If you notice a significant amount of soap scum on your tub walls, it may be caused by hard water. Your dry and itchy skin may also be caused by this phenomenon. It’s also possible that a damaged pipe or inconsistent water pressure throughout your home can be blamed on hard water as well. Let’s take a closer look at what this is and how you can mitigate it in your home.
What Is Hard Water?
To put it simply, hard water is moisture that is contaminated with calcium that can be picked up from a number of sources. For instance, if there is a rock bed outside of your house, minerals will leech into any water that flows through it and into your home.
How Do You Know If Your Home’s Water Is Hard?
There are a couple of ways to tell if the water in your home is harder than it should be.
Soap Test
First, you can place a small sample of water in a jar and mix it with dish soap. You then shake the sample, wait a few seconds and see how the water and soap interact. If the soap is foamy, there is a good chance that it isn’t hard, but if it doesn’t foam, there is a good chance that it is.
Test Strips
The other method is to acquire a test strip from a home improvement store or from an online retailer. In this scenario, you simply place the strip in a small sample of water, wait a few seconds and then compare the color of the strip to the code on the box it came in.
If you want or need more information, you can contact your local supplier for a thorough analysis of what’s in your water. The analysis can either be used in lieu of an in-home test or as confirmation of the results of your own work.
What’s Considered Hard Water?
Many tests will use the grains per gallon (GPG) standard to determine if your home’s water is hard. If your test gives a result higher than seven, you’ll need to look into ways to bring that number down in an effort to protect your home and your health.
What Can You Do to Mitigate Hard Water in Your Home?
There are several steps that you can take to mitigate the impact of hard water on your home.
Install a Water Softening System
Many homeowners opt to install a water softening system in their home, but this may result in water that feels slimy to the touch. If you aren’t ready to install a softening system in your home, you may be able to help your skin by using special soaps or taking other measures to alter your skincare routine.
Regular Inspection of Plumbing
In addition, you’ll want to have pipes, appliances and other plumbing components inspected regularly for damage. This can help you to catch issues while they are still easy to fix.
The folks at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing may be able to provide further insight into how you can protect your home from the potentially negative consequences of hard water.
Contact Our Team Today for Help
If you think that your home has hard water, give the team at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing a call today. We may be able to install a water softening system or take other steps to resolve any new or ongoing issues related to poor water quality in your house.