Hard Water Vs Soft Water
For hard and soft water explained simply: Hard water contains a high concentration of dissolved minerals, like calcium and magnesium. In its pure form, water does not contain these minerals and is naturally soft. But as it passes through the ground and rocks such as limestone, it picks up those hard water minerals. Water with ions from calcium and magnesium are not removed by your water provider.
Soft water contains little to no extra elements. This can occur naturally, or soft water can be produced with water treatment equipment that removes the hard elements. The softening process treats the water to remove these excess ions. These ions can cause a myriad of problems for you and your home.
ARE THERE PROS AND CONS WHEN IT COMES TO HARD WATER VS SOFT WATER?
Hard water can take a toll on clothing, making laundry look dingy. It can cause spots and residue on dishes, and soap scum on bathtubs. Hard water can eventually damage household appliances, as well as use up more energy.
When it comes to cleaning, soft water allows soap to lather better and dishes will be left cleaner. You will often use less soap and detergents overall with soft water. The shower curtain and bathtub will be soap scum-free. And clothes and skin will feel softer. Soft water can also prolong the life of washing machines, dishwashers and water heaters. Energy bills are noticeably lower in homes with water softeners.
WHAT IS HARD WATER?
“Hard water” is the term used to describe water that contains dissolved minerals like calcium, sulfur, magnesium, iron, or others. These minerals don’t make the water inherently unsafe to use, but they can wreak havoc in other ways. Hard water can cause visible stains or buildup on sinks, faucets and bathtubs. It can also cause buildup inside pipes and appliances, potentially causing clogs or malfunctioning. The minerals can prevent soap from getting sudsy and leave your skin and hair feeling dry and dull. Hard water can also affect how well laundry detergent cleans your clothes and how clean your dishes look after running the dishwasher.
If you aren’t sure whether you have hard water, you can request a water quality report for your area. If you do, and are considering installing a water softener, be sure to check with your local governing body first. Some areas have banned salt-based water softeners for a variety of reasons, so you may need to seek out alternatives.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF HARD WATER?
Whether or not your home has hard water may not be a thing you're actively thinking about. Typically, you start thinking about hard water when you see the white-encrusted faucets or your hair starts to look dull and feel filmy.
IS HARD WATER UNHEALTHY OR HARMFUL TO ME?
The minerals in hard water leave behind scale. This can require repeated cleaning of surfaces that come into contact with hard water. The deposits build up inside pipes and appliances and can reduce efficiency. Severe buildup can cause the need to have certain types of water supply pipes replaced prematurely. Although it can be troublesome, scale from hard water is NOT harmful to your health if consumed.
HOW IS HARD WATER AFFECTING YOUR HOME?
Beyond the impact on your clothes or skin, there are a few key issues that hard water can inflict on your plumbing system. These minerals left behind by hard water can cause clogs in your pipes and be trouble down the road for your washing machine, dishwasher and kitchen sink. When the problem becomes especially acute, it can even shorten the lifespan of your water heater.
Thanks to lime deposits generated by hard water, it can be more challenging to clean regular kitchen appliances and even your tea kettle. Because of this difficulty, hard water is not as efficient or convenient as its softer counterpart, although each option has their pros and cons.
Pink stains or residue building up in the tub
Generally when you see pink or orange stains on the fixtures it means you have iron in the water. Well water needs to have a water softener or other filtering device to remove naturally occurring minerals from the water table from entering the piping system. Have your water tested to determine the exact mineral content. You can buy water test kits online or locally.
Another possibility is that bacteria called Serratia Marcescens is present in your bathroom, and possibly in your unchlorinated well water. It was once considered harmless, but now the bacteria is known to be an “opportunistic pathogen” that contributes to serious human infection. In particular, it infects people with compromised immune systems, most commonly with urinary tract and wound infections. Serratia Marcescens thrives in moist environments and can appear in sinks, toilet bowls, bathtubs, tile and other surfaces. It will not survive in chlorinated drinking water and the stains can be removed with chlorine bleach.
