Hard Water: The Signs To Watch For
Few things can wreak havoc on your home's plumbing and fixtures quite like hard water can. Unfortunately, few homeowners really understand how damaging it can be. It's important that you recognize the signs that your home has hard water and that the water is affecting your plumbing. The sooner you spot hard water signs, the sooner you can address the problem and save your plumbing. Here are some of the indications that you should watch for.
Stains In The Sink
White porcelain sinks will discolor, especially around the drain, when you have hard water. The mineral content of the water will form deposits around your sink drains and can even accumulate on your toilet, tub, and other areas.
You may first notice this discoloration when you're cleaning and dismiss it when bleach cleaner gets rid of it. However, over time, bleach cleaner isn't going to eliminate all of it. Additionally, that only removes the surface issue. It doesn't address what's going on inside your pipes.
Take the early signs of discoloration as the warning that they should be and call a plumber right away.
Scale Deposits On Surfaces
White discoloration and film on your faucets, showerheads, utensils, and glasses will serve as another visible warning of hard water. This is limescale, and it's a direct result of high mineral concentration in the water.
While you can clean this off the surfaces of most fixtures, this same scale deposit will form inside appliances that use your home's water. This can ultimately render those appliances useless when the tubing and pipes fill up with limescale and can no longer support water flow.
Dry Skin
Hard water will draw the moisture out of your skin. This leaves you struggling with dry, itchy skin. It can also leave soap film left on your skin as well. If you notice this type of problem following your showers paired with any of the other hard water signs, you shouldn't ignore it.
Whites That Aren't White Anymore
If all of your whites are coming out of the laundry looking more grey than white, that's another common indication that your home has hard water. Hard water can interfere with how your laundry soap works, leaving residue behind in the fabric and causing the discoloration.
If you suspect that your home has hard water, reach out to your local plumber right away. He or she can test your water and help you find the water softener that will best fit your needs.
Go to sites about plumbing to learn more about how to soften your water.