For many homeowners across the United States, hard water poses a real problem. While it may be hard to detect at face value, hard water deposits can damage plumbing, make it impossible to stay clean, and even cause your skin to dry out. If you’ve been dealing with constant plumbing issues or you’re tired of dealing with scaly deposits on your sinks and showers, it may be time to look into a water softener. Here are the most obvious signs that you need one right away:
The first place you might notice hard water is on your own body. Due to increased levels of magnesium and calcium in the water, the minerals settle on your body and absorb the moisture from your skin. This actually dries your skin out and causes you to itch. It will also dry your hair out, causing it to become damaged or start showing signs of dandruff. If you have to apply a cream or lotion immediately after taking a shower to keep your skin from feeling dry right away, it’s a good sign that your water is hard and having an effect on your skin health.
Your Appliances Keep Burning Out
Most of our major appliances use only a small amount of water, and only from time to time. Due to the intermittent nature of our appliance use, hard water has time to sit in the lines and cause serious deposits. These mineral deposits go on to clog up the lines, making motors and pumps burn out. It can also cause your water heater to burn out from too much sediment sitting in the bottom. If you have replaced your appliances more than once, the water may be at fault.
Everything is Stained
Hard water has enough minerals in it to stain everything it touches. You may notice discoloration on your showerheads, copper-colored stains on your bathtub, and even a yellow tinge in your laundry. Even your dishes will start to show the water spot stains from the dishwasher that are nearly impossible to get off. Interestingly, hard water causes a strange reaction with soap that prevents the soap from doing its job, so your laundry and dishes may not be getting as clean as you would expect. Your laundry will even start to feel rough the more you wash it.
Your Water Bills are Rising
As hard water makes its way through your home and into your life, you will begin using more and more water in everyday tasks. This is because the water just isn’t cleaning as effectively as you would hope. Without even realizing it, you could be using twice as much water as normal. Plus, the hard water may have damaged your pipes and caused a leak that is costing you money. If your monthly bills are increasing and you can’t find the reason, you may want to call your local water authority to find out about hard water in your area.
Do the Soap Suds Test
If you’re still unsure of whether or not your water is too hard, you can perform some simple tests at home during your regular cleaning. For instance, fill a bottle half full with water and add a few drops of soap. Shake the bottle up and see if the top half fills with soapsuds. If not, it’s likely that the minerals within the water are preventing the soap from bubbling up. This is an easy visual means of testing your water from home without any special equipment.
If you have hard water in your home, it is best to have a water softener installed sooner rather than later. The longer you allow hard water to run through your pipes, the more damage it will cause. Over time, this may require serious remediation to replace permanently clogged pipes that have developed a thick scale of minerals. It can also cost you thousands of dollars in appliances, Phoenix plumbing repairs, and skin care products as you try to keep everything in good shape.
A water softener system can be installed quickly and easily so that the water inside your home is safe for use. A water softener will simplify all of your cleaning tasks and help keep your skin and hair feeling better. Phoenix plumbers will need to assess the severity of your hard water problem and then choose a water softener solution that is a good fit for you. Call Day and Night Air today to schedule your consultation and water treatment services.