• Brass pipe fittings are nearly impervious to iron in water systems.closeup of a water faucet image by Yali Shi from Fotolia.com
  
  

There's No Mechanical Damage

• One might think iron in water could damage or crack brass pipe fittings because iron is so much harder than brass. Actually, the iron in water is dissolved and will have no mechanical effect on brass fittings.
  
  

Chemicals Can Cause Rusty Build-up

• The iron in water with high concentrations of dissolved iron will precipitate out of the water when the water is exposed to air. If this happens as the water is pumped or stored in the water system's pressure tank, the result will be rusty-looking water flowing through the pipes. Some of this rust inevitably sticks to pipes and pipe fittings. It won't cause them to break, but over time the rusty crust build-up can impede the water flow.
  
  

Bottom Line

• Don't worry about water with high levels of iron doing damage to brass pipe fittings. "Rusty" water can clog brass fittings, but no more, and likely less, than fittings made of other materials.