Have you ever fallen victim to the side effects of water pollution? According to recent research by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the water in almost half of the rivers and more than one-third of the lakes in our country is polluted and unsuitable either for swimming or for fishing.
Hard water is a different kind of polluted well water. While it may not be harmful for direct consummation, it can be pretty bad for your pipes and appliances. If you are not familiar with the term “hard water”, it is water that has been ‘polluted’ by a high amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium.
Is it bad for you?
Well, as we have already mentioned, hard water does not affect your health. Quite the opposite, calcium and magnesium play an important role in the functioning of our body and cannot be synthesized. So, they need to be ingested as part of our diet.
But an increased amount of dissolved minerals in well water can prevent your hair from properly moisturizing – when used for showering – which can permanently damage it. Some people report that they even experienced hair loss due to continuously washing their hair with hard water.
Furthermore, although hard water might not be harmful to humans, it is ruinous for your home appliances. It causes limescale and scum build-up, drastically decreasing your water pressure and shortening the lifespan of your devices.
Present-day short-term issues may turn into long-term problems! Act now!
Is there a solution?
Yes. The solution to hard water is installing a water softener on your well supply. For those unaware of what a water softener is, it is a system that removes the dissolved minerals in your well water through a process called ion exchange. During the process, a resin bed traps the calcium and magnesium ions and exchanges them for sodium or potassium ions.
Is it worth installing a water softener?
Absolutely. It can be a lifesaver for many households suffering from the impact of hard water. No matter how you look at it, the pros of water softeners always outweigh the cons. Having a water softener can be extremely beneficial and here are some reasons for it:
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It saves you money
Installing a water softener system can reflect positively on your budget because it drastically reduces the limescale in your appliances, which will save you from paying for repairs or even replacements.
If left untreated, the high amount of dissolved calcium in hard well water will eventually narrow down the area your water can spread into your pipes, which will interfere with its movement especially if your pump pressure is not very high.
The scum and scale will also increase your monthly energy bills because you will need more and more energy to keep your water hot.
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Soft water is equal to cleaner dishes.
If you have ever experienced the effects of hard water, you know how hard it is to wash your dishes properly. Because this type of water preserves calcium and other minerals, they build upon your plates and bowls, leaving them with a cloudy appearance when they dry. With soft well water, you get rid of the problem at its root by removing all the dissolved minerals before they can build up.
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Your hair and skin will be cleaner and healthier.
Not only will you no longer shower with hard water, but soft water can also be extremely beneficial for your skin and hair. The mineral ions in hard water prevent it to be completely dissoluble with soaps, while soft water enables detergents to work as they should.
Due to lower mineral content in soft water, your skin moisturizes much easier.
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Soft water can reduce the risk of eczema.
It has been proven that hard water damages our protective skin layer, which can result in developing eczema. The prolonged use of hard water can also aggravate this and other skin conditions. By installing a water softener, you can get rid of the problem or at least slow down its aggravation.
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You will significantly reduce the time you spend cleaning.
Anyone who lives in a hard water area knows how time-consuming cleaning can be. You need to persistently wash all of your dishes and clothes over and over again to achieve decent results because you cannot fully benefit from detergents as we have already mentioned. Using a water softener will be a notable time saver.
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A water softener can increase your daily sodium intake.
Sodium is a vital salt for the human body and needs to be consumed regularly for a healthy lifestyle. Drinking softened water can increase your sodium intake slightly. This is because the dissolved minerals in the hard water are replaced by sodium. Scientists say that in an 8oz glass of 15-grain softened water there is 28.12 mg of sodium, which is perfectly fine for a person.
In conclusion:
It is really beneficial to buy a water softener because:
- It saves you money at the end of the day.
- Softened water can have a positive impact on your health.
- It significantly reduces the pipe damage hard water causes.
- It increases the lifespan of your appliances.
- Soft water is good for your clothes.
To summarize, if you suffer from hard water and were wondering if it is a good investment to install a water softener system on your well, the answer is yes.
