Got Hard Water? How Calcium Buildup in Las Vegas, NV Affects Your Plumbing
“Hard water” is a term used to describe a fresh water supply that contains high levels of natural minerals like magnesium and calcium. Although hard water is not bad for your health, it can negatively affect your plumbing and appliances. However, homeowners can educate themselves on the matter so they can decide what needs to be done to correct the issue, or if it’s safe to leave their water supply as it is.
Start by understanding what hard water is, why you have magnesium and calcium buildup in your Las Vegas, NV water and what it’s doing to your home. Here’s what you need to know about hard water and how it affects your plumbing.
How fresh water becomes hard water
Straight from the sky, rainwater is pure. However, it becomes less pure as it runs over the surface of the earth into aquifers, absorbing minerals like calcium and magnesium along the way. This journey changes the rainwater from soft water to hard water—the level of hardness is determined by the amount of mineral content that’s now present in the water.
Hard water causes problems
Hard water can cause a long list of problems for your household. It reacts with cleaning products, is the main cause of soap scum buildup and can add extra wear to water-using appliances and fixtures. Yes, soft water contributes to wear and tear, but it doesn’t do it as quickly as hard water. One clear sign of hard water is needing to use more soap when showering, washing dishes or doing laundry, and then finding the mineral buildup difficult to rinse off.
How it damages plumbing
As terrible as hard water can be on sinks, faucets, tubs and showers, the minerals in hard water will also start to build up inside plumbing pipes, appliances and water fixtures. You can’t see this internal buildup, but it’s causing all sorts of plumbing problems, including clogs, reduced water flow and even more stress on pipes and fixtures. Mineral deposits that are not cleaned away can cause appliances to function less efficiently and wear down well before their time. Less efficient plumbing is liable to lead to costly repairs and earlier appliance replacements.
Ways to test for hard water, and how to fix the problem
Identifying hard water in your home is actually pretty easy. If you see white scale buildup on plumbing fixtures, that’s a huge indication of the presence of hard water. If you want to be absolutely sure you have hard water, try this simple at-home test: Put a small amount of dish soap and water in a container, close it up tight and give it a good shake. A lack of suds means you probably have hard water. Contact a plumbing expert to re-test and provide service, which may include the installation of a water softener.
Whether you have an emergency plumping situation or clogged pipes in Las Vegas, NV, you can trust Orchard Plumbing to get things flowing normally again in no time. Call us today and let us know how we can help!