Hard Water: What It Is and Why You Don’t Want It in Your Plumbing

Hard water is a common problem in residential plumbing today, but many homeowners aren’t exactly sure what it is and why it’s a serious issue that needs to be remedied. We’ll go into detail about hard water and what we can do to eliminate it from your home.

Hard Water = Water With a High Mineral Content

Water that has a higher than normal amount of minerals suspended in it is called hard water. The minerals that most often affect the water in homes are magnesium, gypsum, and calcium. Fortunately, none of these are harmful to drink, so you don’t need to worry about hard water creating health problems from toxicity. However, hard water poses a different danger to your home: it isn’t good for the plumbing.

Hard Water vs. The Plumbing System

The main trouble with hard water is that the minerals inside it will start to collect along the inside of pipes and cause damage to appliances connected to the plumbing system. As calcite deposits start to build up along the inside of pipes, the volume available for water drops. This creates an increase in water pressure, which will trigger leaks and other problems throughout the plumbing. It’s also much easier for clogs to start with heavy calcite build-up inside the pipes.

Hard water is especially harmful to water heaters. The high temperatures inside a water heater tank cause the minerals in the water to form limescale along with the interior of the tank. This can make the tank overheat.

Fixing Hard Water

The way to solve a hard water problem in a home is to call on water treatment specialists. After testing the water to discover its mineral content, the specialists can install a water softener onto the water main. This water treatment system uses sodium ions to counteract hard water minerals and neutralize them.