If your sinks and appliances are full of stains or your skin is itchy and dry, you may find your water is the cause of the problem. Hard water leaves lime scale behind, which affects the longevity of your appliances and the comfort of your clothes. A new water softener may be just what you need and here are five ways to tell.
Your Appliances have Lime Scale Buildup
Check the inside of your appliances. If water softening is necessary, the hard water will get through and leave mineral deposits behind. The mineral deposits will also buildup in your pipes, causing a blockage! The buildup will look like a white, chalk-like substance. It’s a mixture of magnesium bicarbonate and calcium and will leave to your appliances suffering wear and tear damage earlier than they should. Soft water doesn’t cause this problem.
Your Skin Is Dry and Itchy
With more magnesium and calcium in the water, your skin will suffer. Soap and shampoo try to help, but they can’t stop the deposits soaking into your pores. The deposits also don’t dissolve in hard water, meaning they’re not easily removed. That residue on your skin will dry and become rough. You skin is itchy and dull because of it.
Your Glassware Breaks Easily
You’ll first start seeing water stains on your glasses, but if you don’t get a new water softener you can end up with a more serious problem. The residue will weaken the glass material, causing it to become brittle. It’s easier to break. Even just a slight knock with another glass could see the material shattering.
If you do have a problem with staining, use a vinegar solution in your dishwasher or your sink water. The vinegar will help to break down the residue and protect your glassware. However, it’s only temporary and you will need to invest in water softening eventually.
Your Plumbing Always Needs Repairing
Do you constantly find you need to call a plumber out to your home? It is possible that the hard water is causing the problem. When the chalky substance builds up in your pipes, the piping becomes blocked. You will need to get a plumber out to fix the issue so you don’t have a flooding properly. There may also be a problem with the water coming into your home. The water pressure may be low, due to blockages before it reaches the taps.
However, there can also be a problem around the valves in your dishwasher and washing machine. The minerals build up around them, preventing them from closing. The water in the appliances overflows and floods your home.
Your Water Bills Are Increasing
The amount you spend on your water could be a clue to needing a new water softener. If you’ve changed nothing in the way you use your water, but the costs are increasing considerably, you may find that a mineral buildup is causing a problem. The pipes have to work harder to make the same amount of water flow into your home.
To help determine if you need water softener installed have it tested for chemicals in your water and to determine the level of hardness in the water. Maybe you have a water softener installed already but are seeing the above symptoms? It could be time to have the softener serviced or replaced. Consider the above five signs and whether they’re occurring in your home to determine if you need an updated water anaylsis.
At Reynolds Water Conditioning Company we are here to help make sure our clients don’t buy water treatment systems that they don’t need. We are here to make sure you find a water softening system that gives you the results you are looking for, whether it is to remove iron or odor from you water; we have a solution that will help! For more information contact our experts at 800.572.9575 or at our website https://reynoldswater.com.