Water softeners are excellent for removing excess minerals from hard water, making it more suitable for use in the home. If you’ve moved into a new area, though, it can be difficult to know whether or not a water softener is necessary.
To help you determine whether or not installing a water softener in your home is a good idea, here are the top five signs you may need a water softener:
1. Buildup on Your Appliances
Hard water can lead to a buildup of limescale on your appliances, which looks like a hard, chalky substance. This buildup can also take place inside your pipes, which can lead to frequent plumbing problems such as clogged pipes, but it’s easier to notice this buildup in or on appliances such as your washing machine, coffee pots, shower heads, and so forth.
2. Dry Skin and Hair
Did you know that hard water is actually one of the factors contributing to dry skin and hair? When your water has an excess amount of minerals, these minerals can settle on your skin when you take a bath or shower. Since soap doesn’t dissolve as well in hard water, it doesn’t work as well to clean them off either, so if you notice your skin and/or hair is uncharacteristically dry it could be a sign you need a water softener.
3. Stains on Your Bathtub and Sink
When hard water evaporates, it leaves behind deposits of calcium and magnesium. These deposits can lead to stains on porcelain, so any unexplained, noticeable stains on your bathtub or sink are a sign that you have hard water.
4. Gray and Faded Clothes
Clothes and sheets that are repeatedly washed in hard water will often become gray and faded. In addition to this, the mineral buildup in the material may also cause them to become scratchy to the touch or difficult to wash clean.
5. Frequent Plumbing Problems
The minerals that hard water leaves behind inside your pipes may not be as immediately noticeable as the hard water deposits on your appliances and clothes, but they are more damaging. As mineral deposits build up inside of pipes, your pumps must work harder to push water through. Not only does this lead to more plumbing problems and breakdowns, but it also leads to decreased water pressure. Therefore, if you have noticed decreased water pressure or a higher than normal number of issues with your plumbing, then it is a good sign that you could benefit from a water softener.
How St. Matthews Plumbing Can Help
At St. Matthew Plumbing, we’ve dealt with hard water and the problems it can cause plenty of times before. If your plumbing has suffered due to hard water, we can help restore it back to working condition. More important than this, though, we specialize in installing high-quality water softeners that will prevent any future problems from happening. If you have noticed any of the above signs that you may need a water softener installed in your home, we invite you to contact us today to learn more.