The Hidden Impacts of Water Hardness on Home Appliances and You

The Hidden Impacts of Water Hardness on Home Appliances and You

Clean, fresh water is a must for every household but ground and surface water varies greatly in its quality. This varying quality means that some sources of water are better than others when it comes to the health of those who drink it. The kind of water supplied to a household also affects the longevity of many household components and appliances. This is especially true of the hard water that is supplied to households in many parts of the United States. 

Water supplied to a household in major municipal areas may have water that is less hard than households in smaller communities or rural areas supplied by wells. For a household on well water, if the homeowner wants to find out how hard their water is and how to correct it, there is no city or rural water company to help them. They must work out the solution themselves. 

What Is Hard Water? 

Hard water contains high levels of dissolved minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium. While these minerals are essential for health, they’re not good for plumbing, appliances and other fixtures if they are present at high levels. 

There are a few ways that the hardness of water is measured. It can be expressed as grains per gallon, parts per million or milligrams per liter, which is the measurement used for calcium carbonate. 

The U.S. Geological Service defines water hardness this way: 

  • 0 to 60 mg/L (milligrams per liter) of calcium carbonate indicates soft water
  • 61 to 120 mg/L is moderately hard water
  • 121 to 180 mg/L is hard water
  • More than 180 mg/L is very hard water

Hard water may also contain smaller amounts of iron, manganese, bicarbonates and sulfates. Low levels of iron and manganese are not harmful but higher levels can cause health problems and staining on household items. Bicarbonates in drinking water are not particularly harmful but should be avoided by a person on a low-sodium diet. Sulfates may make water taste bad or have a laxative effect. 

How Do Hard Water Minerals Get Into Drinking Water?

Water is classified as a very effective solvent. Given enough time, water can dissolve just about anything. As groundwater passes through rock, gravel and soil, it dissolves and carries away minerals. Eventually, these minerals wind up in a household’s well or municipal water supply. When the rock in an area contains limestone or chalk, the water supplied to wells will generally be quite hard as both substances contain both calcium and magnesium. Gypsum contains high levels of calcium. 

Another Way to Calculate Water Hardness: Total Dissolved Solids

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) is a calculation of all inorganic and organic substances dissolved in your drinking water. This analysis will include minerals, salts, metals and plant matter. Hard water typically has a high TDS level which affects the taste, appearance and quality of water. Plumbing and household appliances may be adversely affected when TDS levels are high. 

TDS is measured in parts per million (ppm). A TDS level of 500 ppm is recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency. A measurement above 1000 ppm is not recommended and can begin to impact taste and health. 

Substances contributing to high TDS include: 

  • Calcium
  • Magnesium
  • Chloride
  • Potassium
  • Iron
  • Manganese
  • Chlorine
  • Sodium
  • Fluoride
  • Bicarbonate
  • Sulfates
  • Copper
  • Lead
  • Zinc
  • And more.

The Impact of Hard Water on Household Appliances and Fixtures

If you ever visit a home that is supplied with hard water that is not treated to remove the excess minerals, you will know it. You will see mineral buildup around sinks, faucets and in toilets. This buildup is called “scale.” Dishes will be cloudy and spotty. If you shower in this water, you may notice that your hair feels coarse and can’t be styled as well as usual. 

What you won’t be able to see is the damage to household appliances or plumbing fixtures. The minerals in hard water build-up inside the water pipes of any device or fixture that this water passes through. This accumulation can ruin the device, necessitating early replacement. 

The following appliances can be severely damaged by high levels of calcium and magnesium:

  • Washing machines: Scale builds up on heating elements and in water supply hoses and pipes. This can increase energy usage. In addition, clothing can’t be cleaned properly because detergents won’t work as well. 
  • Water heaters: Scale builds up on these heating elements as well. More energy is required to heat the water. The tank may fail due to corrosion and the whole water heater may need early replacement. 
  • Coffee makers: Hard water will clog water lines, change the taste of coffee and shorten the lifespan of the heating elements. 
  • Humidifiers: With hard water, less humidity will be produced and mineral deposits will build up inside the appliance. Minerals may also be released into the air, producing a white dust that shows up around the humidifier. If the dust makes it into your HVAC system, it can plug up that system. 
  • Dental irrigators: Mineral buildup can clog nozzles, reduce water pressure and build up in reservoirs. Early replacement may be needed. 
  • Refrigerator filters and water dispensers: Minerals can clog the water lines and nozzles in the dispensers. The filters may quickly become less efficient. More energy may be required to run the system. 
  • Sprinkler systems: Sprinkler heads may become clogged, resulting in reduced distribution of water. Plants and outdoor surfaces may develop unsightly deposits. 

The Impact of Hard Water on Plumbing

Over time, scale can build up until it is so thick that it can reduce water flow. You’d notice this in reduced water pressure. This buildup stresses all the components of your plumbing systems, leading to leaks and corrosion. Eventually, pipes may fail and need to be replaced. 

Shower heads will build up scale that can eventually block the flow of water. Toilets may gradually flush less efficiently. Even drain lines can slowly build up these deposits until they are finally prone to clogging. 

