It's not that I was or was not necessarily inspired by this story, but I'm gonna be taking cold showers for a while regardless. I spent the afternoon babysitting the water-system in the house I'm renting (water conditioner system that has 3 tanks and two pumps, plus the water heater). Long story short - while the original problem seems to be resolved (brown water is now clear again), somewhere along the way of diagnosing, troubleshooting, I made a mistake that, now realizing the fact, has very likely zapped the heating element in the water heater :( Good thing for me I like the idea of frequently availing myself to cold water showers. :)