This PG Owner Lost Tenants Due to Water Quality Complaints — Until He Fixed the Root Cause

"Every week, someone would move out citing the same issue: brown water and dirty toilets."

That’s what the PG owner in Porur, Chennai, told us during the first call.

He ran a 20-room paying guest accommodation, mostly housing college students and working professionals.
“No matter how much we cleaned, the toilets had permanent brown stains. Buckets were turning orange. Even the washbasins looked old and dirty.”

The worst part? "We lost four tenants last month because of this."

This wasn’t just about poor maintenance. The issue ran deeper.
And we knew what the real problem was the moment he said “brown water.”

Why Did His Toilets and Buckets Turn Brown So Quickly?

Borewell water in many parts of Chennai, especially places like Porur and Ambattur, carries high levels of dissolved iron. It’s not always visible at first — but give it time.

When this iron-rich water is exposed to air, it oxidizes into reddish-brown particles. These particles settle in toilet bowls, buckets, tanks, and taps, causing stubborn brown stains that regular cleaning can't remove.

No amount of bleaching or scrubbing will help because the iron keeps coming in — day after day.

“So, what should I install?” he asked. “Will a normal filter help?”

The Right Answer: An Iron Removal Plant for the Entire PG Building

We told him the truth: “A standard filter or RO won’t do the job. It’ll clog fast and give you more maintenance headaches. You need a whole-house iron removal system — installed before the water enters your sump or overhead tank.”

We installed a fully automatic iron removal plant customised for his PG’s daily usage. The system uses advanced media that captures and removes dissolved iron. It’s self-cleaning and requires no manual intervention.

“Will this stop the brown water complaints?” he asked, hesitantly.

“Yes,” we replied. “And your toilets will actually stay clean.”

The Result: No More Complaints, No More Lost Tenants

Within a week of installation, he called us again — but this time, it was good news.

“The water looks clear now. Buckets are clean. Even the toilets finally look white.”
 Better still? Not a single new complaint since installation.

“Honestly,” he said, “I thought it was a cleaning issue. I never realized it was the water ruining everything.”

The Takeaway: Brown Stains in Toilets or Taps? It’s Time to Act

Whether you’re running a PG, hostel, or rental unit, bad water can cost you tenants — and your reputation.
 Brown stains in washrooms, yellow marks in buckets, and rust on tap fittings all point to the same issue: excess iron in water.

At Water Sparks, we specialize in iron removal filters for PGs, apartments, villas, and commercial buildings.
Our systems are designed for borewell water and work quietly in the background, protecting your plumbing and keeping your bathrooms spotless.

No more complaints. No more stains.
Just clean, clear water, your tenants will actually appreciate.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Your Water Affects Your Business: A Beauty Parlour's Fight Against Hard Water

Last Thursday, I got a call from the owner of a well-known beauty parlour in Anna Nagar, Chennai. She runs the parlour on the ground floor, and her family lives just upstairs. Her voice was calm, but she sounded like someone who’d finally connected the dots after weeks of frustration. “I was googling why some of my regular clients keep complaining about frizzy hair and dry skin, and one of your blogs popped up,” she said. “It explained everything. We’re seeing the same issues ourselves at home too. And now I’m sure it’s the water.” That’s exactly why we write those blogs. She continued, “It’s not just the clients. My daughter keeps asking me why her skin feels dry after a shower, and we’ve stopped using white towels because they always look dull and stiff. Can you please check if it’s hard water ?” The real problem: untreated hard borewell water She told me their building relies on borewell water, and they’ve been using a basic sediment filter. “We thought it was enough,” she said, “bu...
Read more

“Why Does Our Water Taste Salty at Home?” – A Call from a Family

  Last Friday, I got a call from a homeowner in Medavakkam, Chennai. He didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “Our borewell water tastes salty . We’ve tried changing filters and even boiling it, but nothing seems to help. The water just doesn’t feel drinkable.” I asked him a few basic questions — how many people lived at home, what kind of system they currently had, and where their water was sourced from. “We’re a family of four,” he said. “And we rely entirely on borewell water. Currently, we’re using a standard filter connected under the sink. But my wife and kids keep saying the water tastes weird. We’ve been buying cans lately.” This was a familiar problem — one we hear every week. The real problem: high TDS in borewell water I asked, “Has your borewell water been tested?” “No, we just assumed the filter would take care of everything,” he replied. That assumption is exactly where most households go wrong. Standard sediment filters or UV filters can remove particles and kill bacter...
Read more