Monday, February 9, 2015

Hard Water: The Bane of Plumbing

While drinking water with minerals is recommended for your health, the same cannot be said for your plumbing: hard water, or water with high mineral content, can be the cause of a bigger plumbing headache.

Water normally becomes hard as it flows through the ground, since it can collect minerals such as calcium and magnesium along the way. Water, which has a mineral content of over 3.5 grains of mineral per gram (GPG) is already considered hard water, but to accurately and easily test whether your household’s plumbing contains hard water, you can test it by looking at the sud formation in water: hard water would normally yield less lather formation when used with soap, and would instead produce soap scum, or a white precipitate.

Hard water not only quickens the wearing down of fixtures and appliances, but it can also have adverse effects on the pipes and the entire plumbing system. For one, it can cause particle build-up on tubs, showers, sinks, and faucets. Moreover, the minerals found in hard water can accumulate inside pipes, causing problems such as reduced water flow, clogs, and an increased stress on pipes and fixtures.

There are several ways you can soften hard water, yet what should you do when it begins to take a toll on your plumbing? For solutions on plumbing problems such as this, it might require immediate repair or treatment from plumbing services to avoid more serious problems in the future. 

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