You might not be able to tell if you need a water softener on taste alone—but your shower walls, pipes and even your hair can. They’re doing their best to scream for help, but without proper water hardness testing you don’t really know where you stand. Depending on well water means you enjoy incredibly low water bills, but it also means the buck stops with you. Regular maintenance is key to having quality water, and that includes making sure you’re at the Goldilocks point of water quality: Not too hard, not too soft, but just right.
Hard water is “harder” on your home and body than you think. Unfortunately, you might have become used to it and don’t realize the long-term, serious and expensive damage it’s causing. Soften up and realize that hard water is playing hardball with your plumbing investments. Here are the biggest dangers of hard water and why you need to fix it pronto:
1. Blocked Pipes
Plumbing is one of the biggest parts of your home to replace, costing several thousand dollars if not maintained. Hard water essentially builds up and can block pipes over time, kind of like how eating a diet of French fries and doughnuts will block your arteries. The right softness is required to keep pipes and drains clear, essentially extending their life and reducing your plumbing maintenance bills.
2. Damaged Appliances
Anything that uses water in your home, from your washing machine to your dishwasher, relies on the water from your well. If it’s too hard, you’re damaging these costly appliances, shortening their lifespan and getting subpar results. Your warranty and routine inspections can only do so much to keep them up and running.
3. Horrendous Bathroom/Kitchen Cleaning Experiences
Have you ever tried to remove hard water spots with elbow grease alone? Whether it’s splattered all over your shower stall or coating your stainless steel sinks, hard water “sticks” and builds up. In the early stages, it simply looks ugly. If you go without regular deep cleanings, it can permanently damage sinks, showers, tubs and any other part of your home that gets splattered—like the recently installed custom cabinets in the bathroom.
4. Lackluster Hair
A tell tale sign of hard water is when your glasses come out of the dishwasher looking foggy. Just imagine what that’s doing to your hair and body. Showering in hard water basically means you’re taking a soak in minerals. There’s nothing dangerous about it, but you won’t feel clean and your hair is going to look drier and more brittle.
Luckily, hard water is pretty easy to address with the help of a well specialist. Don’t live a hard life if you don’t have to—start embracing the softie in you (and your water).
