Because the causes of iron release will inevitably vary from site to site, it is important to devise a system for investigating iron release which is site specific and can be used in a wide range of studies. To accomplish this, a pilot-scale pipe loop was designed and built which could incorporate sections of an existing distribution main, effectively monitor iron release episodes, and be used to investigate iron release phenomena. A variety of short term stagnation and recirculation studies were perfomed using this pipe loop in order to show its applicability and effectiveness for iron release observations. Prior to the installation of a section of corroded pipe within the loop, various surface analysis techniques were performed on samples of the scale from the pipe in order to ascertain important characteristics of the corrosion scale undergoing investigation.