I just moved into a house on a couple of acres a couple of months ago. Water is from a well. The water goes through a water softener then into the house. The water when we moved in was cloudy with a little bit of white sediment but because the water softener wasn't being maintained. Since, water has been clear until today we ran the bath water. I then noticed the black particles. When touched and smeard between fingers it turns reddish brown. I then looked in the tanks of all toilets and it was there as well.

I will flush the hot water heater this evening or first thing in the morning but could the particles be from something else since they are in the toilet tanks too?

What kind of pipes, including well pipe, do you have? If you have galvanized iron pipes it is probably rust.

What kind of pipes, including well pipe, do you have? If you have galvanized iron pipes it is probably rust.

I have copper through out the house and pvc coming from well to house. The house was built in 2002.

Shouldn't be rust then. Turn off pump and drain well tank into bucket to see if coming from well.

What kind of tank, bladder tank or galvanized pressure tank.

Just flushed the hot water heater and it was just a tad cloudy and then didn't take long to run clear. Hotwater heater was mfg 2008.

The pressure tank may well be the problem. It is galvanized.

If that is the problem. What would be the best way to confirm and repair for the long term?

Thanks for your help.

If you get the black particles from the pressure tank you will know that it is either coming from the well or the tank. To see if it is coming form the well you could run water from the well directly into a large container and let it sit. The moving water probably will carry the contaminant with it so you will probably have to let it sit for a while to see if it settles to the bottom. How large a container you will need will depend on how much contaminant there is. What you are seeing in your water now may be the accumulation in the bottom of the tank over a long period.

You should have a plug on the side of the tank about half way up. You could remove that plug and try to look inside with a flashlight and an inspection mirror.

Galvanized tanks last a long time. Yours should be rusting inside in 4 years but you never know. If it is, there is no repair, only replace.

Since you found other sediment, which is probably sand, in the toilet tank you may need to install filters on the well line.