Hard water is well water, spring water, or city water with a high mineral content. Though the water is clear, it picks up hard minerals like calcium and magnesium when it passes over soil and rocks on its way to the municipal supply. The minerals dissolve and harden the water as it travels through the ground.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, over 85% of American homes have hard water. Its mineral concentration levels can vary across the country, and they can even differ by city and county depending on the area’s soil composition and water treatment methods.
Though hard water is safe to drink, it can still irritate your skin, dry out your hair, and cause problems in your home. Even if you live in a zone that has moderately hard water, you may notice its negative effects, such as:
- chalky white spots and hazy calcium carbonate residue on dishes, glassware, and silverware
- mineral stains on machine-washed clothes
- freshly washed linens and clothes that look dingy and feel rough to the touch
- dry, itchy skin and dull, flat hair
- soap that won’t lather or rinse away completely
- skin that feels tacky after washing
- worsening eczema
- excess wear to appliances like coffeemakers, water heaters, and washing machines
- limescale buildup in pipes and on faucets and plumbing fixtures
- brown stains on porcelain sinks and tubs
- mineral deposits that clog pipes and shrink their inner diameter, reducing water flow and pressure
How Does Hard Water Affect Your Plumbing System?
Hard water can damage your plumbing and pipes and stain your sink, tub, and tiles. The calcium in hard water can leave deposits on your fixtures as it flows through them. If you notice a flaky, whitish yellow buildup on your showerheads and faucets, then you’re seeing the calcium that hard water leaves behind. This ugly film makes your fixtures look dull, and it can be difficult to clean off. Calcium deposits also coat the interior of your pipes and narrow their diameter over time. Although these deposits rarely block pipes completely, they can reduce the flow of water and increase the potential for clogs caused by other materials like grease and hair.
Your water heater can also suffer from hard water damage. Hard water minerals can lead to corrosion in your water heater tank, cause it to leak or fail completely, and significantly decrease its lifespan.
Finding Solutions to Hard Water Problems
If you’re dealing with hard water, proactive, patient, consistent treatment will give you the best results. Mitigating the effects of hard water can preserve your clothes, calm your skin, save your plumbing, and resolve other problems it causes.
Test Your Water
To find out if you have hard water, contact your water utility, municipality, or water utility. Many suppliers will give you a free report that details its mineral content and water hardness levels. You can also pick up a water hardness test kit from your local hardware store or buy one online.
Water hardness is measured in parts per million (PPM) or in grains per gallon (GPG), where one grain equals 0.002 ounces of calcium carbonate dissolved in one gallon of water. It’s normal to find trace amounts of minerals in water, but water with calcium or magnesium levels above 120 PPM or 7 GPG is classified as hard.
The numerical ranges below can help you determine whether you have hard water:
- soft water: 0–3 GPG
- ideal water: 3.5–7 GPG
- hard water: >7 GPG
Install a Water Softening System
If the mineral concentrations in your water test are over 7 GPG, they can harm the plumbing in your home. Investing in a water softener will help you protect your pipes by reducing the amount of calcium and magnesium in your water.
Some water-softening systems run hard water through an insoluble tree or plant resin that is coated with positively charged sodium ions. As the water makes contact with the resin, the sodium ions replace the liquid’s calcium and magnesium ions.
Water softeners need constant maintenance, and their sodium pellets must be refreshed to keep the resin electrically charged. Other systems can substitute potassium for sodium. Alternatively, there are water softeners that use citric acid, magnets, or other devices to reduce the concentration of magnesium and calcium in the water.
What Are the Benefits of Soft Water?
Soft water can resolve many of the problems hard water causes. When you bathe or wash clothes or dishes with soft water, it’s much easier to work up a pleasant lather. You might also experience more invigorating showers because your water pressure will be higher. Your clothes will feel cleaner and smoother, look brighter, and last longer. Soft water is better for cleaning because it doesn’t promote mineral stains or soap scum. It can also help you save money on your water bill and promote environmental health.
Is Drinking Hard or Softened Water Good or Bad for Your Health?
Most people experience no unwanted effects from drinking hard or soft water, although some people notice that softened water may have a slightly different flavor than plain or bottled water. If you eat a mineral-rich diet that includes foods like dark chocolate, tofu, yogurt, beans, almonds, and leafy greens, then drinking soft water is unlikely to cause problems. If you worry about getting enough minerals, you can try taking a multivitamin or a calcium or magnesium supplement daily. There are, however, a few cautions to observe when you’re using a water softener, with regards to:
Sodium
Since soft water can contain high concentrations of sodium, people with high blood pressure should use caution when drinking it. People who are on low-sodium diets should check with the manufacturer of their water softening system or read its manual to find out how much sodium it adds to the water. They can also use a reverse osmosis system to remove sodium from drinking water and use softened water for bathing, showering, dishwashing, and laundry. Potassium-based water softeners may also be a good alternative. When in doubt, speak to a doctor to find out how drinking softened water might affect your health.
Lead
Soft water can potentially pick up lead if it travels through older leaded water pipes that haven’t been treated or replaced. If you have an older home with an untreated plumbing system, have a plumber test your water for lead and other contaminants. If you have a public water utility, they may test your water samples at no cost to you.
Microbes
Microbes like mold and bacteria can gather and build up on the resin in a water softener, so it’s important to maintain the equipment and clean it regularly.
Let Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Help Improve Your Water Quality
If you want to protect your plumbing system and reduce the impact of hard water in your life, the pros at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing can help. We can help you maintain your pipes and recommend a water softening system that will meet your needs. Call us today, and you can enjoy bright clothes, sparkling dishes and fixtures, and clean, fresher-tasting water in no time.