What is Hard Water Doing To My Home?

Hard water. AKA, the enemy of all households. It wreaks havoc on your home and your

finances and can feel like a never-ending nightmare to deal with. All is not lost however.

Every villain has their superhero nemesis and in the case of hard water, your local AIWSE

expert is here to save the day.

If you’ve ever noticed your household surfaces covered in water marks or your taps and

appliances riddled with limescale, you are living in a hard water area. Not just unsightly

however, hard water can cause a whole host of problems for you and your property.

So what is hard water doing to your home?

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●No Lather

Have you noticed that it can take a lot of shampoo or soap to do the job when taking a

shower? This is because the high mineral content of hard water does not combine well with

soaps and detergents, making it harder to create a nice bubbly lather. This will mean that

you will need to buy toiletries far more often, which can prove costly.

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●Soap scum

As mentioned above, hard water does not combine well with detergents meaning that you

will get a build up of soap scum on surfaces as the water is not able to fully rinse away the

residue. Not only does this not look too good, it also creates more work for you to keep

things clean.

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●Water marks

Likewise, you will see water marks on the surfaces around your home that have come into

contact with hard water. These stains appear when tap water evaporates, leaving behind the

magnesium and calcium minerals that it contains.  

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●Limescale

The main unmistakable sign on your surfaces that hard water has been present is the build

up of limescale. Limescale is formed when the magnesium and calcium in hard water comes

into contact with heat, creating a hard chalky substance. Limescale is notoriously difficult to

remove, requiring a lot of hard work and harsh chemicals. Not just in the places that you can

see, limescale will also build up in water-consuming appliances and plumbing fixtures,

potentially reducing both efficiency and life expectancy.

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●High Utility Bills

When limescale builds up within your pipework, your water usage will go up as pipes will

have to work harder to allow the flow of water through. Water using appliances such as

dishwashers and washing machines will end up having to push themselves more, leading to

an increase in the amount of water usage. Hard water will also have an effect on your

energy usage. The average household in a hard water area will gain at least 1.5mm of scale  

building within its internal plumbing over a year. As scale is an insulator, the heat of your

system will be transferred less effectively. This means that a greater amount of energy is

required. A build up of just 1.5mm is enough to reduce your heating efficiency by at least

12% meaning much larger energy bills. Not good!

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●Appliance lifespan

Household appliances don’t come cheap so the last thing you want to be doing is having to

constantly repair or replace them. Hard water can cause scale build-up on water-using

appliances such as your washing machine, dishwasher and kettle, reducing their lifespan

and energy efficiency. The most important household appliance of all is your boiler. Boilers

can be expensive to replace. It’s worth noting that in addition to saving energy, softened

water is expected to preserve your boiler’s lifespan to the standard 15 years.

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●Dull Fabrics

The fast way to faded, dull and rough fabrics is by washing with hard water. The high levels

of magnesium and calcium in hard water can prevent the laundry detergent from being

properly rinsed out, leaving a build up on the surface and your fabrics looking old before

their time.

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●Itchy skin  

When you live in a hard water area, the mineral content of your water supply is very high.

While water is supposed to hydrate the skin, it has the opposite effect when your water is

hard, causing itchy skin and dry hair. Not only will these minerals clog your pores and dry

skin, water containing these will also not work too well with soap, leaving a film on your skin

which is difficult to rinse away. This residue on your skin will irritate it and result in excessive

dryness and roughness. Hard water can also block pores causing blackheads and

inflammation and exacerbate skin conditions such as eczema.

Thankfully the answer to all of your hard water woes is having a water softener installed in

your home. Home water filtration systems are not usually covered by your general plumber

so it's always the best idea to call the experts in for the finest results. This is where your

local AIWSE member can come to your rescue. All AIWSE members are independent so can

give you fully impartial advice on the perfect water softener for your home. As water

softener specialists, you will be guaranteed a professional service from start to finish as well

as quality products, installations and servicing. We have AIWSE superheroes based all

around the UK so just a quick phone call to your nearest member and you can be on your

way to banishing the effects of hard water from your home for good.

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