Washing hands usually comes after eating a delicious meal. Then, after washing your two hands, you observe a residue left in your fingers. Have you ever experienced that? That residue is what we call “soap scum” caused by water hardness.
Water hardness is simply the number of dissolved minerals, mainly calcium and magnesium, making it hard to clean the dishes and laundry. Aside from that, among the typical concerns encountered by residents dealing with hard water is that it can clog or corrode pipes affecting water flow and requiring a plumber intervention.
Despite that the hardness of water doesn’t pose any serious threat to your family’s health and well-being, it takes a toll in tearing and wearing down home appliances and, at worst, reduces the life of your water heater.
We all know that water heaters provide the supply of warm water for our daily activities and offer other benefits like saving cost from consuming less energy and water and environment-friendly as it has fewer greenhouse gases emission.
Therefore, knowing the negative impacts water hardness can cause in our water heater system is necessary for solving the issues concerning it.
Bad effects of water hardness to water heaters
Wears down efficiency; shortens life expectancy
When left untreated, the water heater’s efficiency will significantly decrease as there is mineral build-up (like magnesium and calcium). The traces of minerals left in the bottom part of the heater’s tank will force it to work harder; thus, expect that water takes a long time to get warm. The supply of hot water for laundry and other purposes gets short at the same time.
More effort means increased chances of wear and time which will soon result in a costly immediate replacement while tapping water heater Punta Gorda FL for service installation.
Spike on monthly utility bills
As the water heater has to work harder and longer, more energy for productivity gets exhausted in the process, which drives higher utility bills in electricity, for example, if you’re using an electro-powered heater.
Frequent flushing
Experts recommend house owners flush water heaters at least once a year to minimize sediment formation in hotspot areas of the device. However, that’s not the case in residential areas with hard water flowing, as homeowners need to flush more often.
Some may even need to drain and flush their water heater every three months, primarily when an excessive amount of minerals settled in the bottom of the tank marked by hearing a popping or rattling noise.
Tips to solve water hardness issues
Set lower water heater temperature
Let’s make things clear first! Lowering the temperature will not stop the mineral build-up in water heaters but helps slow down the process. Sediments get easily separated at higher temps as the water’s hotter, the faster minerals build up and settle in the heater device’s bottom part.
Potential water heater buyers residing in areas with hard water traces should set the temperature of their appliance to a maximum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit or even lower if they can, as advised by manufacturers, to alleviate the movement of mineral deposits.
No minerals, no build-up
One of the best approaches to resolve water hardness issues is removing hard water minerals before reaching the tank through a water softener. The addition of sodium ions eliminates calcium and magnesium from hard water, which raises the protection level of water-using appliances against sediment deposits.
Get in touch with Henry Plumbing by calling (941) 661-7398 every Monday to Friday from 8 am-6 pm for more information, or inquire through our contact page, or visit our website.