Our website is user-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission but at no additional cost to you. Learn more >
Toilets are made from various materials that are very strong and can withstand the tests of many chemicals. Sometimes we assume that the water in our toilets is always clear, which is not always the case.
Seeing the water in your toilet turn blue can be a bit of a shock. But what makes toilet water blue? Read on to learn this and how to fix the issue.
Reasons Toilet Water Turns Blue
Here are a few reasons your toilet water might turn blue:
1. Your Toilet Contains High Copper Levels
One reason for the blue water in the toilet bowl is that your water may contain very high levels of copper. If there is no blue cleaning tablet in the toilet bowl, but the water is blue, it is because your water has very high levels of copper.
Drinking water with very low copper levels is beneficial, which is why drinking 2mg/L is recommended for most people. However, drinking too much copper can cause serious problems. In a situation like this, blue water itself isn’t harmful. But it puts your home plumbing at risk.
High copper levels are not always visible when you look at the clear water, but they can manifest as blue or grey particles or cloudiness in the water.
When your water is heated to very high temperatures, you will see brown or black water droplets floating around the water. Keep checking to see if there is any unusual color in your toilet bowl.
Blue rings around your toilet bowl are an indicator that you have high copper levels. It might appear precisely where the water level reaches, but it does not have to be exactly blue or the same color as the water.
Check if there are any blue stains that you can see in your toilet bowl because if there are any, it is a sign that something isn’t right.
2. Blue Toilet Cleaning Tablets
This one is obvious, but it is imperative to get it straight. It could be that a blue cleaning tablet is causing your water to be blue if the tablet is attached to the supply line or tank.
If you have a blue cleaning tablet in your toilet, your water will look blue. Excessive use of these chemical cleaning tablets can cause severe damage to your toilet, so you must consider the advantages and drawbacks before you invest in them.
Blue cleaning tablets are powerful chemicals that kill bacteria in the toilet bowl. But over time, they can cause many issues for your once-working toilet, including bad gaskets that allow water to flow freely through the toilet.
They can also cause a massive buildup of toxins in your home and even in the soil beneath your house.
Not to mention, your pets can become sick from drinking blue water. If your pet drinks the blue water from a toilet and it turns out the cause is the blue tablet, give them a small amount of water or milk to drink and get them to the veterinarian as soon as possible.
Double-check the cleaning tablet that you put in your bowl. Is that something necessary in your home? It is okay for someone who lives alone or with a loved one, but for people with small children, sick people, or people with allergies, it is probably best to wave goodbye to those blue cleaning tablets.
3. The Water In Your Well Is Full Of Contaminants
If you find that your water is becoming blue, it might be because your toilet water is contaminated. Copper level in the water increases most often in wells and other smaller bodies of water.
Sometimes chemical inputs from industry or mining cause the copper levels in your water to rise to potentially harmful levels. This can affect your family and your toilet.
4. Copper Corrosion
As the level of copper in the water increases, so will the problems you will find in your home. Blue water from a blue toilet bowl might mean your pipes are leaking copper.
Copper rust can cause pipes to become corroded and cause lines in your home to decay. Water full of copper can also cause serious problems for you and your family. It could cause problems in the bathroom, kitchen, basement, and house.
If the water in your bathroom is blue, it could mean that all the water sources in your home have a very high amount of copper.
This is visible in the form of a blue ring at the bottom of the toilet bowl, as well as a drop of water in your bowl and the damp walls.
How to Prevent The Blue Toilet Water?
Removing blue color from your toilet can be arduous because of many different causes. We’ll show you how to get rid of a bluish ring that appears on top of your toilet.
1. Utilize Water Filters
It’s difficult to stop the rusting process in old and rusty lines, but you can control the water quality by using water filters. Water filtration systems can help you eliminate copper in tap water by filtering it out before reaching the plumbing fixtures. It will also help you avoid having water that tastes odd.
You could use different filters that help you eliminate copper traces, such as ion exchange filters, fluoride removal, chlorine filters, and carbon filters. All these water filters can assist you in eliminating copper, but they also help remove other heavy metals from your drinking water.
2. Replace Water Pipes
If water continues to discolor, you need to replace the corroding pipes. It will cost you more since you will have to replace all of the plumbing components in the bathroom with new ones. If you notice that your toilet water is dark blue, it may indicate that you have an old copper pipe fitting in your bathroom.
It could also mean that old plumbing elements are corroding the pipes and fittings in your bathroom. It is not common to do a typical bathroom remodel this way, so it’s important to understand the process.
You must find a qualified plumber to provide the best advice about your installed plumbing systems. High-tech plastic plumbing will not corrode and need less maintenance; therefore, you may want to try them.
Do not forget that replacing copper pipes is a costly project. We recommend using water filters until you have clear plans for keeping your home plumbing safe.
Can the Water from a Toilet Have Different Colors?
Yes! There are many colors that toilet water can have depending on the chemicals that color the liquid. Here are the most common colors you may see in your toilet bowl:
1. Dark and Black Shades
If there are any dark or black stains in the toilet, it’s probably mildew. Black mold thrives in damp environments, so do not be shocked to find black stains in your toilet.
2. Orange or Brown
Many of the plumbing parts in modern homes are made of iron. If you notice that the water is orange or brown, the iron in your toilet is probably rusty, making your toilet look dirty.
3. Yellow Stains
You may have yellow staining in your toilet bowl, which looks awful. Urine always causes yellow spots in the toilet bowl and makes your bathroom smell awful. But if you clean it fast, it will smell fresh again.
Is Blue Toilet Water Harmful?
Blue water can be safe or harmful depending on what causes it. If your toilet water is blue, it’s possible that a cleaning product (blue tablet) was placed in the toilet tank or rim.
These chemicals in the product can break down parts and damage surface materials with time. It could also cause rusting in the pipes and other plumbing fixtures.
If the blue water runs into other fixtures, like the bathtub or sink, you may need to remove the cleaning tablet and run some water for a few minutes. If there is no product in your toilet or drain, it could be a sign that your pipes are corroding. If that is the case, call a licensed plumber.
Wrapping Up
If you notice that the water in your toilet turns blue, there is probably rust in your pipes. If it looks blue, try using water filters or installing plastic pipes.
Some people like to use tablets to clean their toilets a lot — they clean the toilets very quickly, but they can harm the plumbing. Avoid using tablets to clean toilets because they damage pipes and are unsuitable for you or your pets.
