Why is my Iron leaking Brown Water? (How to Fix it?)

Is your iron leaking water while ironing?

Do you want to know why your iron spitting brown water and how to stop it from happening again, then this article is for you.

But first, let us know why this happens?

Why does my iron leak brown water?

Most of the irons leak brown water when calcium is deposited into the water tank due to hard water. Water drips from the clogged steam holes.

To remove calcium deposit from the water tank, pour vinegar and lemon solution and use the self cleaning button to clean the water tank.

So you know why your iron is leaking water now its time to stop it without damaging the steam iron or steam generator iron. You can view the below video for the proper step by step guide:

How Do I Stop My Iron from Spitting Brown Stuff?

Most of the steam generator irons come with an auto cleaning or self-cleaning button and anti-limescale function that will prevent your iron to clog the steam holes. It has a calcium collector cartridge that will collect the impurities and indicate when to change the cartridge.

Recommended read: How to clean steam iron water tank?

How to remove brown stuff from Steam Iron Water Tank?

The next thing you should do is clean your water tank properly to stop water dripping from your iron. You need to follow the below steps:

Step 1: Start by removing the power supply from the iron. Let it cool down and then empty the water tank. It may take anywhere between 10-20 mins for cooling.

Step 2: Prepare a Vinegar or Baking soda solution for cleaning purposes. In this example, we are using vinegar, they are easy to use. Pour vinegar into the water tank.

Step 3: Connect the power supply and change the temperature knob to the highest settings. Let it be ready to use.

Step 4: When ready use the steam burst button until the water tank is empty. Do this into a kitchen sink and make sure to spray in the other direction. Do this until the water tank is fully clean. Use an old white cloth to check the cleaning process. At first, it’ll be brown in colour and later after repeating for 3-6 times, it will be white.

Step 5: When cleaned, use distilled water from next time and make sure to do this once a month depending upon the usage.

Step 4: Now the tank is fully cleaned and remember to empty the water tank when not in use.

So your steam generator iron is leaking brown color water and spit water all over the clothes? Right?

In this post, I am going to help you to understand why water dripping from your iron soleplate and how to fix that iron.

So let’s start one by one:

Why Water is dripping from your Iron?

There is no one type fix for all types of irons, but if your iron is leaking then one of the below points can solve your problem.

Temperature: Water is converted into steam when the soleplate’s temperature reaches over 100 degrees C or more. If you’ve set the iron setting for low temperature then you have to wait for some time before the water gets converted into steam.

Many irons use two types of a combined heating method -one is internally and the other is in the soleplate itself. So invest in the best iron.

Pro tip: If you’re from the UK you can go with Tefal GV9071 Pro or Philips GC9630/20 Steam Generator Iron. They both have reliable service networks throughout the UK.

Another method you can try is when ironing with the low-temperature switch off the steam generator and using the iron as a dry iron.

Water type: If you pour water with impurities, hard water, etc. then water gets converted into steam but impurities partially block the water hose, thus water gets condensed and leak from the iron.

Every steam generator iron comes with a user guide and if you look into the guide, it strictly mentions only clean water must be poured.

If brown water is coming out of your iron then it’s a clear sign you are using hard water. If any white substance is emitting from the hoses, maybe a sign of calcium in the water.

In this case, you have to clean the iron thoroughly and start using tap water. Make sure to empty the water tank after using the iron, it’ll save your iron in the long run.

Overfilling of Water: If you fill the water tank full, then the water can drip from the top side of the iron while ironing horizontally. So make sure to fill less water in the tank.

How to Clean Steam Iron Water Tank?

Here is a video you can watch or follow the below steps:

How to Clean a Reservoir of a Rowenta iron using the self-cleaning function?

Here is the video showing the exact steps you need to take:

Step 1: Fill the water tank with clean water and set the iron to self-cleaning.

Step 2: Disconnect the plug and hold it over a sink. (all the water will be drip out).

Step 3: Connect the plug and switch the iron set to the steam position. (the remaining water will evaporate)

What water to use in a steam iron?

The best water for steam iron will be pure distilled water without any impurities. You can also use tap water, but make sure to not use hard water.

So I hope I solved your issue with water coming out of your iron in this post. Leave a comment if you’ve got a specific question or need help with your iron.