How Hard Water Affects Your Home

Most homes have hard water, whether the pipes draw from city water or well water. When you understand how hard water affects your home, it’s easy to see the benefits of reversing the effects with water softeners. Water hardness is defined by the amount of dissolved minerals it contains. There are many undesirable ways hard water affects your home, and several are detailed below.

Plumbing Problems

Scale, also known as limescale, is a buildup of chemicals caused by hard water due to the presence of calcium and magnesium molecules. A white, chalk-like substance, scale collects in pipes and wherever water is dispensed. The problem of scaling is worse when hot water is used. A layer of scaliness forms inside kettles, hot water boilers, and central heating systems. This same scaling occurs in pipes, and it can significantly reduce the flow rate of your water. Costly replacement of clogged water pipes and fixtures sometimes becomes necessary because of significant limescale buildup.

Soap Scum

Scaling is often mistaken for a buildup of soap scum. Soap scum and limescale are similar in appearance. The formation of soap scum, however, occurs when soap is used in hard water. What happens, scientifically speaking, is that the soap combines with the calcium and magnesium particles, or ions, in the water. Soap scum builds up in our bathrooms, staining showers, tiling, shower curtains, sinks, fixtures, and bathtubs. The opaque appearance of glass showers caused by soap scum is evidence of a hard water problem.

Dull Laundry

Another way you can see how hard water affects your home is in the drabness of your laundry. If your towels, sheets, and clothes feel harsh to the skin, it’s due to hard water, though the washing machine is often blamed. The powdery residue hard water leaves on clean clothes is harmful. Fortunately, home water conditioners and water softeners can improve things.

Seeking treatment for hard water can save money in many ways, one of which is to stop the accelerated fading, fraying, and wearing out of clothing.

Tough on Dishwashers & Other Appliances

Have you ever discovered a film on your clear drinking glasses and other dishes washed in your dishwasher? Hard water will leave a noticeable film that cannot be washed away. Dishwashers, washing machines, and coffee makers lose efficiency due to hard water. Appliances using hard water also prematurely break down and often have their potential lifespan cut at least in half.

Skin Problems

Hard water tends to cause skin irritation. When children suffer from eczema, it is often associated with the use of hard water. Bumpy or hard patches of skin, irritation, and dryness are among the effects of hard water. The presence of the minerals in your water also negatively affects the effectiveness of soaps and shampoos and the ability to rinse them cleanly from your skin.

Atlantic Coast Water Clinic offers solutions for homeowners in the South Florida area who are experiencing the problems associated with hard water.

It’s good to know how hard water affects your home because you are now more likely to seek the correct solution, and Atlantic Coast Water Clinic can help. The cost-saving benefits of using water softeners significantly offset the expense, which is low enough to fit into most home budgets.

Learn more about water softeners and other water treatments by contacting Atlantic Coast Water Clinic online or by calling 772-283-4767 today.