Do you notice an unsightly scale buildup on your sink faucet and showerhead? Or perhaps your laundry feels unusually stiff after a fresh wash? These issues, and more, point to a common issue homeowners must deal with throughout Florida: hard water.
Hard water has a high level of dissolved minerals. Trace amounts of minerals are normal in any water supply. However, according to the Department of Energy, water with calcium, magnesium and other minerals at or above 7 grains per gallon (GPG) or 120 parts per million (PPM) qualifies as hard water. Fortunately, hard water poses no adverse health risks. The downside is that it can affect your life in many ways. If you’re dealing with hard water, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing can provide solutions to improve water quality throughout your home.
How Common Is Hard Water?
The latest U.S. Geological Surveys show that a staggering 85 percent of homes in America have hard water! In Florida, it’s a particularly widespread issue. Most of the state’s groundwater has a hardness level of 120 to 180 PPM. However, levels can exceed 250 PPM or 14 GPG in Daytona and other cities on the Atlantic coast. With levels that high, you’re dealing with water classified as “extremely hard.”
The state’s hard water is a byproduct of the high calcium carbonate concentration in the Florida Aquifer System. Below our feet is a vast underground water reservoir made of porous limestone. As water flows through the sedimentary rock, it picks up dissolved calcium and magnesium. By the time water reaches your faucets and appliances, it’s full of minerals.
How Does Hard Water Affect Your Home?
As mentioned earlier, hard water has no known health risks. However, that doesn’t mean you should deal with it. Hard water can wreak havoc on your life and home in many other ways.
- Limescale: Limescale is the chalky white substance left behind when water evaporates. It’s most evident in fixtures, but you may also see it in kettles, boilers, and appliances with a direct water supply. The hardened minerals are unsightly, difficult to clean and can negatively impact water flow.
- Inefficient Appliance: Over time, hard water can ruin dishwashers, washing machines, coffee makers and other appliances you use to live comfortably. Minerals harden in pipes and tubes, making machines work harder for worse performance. Not only does hard water force you to repair and replace appliances more frequently, but it can also cause your energy bills to skyrocket.
- Clogged Pipes: It’s not just the pipes and tubes in your appliances that get clogged from hardened mineral deposits. Over many years, the dissolved minerals can attach to the sides of pipes throughout your home’s plumbing infrastructure. Eventually, they’ll stop water from flowing entirely.
- Dry Hair: Hard water can change your skin’s pH balance and barrier, resulting in dryness, frequent breakouts and other problems. Those with existing skin conditions like eczema are most vulnerable to the undesirable effects of hard water.
- Dull Hair: You may also see the results of hard water in your hair. The dissolved minerals can form a film on hair strands, making it difficult for moisture to penetrate. Hard water may also prevent products from rinsing out of your hair fully. The result is dryness, dullness, frizziness and more.
- Faded Clothes and Linens: Doing laundry with hard water significantly shortens its lifespan. Minerals can cling onto fibers, making every item look faded while feeling stiff and uncomfortable.
- Spotty Dishware: Ever notice white spots on glassware? Blame hard water. As the water evaporates, the dissolved minerals stay behind, making it impossible to get your dishes crystal-clear.
Addressing Hard Water Issues with a Water Softener
Luckily, you don’t have to settle for hard water. At Benjamin Franklin Plumbing in Daytona, we proudly offer water softener installation services to homeowners like you. Whole-home water softeners are a game-changer that can solve all of the issues mentioned above and more, giving you and your family the soft, comfortable, worry-free water you deserve.
What Are Water Softeners?
Water softeners are whole-home filtration devices specifically targeting the dissolved minerals in your water supply. As the name suggests, they aim to “soften” your water by pulling minerals out. When installed successfully by licensed plumbers, softeners can significantly lower the hardness rating of water flowing throughout your home.
But how do they work?
Standard water softeners work by filtering hard water through an ion exchange process. Systems use a mineral tank containing resin beads. The beads have a negative electric charge, so they attract positively charged minerals like calcium and magnesium. As water flows through the tank, the beads attract the minerals, pulling them from the water. Then, the water exits the mineral tank and moves into your home.
Over time, minerals will accumulate on the resin beads. Water softeners periodically run a regeneration cycle using salt and water to clean them. The salt attracts the minerals, allowing the system to flush them from the system.
There are many different types of water softeners available. These include dual-tank systems for homes with higher water demands, salt-free softeners that use a potassium-chlorine solution instead of sodium and more. Our team can visit your property, perform tests to understand your home’s needs, and help you find a solution that will provide the results you’re looking for.
Hard Water Solutions in Daytona, Florida
Don’t let hard water get you down! Dissolved minerals have more of a negative impact on homes than most realize. In addition to harming your hair, skin and clothes, the effects of hard water can cost you big bucks over time. Do yourself a favor and invest in your property’s water supply.
Let Benjamin Franklin Plumbing solve your hard water headaches. We offer affordable and effective water softener installation services that make a difference. We work hard to deliver solutions that exceed your expectations, all while providing punctual service and customer service you can count on.
Reach out today to learn more and schedule your consultation for water softener installation!