If you are a hygiene-conscious person, having a sparkling clean toilet is always a top priority. Yellow water can be frustrating to eliminate because factors beyond your control often cause the problem. Even if you clean your commode regularly, it is not uncommon to find yellow water in your toilet bowl. So, if you’ve been asking, “why is my toilet water yellow,” this post seeks to address your concern.
Why Is My Toilet Water Yellow?
Most individuals believe that yellow water in the toilet bowl is attributable to improper flushing. Well, that could not be farther from the truth. The primary cause of yellow water is the mineral deposits in hard water.
You should also note that yellow water does not pose a risk to the structural integrity of your toilet bowl. However, the colored water is often an eyesore than can make you question the hygiene levels in your toilet. Keep reading to gain valuable insights on eliminating yellow water in your commode.
What Are the Causes of Yellow Water in Toilet Bowls?
At first glance, you might think that the yellow water in your toilet bowl is urine residue. Nonetheless, the problem often persists even if you flush your toilet again. Listed below are the primary causes of yellow water in your toilet bowl.
1. Hard Water
If the water supply in your bathroom is predominantly hard water, then the chances are that you will encounter yellow water in your toilet bowl. You should know that hard water contains wide-ranging minerals, including calcium, iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. However, low concentrations of these minerals may not necessarily lead to discoloration of your toilet water.
If your bathroom water supply is poorly treated hard water, then yellow water is inevitable. Poorly treated hard water has high concentrations of magnesium and salts, which contribute to water discoloration. Notably, discolored water makes your toilet appear unhygienic.
Your toilet can lose its aesthetic value if the minerals in hard water accumulate on your toilet bowl’s interior. And if you fail to scrub the bowl’s interior properly, the flushed water will always appear discolored. Soft or hard water will become discolored almost instantaneously when it mixes with the accumulated mineral deposits.
2. Rust in Galvanized Steel Pipes
If the plumbing system in your house was done before the 1960s, then yellow water in your toilet bowl should come as no surprise. Plumbers used galvanized steel and iron pipes for most homes’ main water supply lines. Notably, galvanized steel pipes were adored due to their sturdiness and durability.
However, galvanized steel and iron pipes are likely to discolor the water in your toilet because they are susceptible to rusting. When water flows through the lines, it often dislodges accumulated rust to form a discolored water-rust mixture. Once you flush your toilet, the water-rust mixture flows into your toilet bowl, giving it a nasty appearance.
It is worth noting that high-pressure water flowing in rusted steel pipes scrapes even more rust particles. If you find that the water in your toilet bowl has a deep yellow color, then the chances are that the water flowing in your bathroom’s water supply lines has high pressure. Older steel pipes also create a deep yellow color in your toilet.
3. Rusted Bolts
If you find yellow water in your toilet bowl, the main culprit may be rusted bolts. Modern and traditional bolts are susceptible to rusting because they are iron or steel. Your toilet cistern often has several bolts.
The bolts rust over time because they are exposed to water. Even though steel bolts are solid and durable, their prolonged exposure to water makes them thinner over time. Anytime you flush your toilet, the water dislodges rust particles from the bolts, creating a water-rust mixture.
If the bolts have high levels of accumulated rust, the water will have an even deeper yellow color. The water-rust mixture may also form a yellow stain on the bowl surface. It is incumbent upon you to take measures to prevent this from happening.
4. Standing Water
If you leave your house for more than three months, you might come back to find that your toilet water has turned yellow. The water could also develop a foul smell due to the accumulation of bacteria. Standing water may also accumulate dust, leading to water discoloration.
5. Contaminated Water
On some rare occasions, the water in your bathroom’s supply line may mix with wastewater in the building’s sewer lines. The contamination of bathroom water could also result in the formation of yellow water in your toilet bowl. Such water is often unclean, smelly, and unpleasant.
How to Eliminate Yellow Toilet Water
The last thing you want in your bathroom is yellow water in your toilet bowl. Yellow water can be a significant turn-off to members of your household or even guests. Fortunately, you can avoid such embarrassment by adopting the following solutions.
1. Installing New Pipe Fittings
If the primary cause of yellow water in your toilet bowl is rusted pipes, you can solve this problem by installing new PVC pipes. Notably, this solution may require you to dig deeper into your pockets because your bathroom’s water supply lines may be concealed behind walls. You can limit the costs by identifying the specific areas of your bathroom’s supply with rusted pipes.
If you have adequate resources, replacing all steel pipes with PVC pipes is advisable because they’ll eventually rust. PVC pipes are durable, flexible, and invulnerable to rusting. Ideally, you should hire a plumber to replace the iron pipes.
2. Scrub the Mineral Build-Ups
Mineral deposits can accumulate on the toilet bowl surface and the cistern over time. You can eliminate yellow water in your toilet by cleaning the mineral deposits regularly. Hard water with high mineral concentration causes mineral deposits to accumulate relatively quickly. So, it’s best to begin by examining the cistern’s interior to establish the exact location of the mineral deposits.
Once you determine the areas with mineral build-ups, you should use a bristle brush to scrape them off. Finish by flushing the toilet twice to prevent the minerals from settling in the cistern again. If there are mineral deposits on the toilet bowl’s interior, you can use a bristle brush and toilet cleaning detergents to get rid of them.
You should then flush your toilet at least two times until there are no more stains. If mineral build-ups were the root cause of your toilet’s yellow water, your toilet water should be crystal clear after this exercise.
3. Clean the Rusted Bolts
If you establish that rusted bolts are the primary cause of your toilet’s yellow water, you should consider cleaning the rusted bolts. There are often several bolts and metal parts in your toilet cistern, and locating them can be challenging. Solving your yellow water problem should begin by finding all the rusted bolts.
Once you locate the bolts, you can use a bristle brush to scrape off any accumulated rust. Remember to scrub gently to avoid damaging any brittle parts in the cistern. Once you finish cleaning, you should flush the toilet at least two times until all the rust residue is gone.
Cleaning rusted bolts can be difficult, particularly for bolts located in tight spots. You may improvise solutions that don’t affect the cistern’s functioning in such situations. If you find that some bolts have lost their structural integrity due to excessive rusting, you should not bother cleaning them. Instead, consider replacing the old bolts with new bolts.
4. Flush Your Toilet Regularly
If the primary cause of your toilet’s yellow water is standing water, you should consider flushing your toilet regularly. If you are away from your home for a long time, you can assign the task to a trusted neighbor. Flushing your toilet regularly also prevents your commode from developing an unpleasant smell.
5. Maintain Your Bathroom’s Water Supply Lines Regularly
If contaminated water is the cause of yellow water in your toilet, you should regularly inspect your bathroom’s water supply and sewer line. If you notice any breakages or leakages, you should fix them immediately. Ideally, you can contact a plumber if the leakage or breakage is challenging to repair.
Is My Toilet’s Yellow Water a Health Hazard?
When you spot yellow water in your toilet bowl, it is not uncommon to ask yourself if it presents any health risks. Well, the simple answer is no. Yellow water is predominantly harmless because it contains rust and minerals.
You should also note that yellow water may not harm you when it comes into contact with your skin. However, you should avoid drinking water from faucets that discharge discolored water. Additionally, yellow water may not necessarily affect the structural integrity of your toilet bowl.
Final Thoughts
If you find yellow water in your toilet bowl or cistern, you need to investigate what caused it. You should know that yellow toilet water is attributable to rusted steel pipes, mineral deposits, hard water, rusted bolts, standing, and contaminated water. The solution you adopt to eliminate the yellow water is contingent upon the root cause of the problem. Finally, you should know that yellow water does not pose a health risk to you unless you ingest it.