run the first incoming cold water tap for several minutes (this will usually be your kitchen tap)
- Fill a jug and leave it to stand until any sediment has settled to the bottom
- Pour the clean water from the top of the jug for you to use
If running the tap does not clear the discolouration, please check with your neighbours to determine if their water is also discoloured.
If your neighbours do not have discoloured water then the cause is almost certainly due to pipework between the main in the road and the kitchen tap. It may be worthwhile checking whether you have any lead pipes in your home.
Works in your area
If the colour of your water is being caused by some work we're doing or a burst pipe, you should be able to find the incident and check on the status on our map.
Why it happens
Tea coloured water can be caused by naturally occurring iron deposits. It can also be associated with the corrosion of unlined Iron mains or a deterioration of your supply pipe. Normally these deposits don’t affect anyone, but can on occasion be disturbed and re-suspended into the water resulting in discolouration. This can occur during a sudden change in the direction or flow rate of water within the mains, such as when there is a burst or through an increase in demand; for example when the fire service connect to the mains network.
While your tap water is discoloured, don’t run the hot water tap or use dishwashers, washing machines or any appliances fed by your hot water supply.
In our experience, discoloured water caused by main deposits is unlikely to be harmful to health.
What are Yorkshire Water doing to reduce the likelihood of discoloured water?
Yorkshire Water has over 31,000 km of mains in the ground and supplies water to almost five million people in the Yorkshire region. The Company has a process to prioritise where mains rehabilitation or cleaning/flushing may be required.
In areas where there is localised historic discolouration, Yorkshire Water operates a programme to flush clean the water mains. Flushing is a proactive and controlled way of removing the sediment which causes discoloured water and therefore reducing the likelihood of it occurring in the future.
We will always let you know when this activity is being carried out in your area. For more information please view our pipe cleaning video.
The quality of water leaving the water treatment works continues to improve with more effective removal of naturally occurring iron and manganese from the water. Yorkshire Water will continue to replace cast iron mains and will continue to clean many of our large diameter trunk mains where mains deposits are known to be an issue.
Dark brown or black water
Fixing the problem
Dark brown or black coloured water is normally short lived and can often be cleared by allowing the first incoming cold water tap to run for five minutes.
If you experience short term discoloured water and you need water for drinking or cooking, please follow this advice:
- Run the first incoming cold water tap for several minutes (this will usually be your kitchen tap)
- Fill a jug and leave it to stand until any sediment has settled to the bottom
- Pour the clean water from the top of the jug for you to use
You can also check what is happening in your area by entering a postcode below to see if we are already aware of any issues with the supply.
If running the tap does not clear the discolouration, please check with your neighbours to determine if their water is also discoloured.
If your neighbours do not have discoloured water then the cause is almost certainly due to pipework between the main in the road and the kitchen tap. It may be worthwhile checking whether you have any lead pipes in your home.
Why it happens
Dark brown or black coloured water is usually caused by naturally occurring iron and manganese deposits which settle in the water mains over time. Normally these deposits don’t affect anyone, but can on occasion be disturbed and re-suspended into the water resulting in discolouration. This can occur during a sudden change in the direction or flow rate of water within the mains, such as when there is a burst or through an increase in demand; for example when the fire service connect to the mains network.
While your tap water is discoloured, don’t run the hot water tap or use dishwashers, washing machines or any appliances fed by your hot water supply.
In our experience, discoloured water caused by main deposits is unlikely to be harmful to health.
What are Yorkshire Water doing to reduce the likelihood of discoloured water?
Yorkshire Water has over 31,000 km of mains in the ground and supplies water to almost five million people in the Yorkshire region. The Company has a process to prioritise where mains rehabilitation or cleaning/flushing may be required.
In areas where there is localised historic discolouration, Yorkshire Water operates a programme to flush clean the water mains. Flushing is a proactive and controlled way of removing the sediment which causes discoloured water and therefore reducing the likelihood of it occurring in the future.
We will always let you know when this activity is being carried out in your area. For more information please view our pipe cleaning video.
The quality of water leaving the water treatment works continues to improve with more effective removal of naturally occurring iron and manganese from the water. Yorkshire Water will continue to replace cast iron mains and will continue to clean many of our large diameter trunk mains where mains deposits are known to be an issue.
Blue water
Fixing the problem
If your water is blue or green, please contact us immediately for some help and advice.
Contact us via a free call back to arrange for an inspection of your plumbing or if you've noticed this after having plumbing work done, please contact a plumber.
Why it happens
A blue colour in drinking water is very rare but when it happens it is usually due to one of two reasons;
Firstly, it may be due to corrosion of copper plumbing. The blue colour indicates that there are elevated levels of copper in the water. The problem only occurs where there is relatively new copper plumbing. Another risk factor is when water is left to stagnate in the newly installed pipes following pressure testing and before occupation of a property. Most recorded cases relate to large public buildings or new housing estates. Blue water is less likely to occur when work is undertaken by qualified plumbers and water company-approved contractors who will use only approved materials and procedures. The blue colour will disappear when the tap is run. If the colour persists though, you should contact us to arrange for an inspection of your plumbing. We can test your water and provide advice on how to improve your water quality.
