With so many other responsibilities, many of us forget to pay attention to our water supply at home. However, water quality is important and should be a priority. It affects everything, including your pipes, clothes, hair and skin.
Hard water is a common problem you shouldn’t ignore. It might seem like no big deal, but it’s the notorious culprit behind many household problems.
If hard water is causing problems for you at home, don’t hesitate to contact a professional. A licensed plumber will provide an effective solution to improve the quality of your water.
How to Fix Hard Water: Here’s the Best Solution
You might not know it, but hard water might be why you have frustrations with your home. Hard water can affect every aspect of your home life, including energy consumption, longevity of appliances and the look of your skin and hair. Problems start popping up one by one when minerals accumulate in, on and around your pipes, appliances, laundry, dishes and everything else hard water touches.
Is hard water stressing you out? A water softener will help ease your frustrations. It’s the most effective fix to hard water, replacing calcium and magnesium with potassium or sodium through ion exchange.
The many benefits of a water softener make it worth the investment. It can save you monthly on utility costs and plumbing repairs. Contact a professional to install a water softener in your home. The plumber will ensure it’s working efficiently and can perform regular maintenance checks to keep it in good working condition.
If you’re not quite sure if you have hard water at home, these telltale signs can help confirm your suspicions.
Dry or Dull Skin and Hair
Soft water is gentle on the skin and hair. It doesn’t strip away natural oils and allows shampoos and soaps to lather easily. Hard water has the opposite effect, and makes it difficult for soaps to lather. This means that soap or shampoo may not wash as well as they should.
Additionally, because it is hard to get a lather going, we may use more products than normal. The result can be dull hair and dry, itchy skin. If your once luscious hair looks dead and your skin flaky, hard water might be the culprit.
Spotty Dishes and Rough Clothes
Hard water can also wreak havoc on your dishes and glassware, leaving them with unsightly spots and stains. Those mineral deposits are called limescale, and they can be very stubborn. It’ll take some elbow grease, specialized cleaning products and possibly even acid to remove them.
Your clothes will also take a hit. The minerals in hard water bind to fabrics, making laundry detergents less effective. Additionally, hard water can affect the colors of your clothes, and they made fade or turn a yellowish hue much earlier than they should.
Scale Buildup on Plumbing Fixtures and Appliances
If your once-shiny glass shower door now sports ugly stains, that’s likely the handiwork of hard water. The mineral deposits stay behind as the water dries in your shower area, explaining the white, chalky mess.
Your pipes and other plumbing fixtures aren’t safe either. You might notice clogs in your faucets and showerheads. You might not see it, but there might be limescale buildup inside your pipes, too. Over time, these blockages will restrict water flow and cause plumbing issues, leading to expensive repairs.
In addition, look out for your water-dependent appliances. That includes the water heater, coffee maker, dishwasher and washing machine. Mineral buildup from hard water can hamper their efficiency.
Frequent Plumbing Issues and Soaring Electricity Bills
Hard water causes limescale buildup in appliances and plumbing fixtures, resulting in water pressure issues and corrosion. If you’re experiencing frequent plumbing problems, it could be the effect of hard water. Higher than normal utility bills is another sign of mineral buildup. As your appliances struggle to perform at their peak, they’ll consume more energy and drive up costs.
Hard water can have various unwanted effects on your home, body and wallet. Don’t hesitate to contact a professional if you notice signs of hard water in your home. A licensed plumber will recommend the best water softener for your needs, install it and ensure it’s working seamlessly. The plumber can also return for regular maintenance to keep your water softener functioning efficiently for as long as possible.
What Causes Very Hard Water?
Water hardness refers to the amount of dissolved magnesium and calcium in water. Hard water has a high concentration of these minerals and various other metals. The measurement for water softness or hardness is grains per gallon (gpg), with one grain equivalent to 0.002 ounce of calcium carbonate dissolved in a gallon of water. Soft water measures between 0 and 3 gpg, while moderate water is between 3.5 and 7 gpg. Meanwhile, hard water goes beyond 7.5 gpg.
While hard water isn’t dangerous, it’s a frustrating problem to have at home. It makes your dishes look dirty even if you’ve washed them. Meanwhile, your clothes won’t feel as soft when they come out of the laundry. Hard water also causes limescale buildup in plumbing fixtures and appliances, leading to issues and repairs. It even affects your hair and skin, leaving them dry and dull.
So, how does hard water end up in our homes? When rain falls to the earth, it seeps into the ground and collects various minerals, including calcium, magnesium and iron. This water then combines with our groundwater supply and ends up in our homes as we use water for daily activities. Hard water is a common problem that many homeowners have to deal with.
If you’re facing the frustrating effects of hard water, let a professional come to the rescue. A licensed plumber can install a water softener to remove the magnesium and calcium in your water through ion exchange.
While water softeners are an investment, they’re worth it for the following benefits.
Higher Savings
Your water-using appliances will thank you for having soft water at home. They can run at peak efficiency, consuming less energy and requiring fewer repairs. That’s extra savings for you. Your plumbing fixtures and clothes will also last longer, saving you from spending on new items.
Healthier Skin and Hair
While hard water causes dry hair and skin, soft water restores their health and beauty. Your skin will be softer and more supple, while your locks will be smoother and more manageable. If you have colored hair, it will stay vibrant for longer.
Effective Cleaning
The minerals in hard water interact with soaps, shampoos and cleaners, preventing them from lathering. With soft water at home, you can achieve a rich lather effortlessly and clean your household items thoroughly. You’ll have scum-free tiles, cleaner glassware and softer clothes.
Is Hard Water Bad for Your Hair?
Hard water isn’t just harmful to your clothes, plumbing fixtures and water-dependent appliances. It’s bad news for your hair, too. It can thin out your hair, affect its texture and cause dandruff. If you have colored hair, it can cause the color to fade faster, sending your money down the drain. In addition, it can make your hair harder to work with when you go to the salon, causing hairdressers to put more stress on your hair.
Here are some of the symptoms you might experience if you have hard water at home:
- Breakage
- Thinning
- Dullness
- Tangles
- Frizziness
- Dry scalp
- Brassiness
If you don’t want your hair to suffer, contact a professional to solve your hard water problem at home. A plumber will install a water softener that will remove the magnesium and calcium in your water supply. You’ll soon have healthy, shiny locks again.
Get Professional Help for Your Water Issues at Home
We use water for many of our daily activities. That means hard water can affect various aspects of our lives. Fortunately, a water softener can solve your hard water problem at home . Contact a professional to install one for you. A licensed plumber can also perform regular maintenance to prolong your unit’s life. If you are unsure you have hard water at home, the plumber can inspect your appliances and plumbing fixtures for signs of hard water.
ABC Can Improve Your Water Quality
With all the drawbacks of hard water, many homeowners opt to have a water softener installed in their home. Fortunately, the professionals at ABC Home & Commercial Services can do all of the hard work for you, so all you have to do is reap the benefits! We can do everything from testing water quality to installing the best water filtration system for your needs.