To protect the longevity and efficiency of all your appliances and plumbing fixtures, removing the excessive levels of minerals in your well or municipal water is a smart move. 

The Impact of Hard Water on You 

Your appliances aren’t the only things impacted by hard water. It can be hard on your hair and skin. Hair washed in hard water becomes dry, brittle and easily broken. It’s difficult to get your hair into its usual style and it may appear dull. If you try to color your hair, you may experience more damage than normal and uneven results. 

If you shower in hard water, your skin will probably be drier and itchier than usual. If you suffer any skin irritations like eczema, you could find that they get worse. Acne may also be aggravated by hard water. 

Hard water also reduces the effectiveness of bar soap, body wash, shampoo and shaving cream. You may have to use more of these products or switch brands to get a desirable result. 

The Impact of Hard Water on Your Drinking Water Supply

Moderately high levels of calcium and magnesium are safe to consume. However, hard water minerals change the taste of the water itself and any beverages the water is mixed into. In a few susceptible individuals, hard water could contribute to the development of kidney stones. 

Still, it’s desirable to have some minerals in your drinking water. Without any minerals, water tastes flat and dull. Some systems like reverse osmosis or distillation systems remove so many minerals that it’s necessary to add them back to produce good-tasting water for the household.

The Importance of Professional Water Testing

As mentioned earlier, hard water can contain more than just calcium and magnesium. These additional minerals may not be desirable, for example, if there are high levels of iron, manganese, fluoride, sulfates, copper, lead or zinc. When your water is hard, it’s vital to get a professional test done to see if these and other undesirable minerals are present. If they are, then the water filtration or treatment system should be carefully designed to remove the harmful substances. 

It’s actually possible to purchase a water filtration system that is more elaborate and expensive than is needed if a water test is not done first. Correcting your water should start with a professional test of the water followed by designing a system that will remove undesirable minerals or toxins. 

Should You Get an Inexpensive Water Test at a Home Improvement Store? 

These inexpensive tests usually have a very limited purpose: to enable salespeople at the store or at the company making the tests to sell you their products. Utilizing one of these free or inexpensive tests could mean that you: 

  1. Receive incomplete information on the minerals and metals that could be present. These tests usually test for somewhere between ten and twelve problematic substances. 
  2. Only learn that the problematic substance is present but not how much. 
  3. Get a sales pitch when you utilize the “free expert consultation” available with many of these tests, perhaps being sold the product that is most advantageous to the test company, which could be their own product or one for which they will receive commissions. 
  4. Are forced to buy several different tests if you want more complete results, such as one for the twelve most common contaminants, plus one for radon, one for asbestos, and so on. If you want to know if your water contains pesticides, mold or fungi, cadmium, arsenic, oil, grease, or industrial chemicals, you may be out of luck. 

By opting for a professional water test from ETR Laboratories, you not only receive a thorough report on your water’s level of hardness and which minerals are involved, you can also receive a recommendation on the best water treatment system to correct your water. This service is provided at no charge, and no treatment systems are sold by ETR Laboratories. 

What Are Your Choices to Correct Your Water?

Most people know that a water softening system will reduce the quantity of calcium and magnesium in household water. Water softening systems do increase the amount of sodium in the treated water, however. Individuals on salt-free diets should be aware of this fact. The harder the water, the more sodium gets added. In general, the amount of sodium added is not hazardous to most people. 

Other than a water softening system, you also have these choices to improve your water:

  1. Reverse osmosis systems remove dissolved salts, heavy metals, pesticides, microorganisms, pharmaceuticals and toxic byproducts of water disinfection. They waste large quantities of water, however, and thus may increase your water bill. 
  2. Activated carbon filters remove chlorine, byproducts of water disinfection, industrial chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and sediment. 
  3. Ion exchange filters remove heavy metals, excessive calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, arsenic, radon, chloride, nitrate and more. 
  4. Distillation removes everything but the water. The remaining beverage will taste flat, however. Minerals need to be added back to make it palatable. 
  5. Ultraviolet disinfection kills bacteria, parasites, viruses and other microorganisms. 
  6. Mechanical sediment removal is usually a pre-treatment to remove sediment, clay and silt before the water is further purified or filtered. 

For households supplied with well water, it is not unusual for more than one type of water treatment to be needed to provide the home’s residents with delicious, healthy drinking water. For example, for a home in a farming area, sediment may need to be removed first so these particles do not clog up other systems. Then activated carbon filtration removes agricultural contaminants. Finally, ultraviolet disinfection kills any bacteria present. The ideal system for your home can only be determined after professional water testing is done. 

Consult ETR Laboratories for Fast, Accurate Water Testing

ETR Laboratories has provided thousands of well owners with complete reports on the quality of their well water. The most popular water tests provide results for 53 substances, 113 substances or 249 substances. You can choose the best water test for your situation here. If you need advice on water filtration or treatment once you receive your test results, call the number on your water test results. 

We are dedicated to helping well owners across the country provide high-quality water to their families. We perform all our own tests, which means that your results may get to you faster than if you use a company that sends out their samples to another lab. Count on us for professional results every time.