Typically, having clean and safe water at home is important. However, most households utilize a certain type of impure water, which is known as hard water. Although hard water is nontoxic, it contains minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, that could cause health issues, clogged pipes, and even damage to your house assets.
Fortunately, you and your family don’t need to deal with hard water forever with the use of a water softener. It’s a filtration system that uses the process of ion exchange to clear excess minerals and produce soft water. However, unless you’re an expert in handling water issues, you may still have no idea if your plumbing system uses hard water.
Thus, to know whether your household needs to install a water softener, below are five signs to consider from the get-go.
In This Article
1. You See Scale Buildup On Appliances And Faucets
If you notice scale or a chalky waste deposit of calcium carbonate and other minerals on your home appliances, including your coffee pots and tea kettles, it could be an indication of hard water in your plumbing system. Aside from your home appliances, this chalky substance could also accumulate in your faucets and water pipes, causing clogs. As a result, you’d have to deal with faulty plumbing, which could affect the flow and quality of water in your household.
To prevent the scale buildup on your faucets and home appliances, installing a water softener from a reputable service provider may be an excellent idea. It could help soften water by using ion-exchange technology for the removal of minerals in it.
2. You Experience Skin Dryness And Irritation
Hard water has minerals that could cause a soapy residue made up of calcium and magnesium deposits. This residue could stay on your skin, which might make it feel dry and irritated. This skin problem is commonly called eczema.
Hence, if you want to protect your family from skin issues by maintaining its natural moisture, you may opt to install best whole house filter system. It could be used to flush out harsh mineral salts to make your water supply much cleaner and safer for the skin.
3. You Notice Faded Clothes
Typically, water hardness could not only affect your skin and home appliances. But it may also impact the quality of your laundry. The minerals found in hard water react with the detergent, which prevents the latter from doing its job more effectively. When this happens, the clothes could end up having faded or dull colors.
Moreover, with the presence of mineral deposits in your water, your family’s clothes may also feel like sandpaper and become stiff. Not only that, but the hard water could wear out the clothes’ fabrics, which make them at risk of ripping. To address this issue, it may be a good idea to install a home water filtration system, like a water softener, to remove the minerals that could cause faded or dull clothes.
4. You Deal With More Expensive Utility Bills
As mentioned, a water supply that’s too hard could cause a buildup of mineral deposits in your home’s appliances. Unfortunately, having these deposits in your fixtures can reduce their energy efficiency, thereby causing your utility bills to rise.
For example, mineral residues in your water heater could make it inefficient. It requires more energy to function or work harder per gallon of water. That’s why if your inefficient water heater is in constant use at home, you may have to deal with expensive utility bills each month. And you’d also be unable to conserve water in your home.
If paying high utility bills can result in financial setbacks, you may need to install a water softener to get rid of the harsh minerals in your water supply. With this kind of filtration system, you could boost the energy efficiency of your appliances while reducing your utility bills.
5. You Have A Constant Need For Plumbing Repairs
Typically, hard water at home could also be one of the causes of plumbing issues. This is especially true if your plumbing system uses steel pipes and other types of pipelines. These pipes can be easily clogged by the mineral deposits found in hard water. Also, the accumulation of mineral deposits could damage other water-using fixtures in your home.
Hence, to save yourself from costly plumbing repairs, installing a best whole house filter system may be one of the best solutions out their for you and your family. To make sure you’re getting this job done properly, you can consider hiring a good plumber in your area to assist you.
The Takeaway
Sometimes, the use of filtration systems, including a water softener, in the household may be overlooked by many homeowners, perhaps even by you. But what you might not know is it could be considered a valuable asset due to its ability to remove minerals from your hard water. Therefore, to help you determine when to use a water softener, keep these signs in mind and you’d be ready to make your water cleaner at home.