The second reason relates to the issue that some customers choose to install blue-coloured disinfectant in toilet cisterns. On rare occasions, blue-coloured tap water can also be due to such water from poorly installed toilet cisterns siphoning back into the internal plumbing. You may notice this after having plumbing work done or if moving into a refurbished property for the first time.
Green water
Fixing the problem
If your water is green, please contact us immediately for some help and advice.
Contact us via a free call back to arrange for an inspection of your plumbing or if you have noticed this after having plumbing work done, please contact a plumber.
Why it happens
Green water may be due to corrosion of copper plumbing. The green/blue colour indicates that there are elevated levels of copper in the water. The problem only occurs where there is relatively new copper plumbing. Another risk factor is when water is left to stagnate in the newly installed pipes following pressure testing and before occupation of a property. Most recorded cases relate to large public buildings or new housing estates. Green water is less likely to occur when work is undertaken by qualified plumbers and water company-approved contractors who will use only approved materials and procedures. The green colour will disappear when the tap is run. If the colour persists though, you should contact us to arrange for an inspection of your plumbing. We can test your water and provide advice on how to improve your water quality.
An algae bloom can also cause green water. Properties with header tanks that are not properly maintained can be susceptible to this.
Milky or cloudy water
Fixing the problem
Cloudy water is usually just air mixing with the water and causing tiny air bubbles. Air in water is nothing to worry about and it won’t affect your health.
To check if there’s air in your water, just fill a glass with water and leave it to stand for a few minutes. You’ll see tiny air bubbles rising to the surface and the water will start to clear.
Why it happens and how to fix it
There are three causes of air in water:
1. Water main repairs
If we’ve fixed a water main near you, there might be air trapped in the water. Your water should be back to normal within 24 hours, the air just needs to work its way through the system. To help flush the cloudy water through, try running the tap closest to your internal stop tap (this is usually your kitchen tap) on a slow steady flow. While the tap is running, turn the internal stop tap on and off several times to help release the air from the pipes. If it’s been cloudy for longer than 24 hours, we may need to flush the mains water pipes to help it along its way.
2. The pipework in your home
Sometimes it’s the pipework in your home that causes cloudy or milky water. If cold water pipes touch unlagged hot water pipes, the cold water can warm up and become cloudy. To clear it, just run the tap to flush out the warmed water and bring in water from the main pipe outside.
3. Faulty plumbing in your home
If running the tap does not clear the water and your neighbours aren’t affected, it could be a problem with your plumbing, and you might need to get a plumber to look into it.
Find an approved plumber
Black mould or slime in water
Fixing the problem
Black mould or slime (also known as biofilms) is associated with tap fittings which can be removed by cleaning (both inside and outside) with a small brush (such as an old toothbrush) dipped in a mild solution of bleach. Flush the tap after cleaning to remove any bleach.
Kitchen surfaces and tiles can be wiped with a household cleaner or mild bleach solution that will kill the bacteria and fungi. It’s our experience that use of a sponge rather than a scouring pad gives best results. Always remember to check that the cleaning solution you use is suitable for the surface you will be using it on.
Biofilms can occur on any surface that regularly comes into contact with water. They’re often found in the following areas around the home:
- On the inside of taps (especially where the tap has a mesh-style-like insert to prevent splashing)
- In and around washing machine powder drawers and door seals
- Around the base of taps and tap fittings
- In drains/plugholes, in and around toilet cisterns
- In shower heads and on shower curtains and doors
- On tiles around the bathroom area and kitchen sink area
Why it happens
What are biofilms?
The appearance of slime in and around taps, or the staining of tiles and surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms is often due to the growth of microscopic organisms such as bacteria and fungi. Collectively, these growths are called biofilms.
Bacteria and fungi are naturally present in air, food and water and can attach themselves to damp surfaces, where they can multiply to produce a visible jelly-like growth, slime or stain in various colours (black, grey and pink).
Although not nice to look at, biofilms are considered to be a nuisance rather than a risk to health. It’s not possible to completely and permanently remove biofilms, however, it’s possible to stop them growing.
What can be done to reduce biofilms?
The bacteria and fungi that live in biofilms need water and nutrients to survive and grow. The best way to prevent growth is to improve ventilation so kitchen and bathrooms can dry quickly. It’s also important to reduce the food sources available to biofilms. These may include shampoos, soaps and general kitchen food. Keeping the areas clean and free from potential food sources will restrict growth.
Certain plumbing materials can also promote growth of biofilms, for example rubber washers in taps and some flexible hoses connected to washing machines and dishwashers. If you suspect these to be the cause of biofilms, get advice from a qualified plumbers merchant and replace them with an approved product.
If any taps where biofilm has been noticed are fed from a header tank, it’s worth investigating to check that it’s clean and correctly sealed. Biofilms attach and grow quicker on rough surfaces such as limescale. Limescale can be removed using a brush and a variety of cleaning products.
The use of water filters and softeners can also encourage biofilm growth, especially if they aren’t maintained and serviced according to the manufacturers’ instructions.