The quality of the water that you have in your home is very important. After all, you use water each day to bathe or shower, cook, clean, drink, and much more. Hard water is a term that you may have heard before. It refers to the magnesium and calcium content in the water coming from your tap. If there are high levels of magnesium and calcium present, your water may be considered to be in the ‘hard’ range.

While you may not get sick from these minerals, hard water can negatively affect your plumbing and home. Our Las Vegas water filtration experts share some of the damaging effects of hard water.

1. Mineral Deposits

Mineral deposits can show up in several unwanted places in your home. You can find them on fixtures like kitchen faucets, faucets in the bathroom, on your showerheads, and even inside of your dishwasher. You may even see mineral deposits accumulating on other items that use water, like your coffee pot or a floor steam cleaner. The inside of your hot water tank may see a lot of the damaging effects of hard water as well, leading to issues with the unit itself.

2. The Condition of Your Skin and Hair

When your skin and hair are coming into contact with high levels of calcium and magnesium during a bath or shower, you may find that your skin and hair feel very dry afterward. Your hair may even feel unclean, despite having washed it thoroughly. Water should be able to soak into your skin and hydrate it, but hard water will immediately dry your skin out. You may be more prone to skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis if you have hard water.

3. The Quality of Your Clothing

When you wash your clothes in hard water, the color will often fade much more quickly. Many people also complain that their clothing, towels, and bedding don’t feel as soft as before when washing everything in hard water. Even fabric softener can’t always get your clothing and fabrics feeling as soft as you would like.

4. Stains In Your Toilet

Many people complain of a discolored ring inside of their toilet right where the water level usually sits. The entire portion of the toilet bowl can also become discolored where the water touches it if hard water is present. These stains are tough to clean. They often require strong chemicals or a lot of elbow grease to take care of them. You may also notice these stains in your bathtub or sinks.

5. The Need for Plumbing Assistance

Depending on what type of pipes you have in your home, you may be calling a plumber more often than you’d like. Steel pipes and hard water make for a tricky situation. Minerals can quickly build up within these steel pipes, resulting in decreased water flow. Corrosion can also become an issue. If you’re calling the plumber too often because of repair after repair, hard water may be the root of the problem. Your plumber may even suggest you invest in a water softener to prevent further damage.

6. Increased Utility Bills

When you have decreased water flow through your pipes, you would assume that your water bill would drop. In actuality, your bill may start to creep up. Your plumbing will need to work a lot harder to keep up with the demand for water in your home or office. Leaks can start to occur, which would cause more water to be wasted. You’ll also end up having water damage to deal with.

7. Dingy Dishes

While hard water can get food washed off your dishes, it can also end up leaving certain items very spotty, including drinking glasses, other clear glass dishes, and silverware. You’ll find yourself tediously wiping the spots off these items, or you’ll sometimes put them back through the dishwasher to get them clean again. You can purchase products to add to your dishwasher that prevents these spots, but it makes more sense to tackle the issue as a whole.

Water Softeners in Las Vegas

You can utilize a water softener or water conditioning system to combat a hard water problem. Through an ion exchange process, these minerals will be reduced to a safer level. A small unit can be installed into your home or office that requires very minimal upkeep. There are a few different types of units to choose from, so consulting with a professional can help you figure out the best option for your hard water situation.

Unfortunately, Las Vegas is notorious for hard water. You can contact Rain Water Conditioning of Las Vegas for more information on the different systems we offer to improve the quality of the water running through your system each day. You deserve pure, soft, high-quality water, and we have the best water softening systems to deliver it straight to every tap in your home. Call us today to learn more!