Every household requires an adequate supply of clean water for various uses. However, hard water isn't always recommended because it contains high mineral levels, mainly magnesium and calcium. While hard water isn't harmful to your health, it can have a weird taste and cause your drains to malfunction or deteriorate fast.
So, whether you are getting the hard water from the municipal wall supply or a well, it's advisable to treat it to remove the excess minerals. Here is how the plumbing system will be affected when you use hard water.
It Clogs Drains
The impact of using hard water usually goes beyond the sink surface. As it passes through the screen into the drain, the elements get attached to the piping. Over time, more deposits accumulate in the drain lines, forming a large clog. Once the drain is clogged, it will be challenging for the system to drain any additional wastewater.
And, even if you get a drain cleaner, you'll only be able to remove a small percentage of the minerals, so the slow drain or backup issues you had before won't be resolved. When you purify the water, the probability of having a mineral buildup issue in your drains will reduce. You won't need to seek plumber services regularly.
It Damages the Piping and Causes Leaks
Although it takes a while for this water to cause pipe deterioration, it is impossible to avoid this problem. The leakage and broken pipe issues occur in two key ways. To begin with, the minerals make plumbing fixtures corrode, especially if the house is older. The elements eventually eat through the piping and form tiny openings. These openings grow larger over time until the leakage issue cannot be ignored.
Secondly, the elements can prevent clean water from flowing. When the system pushes water at the same volume, pressure will build up, and cause the lines or the connections to fail. The leakages that ensue will lead to water wastage and cause property damage. With soft water, plumbing issues like this won't occur often.
It Affects the Functionality of Appliances
Hard water will put the appliances and fixtures under undue stress. When you use hard water to clean the dishes, the scale buildup will make the dishwasher inefficient. You might be forced to run several cycles to ensure the dishes are clean, which will waste energy, time, and money. The efficiency of water heaters also diminishes when the tank gets filled with scale. So, consider softening the water to extend the efficiency and longevity of the appliances.
To learn more about residential plumbing, contact a service provider today.
What was the first thing you did when you got up this morning?
If you answered "go to the bathroom," "get a drink of water," or "brush my teeth," then it's important to realize the role that a plumber has already played in your day. The plumber who installed your plumbing made that morning routine possible! Some other plumbers may have worked on the system over the years, also contributing to your experience. Plumbers have a bigger impact on our daily lives than we often realize. In fact, that's one reason we write this blog — to make our readers more aware of their plumbing.