Greater soap consumption
Hard water leads to a greater consumption of soap. The ions in hard water can react with the sudsing elements in soap to create soap scum rather than the luxurious lather we prefer. It’s not just shampoo, either--body soap, dishwashing soap, laundry detergent, and other cleaning solutions are all affected by hard water. These household products are expensive, so using a little bit more product for every wash adds up to significant extra dollars spent over the years.
Pipe scaling
As hard water flows through a pipe, the minerals dissolved in it (mostly calcium and magnesium), can settle on the interior of the pipe. Over time, the entire pipe can become coated in what is called pipe scale. Just like plaque in your arteries can risk damage to your heart, scale in pipes can risk damage to your plumbing system. With less area to flow through, running water exerts more and more pressure on the pipes which can lead to cracks and leaks at pipe joints.
Fixture deterioration
Unfortunately, any beautiful brass or stainless steel shower head is vulnerable to mineral deposits from hard water. Wherever the water reaches, white buildups can occur. These mineral buildups are unsightly and, as they worsen over time, will eventually be impossible to clean off. You could find yourself replacing expensive faucets prematurely as a result of long-term mineral buildup.
Skin problems
Sometimes hard water can contribute to common skin problems, like chronic dry skin. The soap scum mentioned earlier is a significant contributor—it can remain on the skin and cause irritation. Many people try creams and lotions, but softening their water might be the most direct solution.
Foul odors and tastes
Sometimes the combinations of ions in your water can create strange smells or tastes. As far as tastes go, you can purchase a water filter for your sink, but nobody wants to bathe in smelly water. Hard water isn’t going to kill you, but it can do a lot of obnoxious things to you and your home.
What's the solution?
If you live in certain areas of the country that have a higher concentration of hard water, it might be beneficial to invest in a water softening system. These appliances inject sodium into your water, helping to negate some of the effects. However, for homes that don't have a water softener, you will need to have your appliances serviced regularly and have a professional assess your pipes to make sure excessive clogging has not occurred.
WHAT IS SOFT WATER?
Water quality is on everyone’s mind these days. In recent years, environmental regulations have been rolled back, and the news of lead contamination of the Flint, Michigan water supply caused many Americans to stop drinking tap water altogether, in favor of costly bottled water. Besides contaminants, many parts of the country also experience hard water, which is water containing excessive amounts of minerals like calcium and magnesium (see EPA's detailed information on PFAs).
The water softening process uses a specialized appliance, a water softener, to remove mineral ions like calcium and magnesium from the water. Installing a water softener is a convenience, not a requirement for having safe water, and there are pros and cons to evaluate before deciding whether you want a water softener in your home.
The obvious major advantage is the disappearance of the annoyances caused by hard water. Dish soap and shampoo will lather more freely, and you’ll notice that you need to use less soap than before. Your skin won’t feel so dry after a shower. Your clothes will emerge cleaner from the laundry, and your dishes will be less spotty after a dishwasher cycle.
On a larger scale, you’ll find that home appliances will work more efficiently, and you’ll spend less time cleaning buildup from faucets. You’ll extend the life of household plumbing and water-using appliances and use less water overall.
As with any household convenience, installing a water softener does have a couple downsides -- cost and maintenance. Depending on the type and size of water softener you choose, the initial price can range from a couple hundred to several thousand dollars. Salt-based water softeners will require you to purchase salt on an ongoing basis. Water softeners, like all appliances, also require regular maintenance, which you’ll have to learn to do yourself or pay a water softener company to complete.
IS SOFT WATER SAFE TO DRINK?
Hard and soft water is safe for most people to drink. Hard water can be beneficial for its mineral content, which is removed by water softening. The water softening process is designed to specifically target ions in hard water, and subsequently will not result in salty-tasting or unsafe water. Particularly high concentrations of sodium in soft water can be managed with alternate water softening system methods. Many people combine water softeners with other filtration systems to remove additional water contaminants from drinking water.
