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I'm using ground water to provide my daily needs: Laundry, bath, toilet, ... I don't use it as drinking water, but I do cook with it.

What I noticed is that when using the water cold it appears as water from a bottle, but when I start to heat the water it turn orange as if the iron becomes more visible? It also is visible from water coming out of the boiler.

Does iron in water become visible when the water is being heated?

Another fun fact, just for information, when it rains a lot the orange color is more dense.

Greetings.

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  • $\begingroup$ Hello and welcome to Chemistry.SE. If you have any questions about the site I would start by taking the short tour. Regarding your question, do you know anything else about the water, like it's pH or if it's pretty hard water, etc. You may be on the right track as orange/redish colored water can be an indicator of iron. Anyway, good luck with solving your mystery! $\endgroup$
    – airhuff
    Feb 28, 2017 at 8:46
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    $\begingroup$ Iron becomes visible as it gets oxidized to $\ce{Fe^3+}$, hydrolyzes all the way to hydroxide, and precipitates from the solution. All this is somewhat facilitated by heating. $\endgroup$
    – Ivan Neretin
    Feb 28, 2017 at 8:47
  • $\begingroup$ Question already asked here : outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/5894/… $\endgroup$
    – creekorful
    Feb 28, 2017 at 9:04
  • $\begingroup$ In pine forests, freshly-dug soil (podzol) is often a pale blue-green from reduced iron, but after an hour or two exposed to air, it turns reddish brown as the iron oxidizes. This is the same effect you've noticed. $\endgroup$
    – DrMoishe Pippik
    Mar 2, 2017 at 4:21

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