For many households and buildings, the presence of hard water becomes an issue for one of several reasons. Present in both traditional water sources and some water wells, hard water refers to water that has a high concentration of minerals like magnesium or calcium, leading to several possible issues, from poor taste and smell to issues with leftover deposits and more.
At Mike Zimmerman Well Service LLC, we’re proud to offer an important service for all our water well clients: Water softening solutions for situations where your well water is too hard for your liking and is causing issues. In many cases, you’ll be alerted to the issues hard water is causing by a few different possible problems — here are a few such concerns that may indicate the presence of hard water, possibly signaling the need for a water softener installation.
Weak Water Flow
To be clear, hard water is not the only reason why your water well might be experiencing issues with water flow. There are also others, including clogs in your system and more. However, if you’re seeing a noticeable drop in water flow regardless of having tested the well for other possible problems (and assuming clogs or issues with your system are not an issue), it’s likely hard water is present, and may be impacting the function of your pump
A buildup of calcium and magnesium, which is only likely to happen if your home has a supply of hard water, can lead to clogging in the pipes leading from the wellhead or pressure tank, especially if you’ve been noticing an increase in these issues over time. Any mineral buildup is also likely to be affecting your pump, which will need either replacement or an overhaul.
In these situations, you’ll often be able to see a scaly buildup around your faucets and other areas where your water flows, and the water itself will often carry a white, cloudy appearance. If you notice these things in or around your home, it’s likely time to schedule a visit from Mike Zimmerman Well Service LLC, who can check out the system to see what’s going on inside and let you know what your options are moving forward.
Dry Skin and Hair
Again, there are other reasons why the skin and hair of people who live in your home is dry. However, if this is happening to multiple people in the home and there’s no other explanation easily found, it’s possible that hard water is to blame, possibly leaving your skin and hair less moisturized than it could be.
In addition to the lathering effects of soaps being lost in a hard water environment, bathing is also likely to be less effective because of the minerals present. In some cases, this can even cause slight discoloring or yellowing of your skin and hair.
If you’re concerned about these issues, it’s worth looking to see what the water quality is like where your wellhead or pressure tank are located — if you notice these symptoms more strongly in specific areas or at certain heights, the hard water present may be coming from above ground level.
Scratchy, Stiff and Uncomfortable Clothing
Another area where hard water may have a direct impact on a home is when it’s used for laundry and other cleaning. Hard water can leave your clothing less soft and comfortable than you’d prefer, often causing it to be stiffer or scratchier than other clothing in the same category.
In addition, hard water will typically have a negative effect on the effectiveness of soaps used for laundering clothes, leading many people who are dealing with this issue to move to harsher cleaners that will be more effective. Ultimately, the effects of hard water on laundry will vary based on whether you use traditional or soft-based cleaning solutions, and if using soap is simply less effective than other types of detergents in your home.
If you’re noticing any of these common issues with regard to your well water, it’s time to schedule a visit from Mike Zimmerman Well Service LLC , who can check out the system, handle any necessary repairs and provide you with some options for how to move forward, including any installation of a water softener.
Dish Concerns
In other cases, you may begin to notice mineral spots and buildup on your dishware, glasses and other common items in the home. Generally caused by calcium or magnesium being present in either your hot or cold water supply, these issues are also likely to impact any appliances that use water during the cleaning cycle, including your washing machine.
These mineral deposits can lead to a bad taste affecting both your drinking water and your food, while also leaving your dishes lusterless and spotty. Again, this is another issue that can be solved with the installation of a water softener, which will help provide you with an alternative solution to your current system.
Appliances
Finally, have certain appliances like ice makers, hot water heaters and coffee makers been pushed to their limits in recent years? In some cases, this can be due to the minerals present in your water supply.
In fact, these minerals will often build up within these appliances over time, leading them to work much harder than they have in the past and reducing their lifetime significantly. This type of buildup is a common reason why ice makers will begin to make much less ice, or why hot water heaters and coffee makers may take longer to heat up your water.
If you’re noticing any of these issues coming from appliances that use water in your home, it may be time to schedule a visit from Mike Zimmerman Well Service LLC, who can check out the problem and recommend solutions, including water softeners for the well. For more on this or any of our water well installation, repair or rehabilitation services, speak to our staff today.
