The short answer to this is, “yes,” but please allow us to explain….
The truth is, there are many water quality problems that can impact not only your plumbing system but your health, too. One of the most common water quality issues we have around here is hard water, though most homeowners aren’t even aware they have a problem!
It’s important, though, that you be aware of what hard water is, what its symptoms are, and what to do about it. Whether hard water is your culprit or some other water quality problem is impacting your home, our team can help you choose and install the right water treatment system for the job.
First, What’s Hard Water?
You may have heard this term at some point, and figured you didn’t really need to worry about it as it wasn’t something that was inherently dangerous. And that’s true, hard water is harmless to ingest.
Hard water has a high level of minerals in it—namely magnesium and calcium, and sometimes even iron. As we said, harmless to you—but the danger that hard water presents is to your plumbing system. Over years of exposure to hard water, the walls of your pipes will start accumulating these mineral deposits, and this type of built-up mineral deposit will create what we all know as limescale.
The Negative Impact of Lime Scale
So, why is it a big deal if this is accumulating inside your home’s plumbing system? Well, the more that limescale builds up within your plumbing pipes, the more it restricts the flow of water through them. This reduces the water pressure in your system and makes it more difficult for the plumbing to operate effectively.
Worse than this, if this lime scale isn’t caught and removed in time, it will eventually harden, making it nearly impossible to remove the scale without damaging the pipe that it is attached to. If you truly want to protect your plumbing from hard water and the problems it causes, you’ll want to take preventive measures.
“Okay, What Do I Do?”
We mentioned a water treatment system earlier in this post. More specifically, you’ll want to look into the installation of a water softener. This is a type of treatment system for your water designed to treat exactly this problem. There are different types of water softeners, but they all operate on the same basic principle. They neutralize the magnesium and calcium particles in the water in some way. This “softens” the water so that limescale doesn’t form in the pipes.
If you’re unsure whether or not you have to worry about hard water at all, there are a couple of ways you can tell. Look around your faucets, and in your bathtub or shower, for any chalky white substance. This is the limescale we’re referring to. If it’s present in these areas you can bet it’s probably in your pipes, too.
You should also look for any signs that your water pressure is decreasing. This is the sign of a clog in general, so even if hard water and limescale build up aren’t to blame, it’s still something you should have checked out by a professional plumber right away.
When you need a trustworthy plumber in Sterling, VA, look no further than AllTech Services, Inc. Contact us today!