Does Your House Have Hard Water?
Most homes have hard water problems without necessarily knowing about it. The best way you can tell if can tell if you have hard water is when it is difficult to get soap to form a lather, or you have to use alot of soap into the water to clean your dishes or if your dishwasher is just not getting the dishes clean. However, not all hard water is the same and depending on where you live it can vary.
What Is Hard Water?
Hard water contains calcium and magnesium and while this is quite natural, excessive amounts create what is commonly referred to as hard water. Hard water is not considered a serious health risk but people who are more prone to rashes and skin problems can have problems because it changes the skin’s pH and soap remains on the skin, clogging pores.
Hard Water Solutions
If you suspect you have hard water, call a professional to test your water and recommend soft water solutions. The most common solution is to use a water softeners or water treatment systems. While many systems use salt, there are several softeners available that have a salt free system. However if you are concerned about the presence of sodium ions in their water, use of sodium ions does not make the water noticeably salty or cause a significant increase in a person’s sodium intake. In fact, the FDA defines water that would result from softening 75 gpg hard water (where much more sodium ions would have to be exchanged that is typically the case) as a “low sodium” beverage.
Whatever type of system is used, the applications can be quite affordable and highly worthwhile for those in hard water areas. A typical household water softener costs around $1,000 to $1,500 with a monthly operating expense of around $2 to $8 if sodium is used, and $3 to $15 if potassium is used. Look for the WQA Gold Seal to find products that have been successfully tested to industry performance standards.
Advantages Of Soft Water
•You will use less soap by using soft water, both in the shower and in the kitchen.
•You’ll have less unsightly spots on dishes, and glassware and your knives and forks.
•Your heating bill will also be lowered because heating hard water in the water heater, causes hardness scale which plugs plumbing pipes and vessels and builds up on the inside of water heaters.
•Your skin and hair will look and feel better after bathing or showering. Scum from hard water clogs skin pores and coats hair.
•Clothes are softer, cleaner, brighter, and last longer
•Your food and beverages will taste better using soft water and ice cubes will sparkle more.
Hard water waste can cost hundreds of dollars each year as it impact laundry operations, water heater, efficiency, household cleaning, and the life expectancy of water-using appliances and plumbing. While hard water is not an emergency, the costs do adds up. Click here to read more about hard water and how it affects you.
