Hard Water vs. Soft Water: What You Need To Know
The water in your home can be classified as either hard or soft, but what does this mean for your home and family? Generally speaking, hard water means you have dissolved minerals present that are above the level of at least 60 mg/L, usually consisting of calcium and magnesium, and hardness above this level can be further categorized from moderately hard to very hard. While water that is classified as hard is not detrimental to your family’s health, the excessive presence of minerals can cause some unpleasant consequences which might lead you to consider water purification. Water testing can determine the actual mineral content, but you can probably tell a lot just by the way water behaves in your home.
Soft water tends to lather better, but may leave your hair limp and your skin feeling slippery. Your drinking water may also taste a bit salty, since softer water tends to include dissolved sodium. If you have hard water, you probably have more difficulty generating a soapy lather and find that a residue is left behind. This residue can leave your skin and hair feeling dry, but can also be seen as spots on your dishes or deposits which clog your shower head. These deposits, also called scale, can build up in your plumbing to restrict water flow and impair the efficiency of your hot water heater. This not to say that having harder water is necessarily bad, in fact, some people prefer the taste. It largely depends on the degree of hardness and whether you find it troublesome or unpalatable.
If you get your water from a well, it is more likely to be hard since minerals can leach into it through contact with the ground. Distilled water and rainwater are soft, and public water also tends to be soft since it is usually treated and purified. If you’re concerned about your water, water testing can give you an accurate breakdown of mineral content and help you decide if you should consider water purification. A water softener will replace the mineral ions in your hard water with sodium ions, turning it into soft water. If the salty taste bothers you, a reverse-osmosis system can help improve the flavor as well as provide other benefits.
If you’re not sure what purification system is best for your home, be sure to give us a call or click here for a quote!