Here in the Oshawa, ON area, many people suffer from hard water and its effects. Hard water isn’t dangerous to drink, but it is a nuisance to live with day in and out. However, you don’t have to live with hard water. Consider adding a whole house water softener to your home for cleaner clothes, softer skin, and hair, and improved cleaning.
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What Does Hard Water Mean?
It’s difficult to think of water as hard, but what people mean by that is that it has a high mineral content, mostly magnesium and calcium. Water picks up minerals when it flows over rocks, deposits of limestone, or gypsum. The higher the mineral content, the harder the water.
High mineral content isn’t dangerous; in fact, many people believe it has health benefits. However, hard water poses many problems for homeowners, which we’ll look at below.
Issues With Hard Water
Now that we know what hard water is, let’s look at why some people hate it.
- Metallic Taste: Sometimes when the water has a high iron content, it has a metallic taste and odour that some people find off-putting.
- Stains: Is your porcelain tub or toilet stained with red or brown streaks? If so, you can probably blame hard water for that.
- Soap Scum: Do you struggle with cleaning soap scum off your tub and shower doors? If so, you can thank hard water for that. Soap doesn’t dissolve well in hard water, so it leaves behind a residue after washing. This residue is also what causes hair to be dull and lifeless.
- Damaged Appliances: As calcium builds up, it shortens the lifespan of appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, and coffee makers.
- Stiff, Faded Clothes: Because soap doesn’t fully dissolve in water, clothes feel stiff when they come out of the washing machine. Also, hard water causes clothes to fade more quickly.
- Clogged Pipes: The mineral buildup in pipes caused by hard water is enough to cause blockages over time.
A whole-home water softener is ideal for Oshawa homeowners who are sick of hard water and its effects.
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How Does a Water Softener Work?
Typical water softeners work by a system called ion exchange, which is a process that removes the calcium and magnesium from the water. The hard water flows into a mineral tank in the unit and over resin beads. These beads are charged with a sodium ion and have a negative charge. The calcium and magnesium ions have a positive charge, and these minerals get pulled out as they flow over the negatively-charged beads.
