Elizabeth Samson
A lot of people have problems with hard water, especially those who live in places where the water supply has a lot of minerals like calcium and magnesium. Although it might not cause immediate physical health risks, inaction could damage pipes over time, which would require costly plumbing repairs. To protect yourself against future plumbing repair costs, learn about what hard water problems are, how they occur, their effects, and ways you can manage them best.
What Is Hard Water?
Hard water refers to any source that contains calcium and magnesium minerals dissolved from rocks and dirt into its source water supply, creating hardness measured in grains per gallon (GPG). A substance must possess at least 7 GPG to qualify as hard water.
1. Clogged Pipes And Less Water Flow
When you use hard water, mineral layers called limescale can form inside your pipes. This makes it harder for water to flow through them. Over time, calcium and magnesium crystals deposit themselves inside these lines, further restricting water movement through them – this issue often impacts older plumbing systems that do not have as wide of passageways for fluid to travel through them.
Sub-par pressure from taps and showerheads sinks that drain slowly, and toilets that fail to flush correctly are all signs that your water flow is decreasing. Ignoring these issues could result in major repairs down the line that cost significantly more to resolve than initially estimated.
2. Broken Water Heaters
Minerals that settle to the bottom of water heater tanks as they heat up can quickly damage them if you use hard water. These deposits prevent heat from the heating element from reaching the water, forcing the heater to work harder and longer just to keep things warm, leading to higher energy costs overall.
Limescale buildup in water heaters can hasten their breakdown, necessitating replacement. While regularly cleaning your tank may help to eliminate deposits, in areas with hard water it might not be sufficient to stop further damage occurring.
3. Lower Performance From Appliances
Appliances using water, such as coffee makers, toilets, and washing machines, may become less reliable over time due to mineral deposits left by hard water use, damaging these appliances as they wear them out faster – something that doesn’t happen with soft water use.
Dishwashers often leave water spots on glasses and dishes, and washing machines often struggle with breaking down soap completely – rendering them less useful for cleaning purposes. Hard water can damage seals and valves in these machines, potentially leading to leaks or other mechanical issues; due to this additional wear-and-tear, you’ll likely require repairs more frequently, shortening their lifespan significantly.
4. Soap Scum And Residue
Hard water doesn’t just hurt its own contents; it can alter how we live our lives as well. Bathing in hard water or cleaning surfaces with hard water could increase soap scum buildup on walls, fixtures, and even skin and hair!
Soap scum builds up quickly when left on surfaces, becoming harder and harder to remove as more needs to be cleaned off. It can diminish hair color while itchy skin symptoms increase as more needs to be scrubbed off. Furthermore, shampoo and soap may require more detergent to foam properly in hard water; thus, more may need to be used to achieve similar results.
5. Increased Wear And Tear On Fixtures
Hard water contains minerals that cause gradual wear and tear on pipes such as toilets, taps, and showerheads over time. Mineral deposits build up over time when mineral-rich water runs through these fixtures regularly, causing their aerators to stop working as expected and showerheads to lose their spray patterns – eventually, these deposits may make these devices stop functioning altogether.
There may come a point when buildup becomes so severe that faucets must be completely replaced. Descale and clean your lines regularly to help counter this problem; however, this alone might not completely reverse any long-term damage done by hard water.
What You Can Do About Hard Water
There are a few things you can do to stop hard water from doing too much damage to your pipes:
1. Install a Water Softener
Installing a water softener can quickly solve hard water issues. Utilizing ion exchange technology, these devices exchange calcium and magnesium ions with sodium or potassium ones to change their state from hard to soft water.
Installing a water softener can dramatically decrease the amount of limescale that accumulates in your pipes, water heater, and appliances, helping them last longer and operate more effectively. Plus, this tool gets rid of soap scum which helps protect both skin and hair after bathing or showering.
2. Regular Plumbing Maintenance
To protect against hard water’s damaging effects on plumbing systems, professional services like Cooper’s plumbing offer regular checks and repairs to identify early signs of rust or limescale buildup and identify preventative steps that would work best in your region based on where you reside and its difficulty accessing water sources.
3. Upgrade To Limescale-Resistant Fixtures
Houses with hard water could benefit from investing in fixtures that won’t allow limescale build-up, as hard water can be very abrasive. Some modern fittings even come equipped with anti-limescale technology that inhibits mineral layers from forming, making these the ideal choice for households needing water treatment systems to manage hard water sources.
4. Consider Installing A Whole-House Water Filter
A whole-house filter with softening features could prove very helpful in protecting pipes, appliances, and faucets from issues caused by hard water minerals. These systems work by filtering the water before reaching your taps by taking out impurities like minerals that make water hard so it reaches you softened and cleaner – thus keeping pipes, appliances, and faucets from having issues.
Conclusion
Homes often struggle with hard water issues, but you can protect your pipes by taking the appropriate steps. Even if you have hard water in the home, descalers, water softeners, and regular plumbing repairs from Cooper’s Plumbing are all options to keep it flowing freely and keep pipes working at peak condition.
Author
