What is hard water? “Hard water” is a generic term for water with a great deal of mineral content in it, usually calcium and magnesium. Hard water comes from a variety of sources. Most people think it comes from well water; but, the minerals that can create hard water can leech into the water from water treatment plants, old home water pipes in the home, and aging municipal infrastructure. Regardless of the source, an amazing amount of water in the United States is considered “hard.”
Hard water presents issues for homeowners like the following:
Mineral Build-up In Pipes And Plumbing Fixtures
This is one of the most noticeable issues with hard water buildup. Hard water scales will accumulate on faucets and showerheads, requiring frequent cleaning. In the worst case, mineral buildup will start to block off water pipes, requiring the pipes to be replaced.
Spots On Your Dishes And Silverware
Washing dishes and silverware in hard water will cause accumulations of minerals to dry on the dishes; causing spots or a film to appear. Removing the accumulation takes time and effort, and might leave different spots in different places.
Damaging Appliances
Running hard water through your appliances is like using liquid sandpaper on the internal mechanisms. Minerals can accumulate in the hoses and pipes of your appliances, which could block up these hoses or eventually destroy them.
Stiff And Dull Laundry
Because of the minerals accumulated in hard water, washing your clothes in hard water causes the soap to be less effective. Hard water is also tough on dyes, which causes clothes washed in hard water to lose their color more quickly.
Bad For Your Skin And Hair
Hard water minerals make it more difficult to wash soap and shampoo off your body; so, one would need to take longer baths and showers. In addition, the minerals in hard water can make scalp hair more brittle and more prone to breaking and falling out. These minerals also replace the natural oils on skin, which can cause the skin to dry out much more quickly.
What To Do About Hard Water
So, with all of the problems of hard water, what can you do about it? The answer is simple: install a hard water softening system and a water filtration system from Culligan Water. By filtering out the minerals that are a part of hard water, the system lets you save the cost of repairing and cleaning up after hard water accumulation – saving you money.