A: Your last clue may have tipped us off. If there was a rusty water problem in the entire house, we could look at the water quality itself, or the system piping. However, since you are only getting muddy water at the bath tub, you need to check out the tub valve itself, the tub spout, or the supply lines to the valve for corrosion.

If the supply lines to the tub are made with old galvanized piping, they can be rusting out on the inside and need to be replaced. Also, I have seen handymen and homeowners mistakenly install "black iron" piping to a fixture, and that will surely cause brown water to run out of a fixture.

See if you can remove the access panel behind the tub valve, and look for any old or unusual piping. Once you check things out inside the wall, you might be surprised to find out that the answer to your muddy water problem is crystal clear!