How Hard Water Affects Your Plumbing and Appliances
Most of the homes in Canada are supplied with water that is characterized as hard. Hard water contains elevated concentrations of minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, and to a lesser extent, iron. This mineral content creates a scale that can damage your plumbing pipes, fixtures, and water using appliances. Hard water can also affect your quality of life, and when people make the switch to soft water, they are astonished at the difference.
In this article, we will look at some ways that hard water can affect your family and home.
Protecting Your Appliances
Let’s face it, modern appliances are expensive, and protecting your investment makes good sense. After all, if an appliance works efficiently for longer, it can save you a great deal of money in the medium to long term. Hard water creates a buildup of thick white scale inside your water using appliances. This will degrade the efficiency of your appliances by choking the water supply and coating heating elements. Water is harder to heat, and this consumes more energy driving up your monthly bills. Another problem is that overworked equipment is more likely to fail, and this could lead to an expensive repair bill. In extreme cases, a buildup of scale can lead to premature failure, and you will need to purchase a new appliance that will suffer from the same underlying hard water problem.
Protecting Your Plumbing
The health of your plumbing pipes and fixtures can have a dramatic effect on your home. Hard water can clog faucets and showerheads, which limits the flow of water, leading to poor quality performance. Over time, the scale buildup in pipes will narrow the pipe diameter leading to lower pressure issues and eventually, a pipe failure. Installing a water softener will remove the mineral content that causes scale buildup and protect your plumbing system.
Removing Iron
When you have elevated levels of iron in your water supply, you can expect stained laundry and a “rotten egg” odour. If you drink water containing iron, it can taste foul, and the aroma makes the water unpalatable for most people. But, iron can also clog up your plumbing fixtures, and removing it should be a priority. Many water softeners can remove iron to improve the water quality and hardness at the same time.
Improving Washing Results
The most observable aspect of hard water is the crusty white scale or water spots that it leaves behind. Water spots are caused when the water has evaporated, and the mineral content is left behind on the surface. It is possible to remove these mineral deposits with white vinegar and elbow grease, but they always return. Unless the underlying hard water problem is fixed, it’s impossible to remove water spots and scale permanently. This material is also left behind on the surface of your skin after showering, leading to dry skin and brittle feeling hair.