Plumbing Services in Riverdale, GA

What comes out of the tap can say a lot about the pipes it passed through. Brown water, black specks, a sulfur smell or blue-green stains each point toward a different source, and some of them have nothing to do with the plumbing in your house. In Riverdale, Alpha Plumbing and Sewer treats water that looks or smells wrong as part of its everyday plumbing services, and the first clues usually come from the homeowner.

Three quick comparisons

1. Hot versus cold. Fill one glass from the hot side and one from the cold. A problem in the hot glass only points to the water heater.
2. One tap versus every tap. If only one fixture is affected, the cause is local to that faucet or its branch of pipe.
3. First draw versus after running. Water that is discolored after sitting overnight but clears in a minute suggests the pipes inside the house. Water that stays off color suggests the supply.

It also helps to ask a neighbor. If their water looks the same, the cause is probably outside both houses, such as work on a water main, and the water provider is the first call.

Brown, orange or yellow water

Rust is the usual culprit. In older homes, galvanized steel supply pipe corrodes on the inside, and the rust breaks loose whenever water sits still and then starts moving. If the color shows up on both hot and cold taps after the water sits, aging supply pipe is likely, and the long-term answer may be whole house repiping. If only the hot water is rusty, the inside of the water heater tank may be corroding, which usually signals the end of its service life.

Specks, grit and flakes

Black flecks are often bits of a deteriorating rubber washer or supply hose. White or tan grit that collects in faucet aerators is usually mineral scale or sediment from the water heater. In some older heaters, small white plastic pieces come from a dip tube breaking apart inside the tank. Grit that keeps clogging aerators and valve cartridges can be cleared on a faucet and valve repair visit, but the source behind it still needs attention.

Cloudy or milky water

Pour a glass and set it on the counter. If it clears from the bottom up within a minute or two, the cloudiness is tiny air bubbles, common after the water has been shut off for a repair or when pressure is high. If it stays cloudy or leaves a film, ask the water provider about it.

Odors and where they really come from

A rotten egg smell from the hot side only usually starts inside the water heater, where certain water conditions react with the anode rod. If you have a gas heater, gas water heater service can replace the rod with a different type and flush the tank; electric tanks are handled through electric water heater service. A smell like bleach is typically the disinfectant the utility adds. A musty or sewage smell at one sink often comes from the drain rather than the water: fill a glass, walk it to another room and smell it there. If the water itself is fine, the drain or its vent is the issue, which falls under drain repair.

Blue-green stains on fixtures

Blue or green streaks under faucets and around drains usually mean copper is dissolving from the inside of the pipes, often because of the water's chemistry. Over time that thinning can produce pinhole leaks. If stains appear along with damp spots or a rising water bill, leak detection can check for hidden pinholes.

Riverdale permits when pipes need replacing

Discolored water sometimes ends in new pipe. The city's Building and Permitting Division requires permits for plumbing work, and under the city code clearing stoppages and repairing leaks are exempt, while swapping a defective drain, waste, vent or water pipe for new material is new work that needs a permit and an inspection. A repipe falls on the permit side of that line.

Questions about water quality in Riverdale

Why is my water brown only in the morning?

Water that sits in the pipes overnight picks up rust from corroding pipe walls, especially galvanized steel. When the first tap opens, that rust flushes out, then the water clears. If both hot and cold taps do it, the supply piping inside the house is the likely source. Running the cold tap briefly helps for now, but repeated rust usually means the pipe is near the end of its life.

Who should I call about the taste or smell of my water in Riverdale?

If the issue affects every tap, both hot and cold, and your neighbors notice it too, start with the water provider, which publishes an annual water quality report and handles questions about the supply. If it affects only hot water, one fixture or only your house, a plumber can track down whether the water heater, the pipes or a drain is responsible.

Can a water heater cause rusty water?

Yes. Tank heaters are lined steel, and once the lining and the anode rod can no longer protect the steel, the tank begins to rust from the inside. Rusty hot water with clear cold water is the typical sign. Flushing will not fix a corroding tank, so replacement usually follows soon after this symptom appears.

Bring us a glass of the problem

Tell us what the water looks or smells like, which taps are affected and when it happens. Call Alpha at (404) 409-4448, and we will help narrow down whether the fix belongs to your plumbing.