BENEFITS OF WATER SOFTENING
Generally, soft water is better for your pipes. A water softener can help prevent plumbing damage by removing the excess minerals from the water. The softener works by releasing its own chemicals into the water to reduce the calcium and magnesium, making the water taste and smell better, be easier on your skin and clothes, as well as protecting your water pipes.
Prevent plumbing damage
Prevent premature fixture deterioration
Experience better skin
Consume less soap
Eliminate foul odors or tastes from very hard water
Eliminate frequent buildup of pink and orange bathtub stains
Reduce energy usage
HOW TO SOFTEN WATER?
If you have serious problems resulting from hard water, you should invest in a system that you know will work for you. Traditional, ion-exchanging water softeners (the ones that use salt) have proven themselves over the years. Salt-free softeners, sometimes called descalers, also do a good job at preventing scale buildup in your pipes. Either of these options will cost you a bit more than a magnetic device, but you can count on them to work.
While some studies have shown magnetic water softeners to have marginal effects, this research isn't enough to justify gambling hundreds of dollars on installing a system for your home. To further complicate things, most magnetic water softeners are sold independently, so even if some devices have shown some effect, there is no way to know you are getting such a device.
Do magnetic water softeners work?
The idea behind magnetic water softeners is if you attach powerful magnets to the outsides of the pipe, before the water enters your plumbing system, the magnets will pull or otherwise affect the ions found in your water. Magnetism is a complicated topic, and how magnets will affect ions in this particular situation is largely unknown to most, so it can be difficult to figure out on your own whether such a system would work.
There have been over a hundred studies performed that are relevant to magnetic water softening, but unfortunately, they are not conclusive. Some studies examined whether the magnetic device had any effect at all on the water, and these studies did show some changes in the electrical charges in calcium carbonate particles. However, many of the studies that analyzed the actual claims of the softeners mostly found that they had a minimal effect on pipe scale. Again, these studies were inconclusive, but some trends can be seen.
DISADVANTAGES TO HAVING A WATER SOFTENER
Small yellow/orange balls in your cold water
You might notice your cold water filter is clogged with small yellow or orange balls. When a water softener screen fails, the resin beads can get out of the softener and into the water system. Every water softener is filled with small zeolite resin beads. These beads are designed to remove calcium and minerals from the water and replace them with sodium or potassium ions. If the filter that holds in the beads develops a hole the resin beads can flow through the water supply system.
Inside every water heater there is a plastic tube that takes the inlet cold water and runs it down through the hot water to the bottom of the water heater, so the cold water doesn't mix with the hot water and prevent you from getting hot water. Unfortunately, some types of water softeners can actually dissolve the plastic and cause it to flow out into the water system. If you are now getting lukewarm water instead of hot water, that is likely your problem.
Cost and maintenance
Two disadvantages may be cost and maintenance. Depending on the type and size of water softener you choose, the price of the unit plus installation will vary greatly. You also must keep up with maintenance on the system.
Be aware that many water softeners use sodium (salt), so you may want to have a separate, untreated cold water supply for drinking, cooking and irrigation.
INSTALLING A WATER SOFTENING SYSTEM
In addition to purchasing bottled water on a weekly basis, many Americans rely on gadgets like filter pitchers to ensure they’re drinking water that is free of chemicals and contaminants. But the wisest homeowners are investing in whole house water softening and filtration systems that ensure every drop of water in their homes is soft, pure, clean, and free of odors and off-flavors.
Roto-Rooter installs top-quality whole house water softener and filtration systems for homes of all sizes. We offer Standard, Plus, and Premium level systems to fit every need and budget. We’ve even added under-sink systems that provide triple-stage filtration (Plus System) or Reverse Osmosis (R.O. water) that go many steps further to deliver the gold standard of high quality drinking water from a dedicated kitchen tap.
With a Roto-Rooter whole house water softener and filtration system, you’ll never again need to buy bottled water. You’ll never again worry about chalky residue around showerheads, shower doors, dishwasher seals, and on faucet spouts. And Roto-Rooter’s systems are low-maintenance and more effective than store bought systems. You can rest assured that your family is drinking and bathing in safe, pure water from every tap in the house.