WE OFFER FINANCINGHard water has high levels of calcium and magnesium. While it won’t necessarily make you sick if you drink it, its effects on your plumbing can lead to costly repairs and unsightly stains. Over time, if you don’t take action to eliminate or reduce the concentration of mineral deposits in your water, you end up with the following plumbing problems.
Clogged Drains
While not all clogged drains result from hard water, many do. Mineral deposits leave behind a sticky residue that builds up over time and makes it difficult for water to pass through pipes. The passage inside the drain pipes for water to pass through becomes narrower and narrower. Eventually, you end up with toilets, sinks, and floor drains that back up frequently.
Decreased Water Flow
Hard water also makes it difficult for water to flow freely from sink and shower taps. Sometimes, the mineral buildup only exists on the fixture’s aerator and is easily removed. However, in severe situations, the mineral deposits build up in the water pipe to the fixture, making it nearly impossible to get powerful flow from the tap.
Leaky Pipes
The corrosive nature of hard water causes pipe material to break down, especially in older homes with galvanized or copper piping. As the minerals build inside the pipes, they begin to eat away at the pipe material from the inside out. Holes eventually form in the pipe and leaks follow. At first, you might only have a pinhole leak. Yet, eventually, the hole grows larger and larger, and you end up with a major leak to contend with.
Even if the pipe doesn’t corrode, it can still sustain damage from hard water. For example, PVC pipes can burst when hard water deposits build up and water pressure builds in the pipe. Eventually, the pipe can’t endure the pressure anymore, and it breaks.
Water Heater Damage
Sediment buildup affects both tank and tankless water heaters. Hard water buildup settles to the bottom of the appliance. Your first clue that you have hard water buildup in your water heater might consist of discolored hot water. When hot water flows from the taps, it might appear as a rust-colored stream. Alternatively, you might notice brown-colored flakes flowing from the tap. Eventually, if you don’t remove the sediment buildup from the water heater, it will begin to damage the appliance’s heating elements and corrode the appliance from the inside out.
More Frequent Appliance Replacement
Another effect of hard water on your home’s plumbing system is how it affects your water-using appliances. Many households with untreated hard water find they need to replace dishwashers and washing machines more often. Residue from hard water minerals breaks down the appliances’ parts and causes mechanical malfunctions.
How to Get Rid of Hard Water
So you have hard water and you know it’s not good for your plumbing system. Now what? Fortunately, you don’t have to live with the disastrous effects it has on your drains, pipes, and water-using appliances.
Many households address hard water issues by installing water softeners. This effective solution relies on ion exchange, replacing calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions. The sodium ions soften the water by eliminating hardness. Water softeners treat the water after it enters the home.
While softeners can be effective in protecting household plumbing from the damage effects of hard water, they do require some maintenance. You must add salt pellets to the softener’s basin regularly. How often depends on your home’s water hardness level. Most households need to add one or two 40-pound bags of salt to the basin every 30 days or so.
If you don’t want to worry about keeping track of salt refills, a whole-house water filtration system can eliminate hard water and other contaminants. Although highly effective, it’s not the most budget-friendly solution for homeowners looking for the cheapest way to address hard water issues.
You don’t want hard water to damage your plumbing system. If you have concerns about the hardness level of your home’s water, our team can perform water testing and provide you with custom-tailored solutions for your budget. We can also help you with other plumbing needs, such as slab leak detection, sewer repair, and water heater services.
Contact ACW Service Inc for more information on the type of hard water solutions we offer to homes in Waldorf, Maryland and its surrounding communities.
