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4 Ways Hard Water May Cost You Money

Plumbers Blog, Plumbing Services

If you have a well in Georgia, you might have hard water caused by the high mineral concentration in the area. Although you may think that it is simply ugly and unsightly around your plumbing fixes, hard water may be damaging your home and costing you money. Here are several places you may be incurring these costs.

1. Plumbing Costs

The magnesium and calcium you see building up around your faucets and on your showerhead is a visible example of what is taking place inside of your plumbing pipes. These same minerals can cause buildups to occur that can eventually block your pipes.

Some piping materials such as copper, PEX, and PVC are more resistant to mineral buildup and corrosion than iron pipes, but none of them are totally exempt. Signs of possible mineral buildup include reduced water flow, blockages, or leaks.

2. Appliance Costs

Have you noticed lime scale in and around your ice maker or around your washing machine lines? Have you noticed discoloration inside your washing machine or dishwasher?

Unfortunately, any of your appliances that use water are at risk of mineral buildup and failure when you have hard water. Even small appliances are at risk. These include your coffee pots, electric irons, and more.

Mineral buildup will not only occur in the water lines going to your appliances but can take place in and around any of the working components within your appliances the water comes in contact with. Over time, this will cause your appliances to fail, which means you will find yourself replacing them more often than you would have to otherwise.

3. Energy Costs

A thin layer of scale buildup that is no more than 1/16th of an inch can cause your appliance to use up to 10 percent more energy. One of the components of your home that buildup affects the most is your hot water heater.

Because hard water buildup settles in the bottom of your tank and builds on your heating elements, the cost of operating this important appliance can quickly escalate. Mineral buildup is also one of the common causes of your heating elements burning out and needing to be replaced.

4. Personal Care and Cleaning Costs

If you have been dealing with hard water for any period of time, you know that it affects how much later you are able to get out of your soap, shampoo, and dishwashing detergent. This leads to you having to use more product to get the results you are looking for, which results in you purchasing these products more often.

Hard water can also result in your hair looking dull and feeling dry and brittle. The hard water affects the surface of your hair shaft and can make your hair more easily tangled. This can often result in you using more of or additional products to manage your hair.

The mineral buildup on your skin can also cause your skin to feel drier, which will often result in you using more moisturizers, oils, or lotions. Drier skin may result in a flair of eczema or other types of skin related conditions. This can lead to increased use of medications or dermatology visits.

You do not have to live with hard water. Fortunately, there are ways to address this problem before it continues to cost you more money. Billy Bell Plumbing can discuss some of these options with you. We will be happy to help you choose and install a water softening system that will make your hard water a thing of the past. Contact us today for the help you need with your water.