Dirty water w/ sediment in toilet bowl

My house has one first floor and two second floor toilets. Yesterday morning I found very dirty gray water with sediment in the downstairs bowl. I flushed the toilet and it cleared, so the tank water seemed OK. I drew tap water from the bathroom and kitchen sinks and it was clear. The upstairs toilets were clear.

This evening I found the same exact situation with one of the upstairs toilets - gray water with sediment, cleared OK by flushing. The other upstairs and the downstairs toilet were clear, taps running clear. It seems to me that the water coming into the house is clear.

I haven't noticed an odor from the dirty water in the bowls.

Is it maybe something backing up from the sewer, from leak perhaps? It seems weird to me that that it was one toilet one day, another the next.

It could be sediment in your pipes. Your sinks generally have an aerator that will filter out some of the larger sediment. Toilets generally do not have that, so it is possible that the lack of an aerator is allowing larger particles from the pipes or the water system in to the toilet.

Do you have a well system or are you on city water?

!!!DAMN ZANNE!!!

You are getting so good @ diagnosing they will have to put you on a retainer...

It also may be that you have high water pressure events and during those events possibly the excess pressure/volume is being pushed past the toilet valve. How's the inside of the tank(s) look?

Thanks, kultulz. I had to wear a retainer for 5 years after I got my braces out.

I imagine inordinately high water pressure spikes might dislodge some sediment from inside the pipes.

I hope that it is not some sort of external contamination of the water supply though.

Another thing you can do is if you have sink faucets that let you remove the aerator temporarily, take a look and see if there is any crud built up behind them.

Just to be on the safe side, please don't drink the tap water without boiling it first. The aerator may catch larger more visible stuff, but if the water has been contaminated it's best not to drink it as is.

If you have city water and the city had to work on the water lines outside, dirt could have gotten in to the water supply. It happens to my friends in town. Everyone who drank the tap water for a few blocks got sick one day (immediately after a repair on the waterlines in that area).

On a complete side note, are their aerators that will fit in toilet supply lines?