How Hard Water Affects Your Plumbing
Have you noticed a drop in your home’s water pressure? Do your drains clog more frequently? These and other plumbing problems could be caused by hard water. In this post, we’ll look at what hard water is, how it affects your plumbing, and how we can solve it.
What is Hard Water?
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, “Nearly 90 percent of American homes have hard water — mineral-rich water containing an overabundance of calcium and magnesium.”
While these minerals aren’t bad for your health, they cause plumbing issues over time. You can test your water’s hardness using a kit from the hardware store or by hiring a professional water treatment service. We measure hard water in grains per gallon (GPG). Water with a harness level of 1 to 4 GPG is considered soft, while water with a level of 7 to 10 GPG is hard. The problem with hard water is that it affects municipal and well water supplies.
How Hard Water Affects Your Plumbing
Hard water creates numerous issues with your plumbing system. Mineral buildup slowly clogs pipes like cholesterol in an artery. Over time, this reduces water pressure, causing slow drains and eventually complete blockages.
Besides low water pressure and blockages, hard water wreaks havoc on water-based appliances like dishwashers, coffee makers, washing machines, water heaters, etc. Mineral deposits in these appliances have many detrimental effects, including:
Scaling
Mineral buildup in appliances is called scaling, which clogs water lines and reduces the appliance’s efficiency.
Reduced Lifespan
As minerals accumulate in the system, it can shorten its lifespan. Over time, the buildup causes the machine to work harder and consume more energy, leading to premature failure. This may not matter much with a $20 coffee maker, but it’s a big deal when your $1,200 washing machine bites the dust after a few years of use.
Stains and Discoloration
When hard water evaporates, it leaves behind a mineral residue that causes unsightly stains in your tub, shower, toilet, and sink. These stains won’t cause permanent damage, but they’re a pain to remove constantly.
Increased Maintenance and Repair Cost
Because hard water is so destructive to your appliances, you have to spend more money on routine maintenance than if you had soft water to mitigate the damage and ensure they operate efficiently. This includes tasks like flushing your water heater more regularly to prevent the scale buildup from reducing your hot water availability and making the system last as long as possible.
How We Can Solve Your Hard Water Problem
The good news is that just because you have hard water, you don’t have to accept it. Tri-Florida Water Treatment offers a variety of water softener systems to reduce the mineral content and eliminate the issues that come from hard water.
When deciding which water softener system to get, there are several factors to consider, including the hardness of the water, your usage habits, and your budget.
Softening your water is not only better for your plumbing and appliances but gives you other benefits, including:
- Better-tasting water for drinking and cooking
- No unsightly impurities
- Softer skin and hair
- Spot-free dishes and cookware
- Cleaner, brighter clothes
Our state-of-the-art water softeners use ion exchange to remove calcium and magnesium. Here’s a brief overview of how ion exchange works.
Hard water enters the softener, containing ion exchange resin coated with sodium or potassium ions. As the hard water moves through the resin bed, the calcium, and magnesium ions switch with the sodium or potassium ions. The water exiting the system is now softened, mainly containing potassium or sodium ions.
Contact the Water Experts
We use a dual tank system in which water is collected and filtered in the first tank and stored in the second tank, where it remains ready for use. Our system uses filter cartridges that are user replaceable and don’t require a service call. Moreover, our water softeners are compatible with well and city water.
Call Tri-Florida Water Treatment today at 863–965–1439 to schedule a free in-home water analysis and discuss a water softener installation.