Signs Your Home Needs a Water Softener

About 85% of Americans have hard water pumping into their homes. While non-toxic, hard water is mineral-rich, these minerals can clog pipes and damage your appliances. It’s especially true in Minneapolis, which is a leading city for hard water. While some solutions work in the short-term, your best option is a water softener. It filters out hard water, making it as clear and clean as the 10,000 lakes Paul Bunyan himself once stomped into creation.

What Are the Effects of Hard Water?

Hard water causes limescale deposits throughout your home. Limescale is mineral-rich, dense, and difficult to clean. It’s often found on faucets and in appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. Due to the mineral-rich content, showering in hard water can cause skin irritation and dryness. It can also leave behind soap scum on your bathroom walls.

Water heaters are especially vulnerable to hard water. By heating hard water, limescale forms faster—especially in electric models. The limescale damages the tanks from within by settling on its floor where the heat from the burners transfers to the tank. The limescale deposits insulate the tank, making it work harder and with reduced energy efficiency. The strain decreases a water heater’s lifespan by 25% to 40%.

Hard water affects pipes most of all. When it flows through your plumbing, it can leave calcium and magnesium deposits that build up and decrease water pressure. If the blockage worsens, the affected pipes will need to be replaced.

When build-up blocks showerheads, it can also decrease water pressure. You’ll have to shower longer to get clean. The minerals in hard water make detergents and soaps less effective. They leave behind soap scum on cutlery and can make clothes smell strange and feel rough to the skin. They’ll need to be washed in repeated cycles to get them clean. The increased water usage will also increase your utility bills.

How Does a Water Softener Help?

A water softener is a filtration system. When installed into the main water line, all the water in your home will be filtered. It’s cleared of the excess minerals before being pumped into your system. This protects your pipes and water heater and makes your water cleaner.

 

If your home is experiencing hard water, you need a solution as strong as the problem. Hard water’s strength can be tamed by a water softener the way Paul Bunyan once tamed the Whistling River. If you need your home inspected for hard water or need a water softener installed, Paul Bunyan Plumbing & Drains offers monthly savings on our services. Reach out to us at (612) 340-1444.