Hard water is the enemy of your home and wallet
Hard water can wreak havoc on your home and your finances and can feel like a nightmare to deal with. All is not lost, however, your local AIWSE expert is here to save the day!
If you’ve noticed your household surfaces covered in water marks, or your taps and appliances caked with limescale, you are living in a hard water area. As well as being unsightly, hard water can cause a host of problems for you and your property.
So what is hard water doing to your home?
No lather
Have you noticed that you need to use a lot of shampoo or soap when taking a shower? This is because the high mineral content of hard water does not combine well with soaps and detergents, making it harder to create a nice bubbly lather. You’ll need to buy toiletries more often, which can prove costly.
Soap scum
Because hard water doesn’t combine well with detergents, it is not able to fully rinse away any residue so you get a build-up of soap scum on surfaces. This makes it harder work to keep things clean.
Water marks
You’ll see water marks on surfaces that have come into contact with hard water. These stains appear when tap water evaporates, leaving behind the magnesium and calcium minerals that it contains.
Limescale
The main sign that hard water is present is the build up of limescale. Limescale is formed when the magnesium and calcium in hard water comes into contact with heat, creating a hard chalky substance. Limescale is notoriously difficult to remove, requiring hard work and harsh chemicals. And it’s not just in the places that you can see; limescale builds up in your water-consuming appliances and plumbing fixtures, reducing both their efficiency and life expectancy.
High utility bills
Hard water will have an effect on your energy usage. The average household in a hard water area will incur at least 1.5mm of scale build-up within its internal plumbing over a year. As scale is an insulator, the heat of your system will be transferred less effectively; this means that a greater amount of energy is required to heat your water. A build-up of 1.5mm is enough to reduce your heating efficiency by at least 12%, meaning bigger energy bills.
Appliance lifespan
Hard water can cause scale build-up on water-using appliances, such as your washing machine, dishwasher and kettle, reducing their lifespan and energy efficiency. The most important household appliance of all is your boiler, and boilers are especially expensive to repair and replace. In addition to saving energy, softened water could preserve your boiler’s lifespan to the standard 15 years.
Dull fabrics
The fast way to faded, dull and rough fabrics is washing with hard water. The high levels of magnesium and calcium in hard water can prevent the laundry detergent from being properly rinsed out, leaving a build up on the surface and your fabrics looking old before their time.
Dry skin
In a hard water area, the mineral content of your water supply is very high. While water is supposed to hydrate the skin, it has the opposite effect when your water is hard, causing dry, itchy skin and dry hair. In addition, hard water doesn’t work well with soap, leaving a film on your skin which is difficult to rinse away. This residue on your skin will irritate it and result in excessive dryness and roughness. Hard water can exacerbate skin conditions such as eczema.
The answer to your hard water woes is to have a water softener installed in your home. Home water filtration systems are not usually covered by your general plumber so it’s best to call in the experts. This is where your local AIWSE member can help!
All AIWSE members are independent so can give you fully impartial advice on the perfect water softener for your home. As water softener specialists, you will be guaranteed a professional service from start to finish, as well as quality products, installations and servicing. We have AIWSE members based all around the UK so call your nearest member and be on your way to banishing the effects of hard water from your home for good.