If you live in Utah, you are all too familiar with the effects of hard water and you already know why you need a water softener. It’s the chalky white residue that builds up on your faucets and shower doors. It’s the reason your dishes come out of the dishwasher with spots, your laundry feels stiff, and your skin and hair feel dry after a shower. Hard water is water that has a high concentration of dissolved minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium. While it’s not a health risk, it can be a major nuisance and can cause costly damage to your home’s plumbing and appliances over time. The most effective solution to this widespread problem is a whole-home water softener system.
What is Hard Water and What Damage Does It Cause?
As water travels through the ground to our municipal water supplies, it picks up minerals. The level of these minerals determines the water’s “hardness.” You can even check the hardness level of the water in your specific area by looking at data from sources like the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
This high mineral content causes several problems in your home:
- Limescale Buildup: The most visible problem is limescale. This is the hard, chalky deposit that clogs your showerheads, leaves a film on your glassware, and creates ugly white stains on your fixtures.
- Damage to Plumbing and Appliances: What you see on the outside is also happening on the inside. Limescale builds up inside your pipes, restricting water flow. It also coats the heating element of your water heater, forcing it to work harder and less efficiently, which drives up your energy bills and shortens the appliance’s lifespan. It can also damage your dishwasher and washing machine.
- Ineffective Soaps and Detergents: The minerals in hard water react with soap to form a curd-like substance known as soap scum. This reduces the lathering ability of your soaps, shampoos, and detergents. You end up using more product to get things clean, and it leaves a residue on your skin, hair, and clothes.
The Whole-Home Filtration and Conditioning Solution
A whole-home water filtration system is installed at the main water line where it enters your house, meaning it treats all the water you use for drinking, cooking, bathing, and laundry. These modern systems often provide a multi-stage approach to improve your water quality.
- Filtration: The first stage typically involves a carbon filter. This filter is highly effective at removing chlorine, which is the cause of the “swimming pool” taste and smell in municipal water. It also reduces other chemicals and contaminants.
- Water Conditioning (Softening): The next stage addresses the hard water minerals. A water conditioner, or softener, uses one of several technologies (like ion exchange or a template-assisted crystallization) to alter the calcium and magnesium minerals, preventing them from sticking together and forming hard, damaging scale. This protects your pipes and appliances without the use of harsh chemicals.
As the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program often highlights, improving water efficiency is key, and protecting your appliances from scale buildup is a part of that.
The Benefits of a Whole-Home System
- Great-Tasting Water from Every Tap: Enjoy clean, delicious, filtered water for drinking and cooking, free from the taste and smell of chlorine.
- Protects Your Plumbing and Appliances: By preventing hard water scale, it extends the life of your water heater, dishwasher, and pipes.
- Softer Skin and Hair: With hard water minerals neutralized, soaps and shampoos can work more effectively, rinsing away completely and leaving your skin and hair feeling softer and cleaner.
- Easier Cleaning: Say goodbye to chalky white spots on your faucets, shower doors, and dishes.
Your Utah Experts in Water Softeners
Investing in a whole-home filtration system is an investment in your family’s health and the longevity of your home’s plumbing system. For homeowners in Utah who want to experience the benefits of clean, conditioned water from every tap, the team at Lets Fix Plumbing can help. We are experts in the installation and service of whole-home water softeners. Contact us today for a consultation.