# Rusty water



## wetrain17 (May 25, 2011)

Are you sure its rust in the water? I would do a water test to be sure.


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## PaintGirl7 (May 27, 2012)

I'm positive it's rust because when we first moved our horses there our boarders told us and instructed us on how to make it okay (running it out til it looks normal)


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## CharliesMom (Jul 7, 2009)

I wouldn't. Rust can cause a lot of problems, plus there is quite a bit of lead in it. I'd have a water test done, and if your mom doesn't get it, make her look at some literature about the effects of bad water on animals AND humans. Horses eat dirt because it contains trace amounts of salt in it, which is good for them. Rust isn't good for anyone.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

The rust _will_ settle to the bottom of the trough, but my biggest concern is if you use this same well for house water. If you're using it for both the horses and the people, your mother really should be concerned as it can cause health problems. 

If the water isn't clearing it could also mean that the well is running dry, which will pull rust and other nasties up from the bottom as the pump tries to keep the water flowing. 

There's most likely a whole lot more going on here than just rust in the water. I'd be very concerned that it's not clearing up at all.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

I would have the water tested, but rust does not contain lead.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Trinity3205 (Dec 21, 2010)

It may just be dirt. When we have alot of rain, our well would get dirt/red clay in it and appear rusty. It didnt have a filter.


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## spirit88 (Jan 12, 2011)

We had trouble with rusty water when we first move in to our place. Did a water softer for the first year. Then we had a new well drilled solved our rusty water problem our water is now crystal clear. We aso tested the the new well water to make sure there was nothing harmful too us or our animals. Dont recall what it cost to test it but was well worth the money for our peace of mind.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

It's not rust; it's more than likely iron reducing bacteria. That is usually what causes the rust colour. It's not harmful to us or to animals, but discolours items and just looks punky. 

I take it the water is coming from a drilled well? If so, you can shock the well to clear it up. Depending how deep the well is, the size of the well and the static level of the water in the well, you dump a certain amount of regular household bleach in the well. Anywhere from 1-4 cups is usual. Run a garden hose back into the well and turn on the water. Turn the water on to a low flow and let it circulate. When you smell the bleach coming from the hose, turn the water off. Let the well sit for 24 hours. Then hook up the hose again and let the water run until the bleach smell is gone.

If it's really bad, you may have to do this a few times. Make sure you have water stored up before you shock the system as you will be without use of the well for a while. Probably a good idea to scrub the water trough with a bleach solution too, to clear out remaining bacteria in there. But you can do that after you have shocked the well and have your regular water supply again.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I was thinking iron sediment as well. What works even better than bleach is food grade hydrogen peroxide, it cleans everything and the flushed out water will make your grass thick & green whereas bleach yellows it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Wares - its not sediment. Bleach is perfectly safe (municipalities put it in all their systems to kill bacteria which is why I hate city water) and is far more effective than hydrogen peroxide. If there is a concern about yellowing the grass, run the water off to another location. I've never seen this yellow the grass, but then again, we drill wells and by the time we leave, there's a bit of clean up to do regardless and grass is nowhere near the new well!


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## poppy1356 (Jan 18, 2012)

My dads country house had rusty looking water when I was growing up. It was just iron in the water but made you smell kind of like a penny lol. We had a filtration system but sometimes we would still get the reddish colored water so we put in a new filtration system that costs thousands. I guess for over 10 years they tried all kinds of things on the well that never worked. But the filtration system puts bleach in the water and we have watered the lawn with it and it has never killed grass, flowers or any other living thing.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

So, I checked with MDH about the hydrogen peroxide and he says it is actually more effective than bleach, but you need about 30 times as much ($) and despite the cost he would never risk putting it in a well.


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## CoconutMona (Dec 10, 2012)

My dad's place has the same problem. We never noticed any of the cattle being effected?


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## LisaG (Nov 11, 2012)

My guess would be iron bacteria as well. They make the water gross, but don't cause health problems. I believe they can eventually wreck the plumbing/appliances, though (not totally sure on that). And they will probably ruin your white clothes!

Usually people use chlorine or hydrogen peroxide to shock treat the well and clear up the problem. 

But your parents should probably have the water tested, just in case. There could be other things going on, especially if you have a well. I don't know where you live, but there are probably gov't extension people who could provide advice on this.


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## Super Nova (Apr 27, 2010)

Hi iron content will make well water red.......running the pump for minutes or hours will eventually clear but will likely come back.

We had a well that had and extremely high iron content and if you ran it for 10 or 12 hours it would clear but come back if excessive amounts of water were not used.......so we ended up putting in a filter to remove the iron.

Super Nova


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

We flush out our well with hydrogen peroxide and the jets in the jacuzzi tub, bleach doesn't even compare to this product's scrubbing power.


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## Beatrice9 (Jun 30, 2012)

My well water is always rusty looking/tasting because we have galvanized pipes. We don't drink it but the animals do. However it really does sound like one of your wells is running dry, just make sure you keep the horses wormed and you're giving them plenty of the pysyllium, or sand clear. Your mom is right, they do sometimes drink contaminated waters in the wild. But... typically don't because flowing streams and rivers are clear. I wouldn't worry yourself too much, and if you just can't stop thinking about it, try getting some of that pH balancer/water clearer for fish tanks from Walmart. The stuff is only a couple bucks, and it neutralizes and clears water to make it safe for fish, just follow the directions and only put the correct amount.


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