Do you live in a part of the country that is affected by hard water? While many of the larger metro areas are free of this issue, other heavily populated areas around Adelaide or Brisbane have to deal with this on a daily basis. While you may find that it's difficult to work up a lather whenever you're trying to wash something, why could this issue have broader implications for your household budget?
Not All Water Is the Same
In an ideal world, all of the water that enters your property would be soft and in its most natural state. However, some parts of the country have unusual rainwater patterns and may sit on top of specific minerals that can affect the groundwater table and introduce deposits like magnesium and calcium to the water supply. It can be very difficult and potentially costly to remove these minerals once they have become impregnated into the water arriving at treatment plants, and consequently, they are delivered to your home in most cases. The water may be perfectly safe to drink, but it can present its own challenges for the household.
More Than a Nuisance
You may notice that it takes a lot of extra effort to work up a lather when you're in the shower or that you have to put additional soap into the laundry dispenser to arrive at the perfect result. This may add to your household costs in a small way, but you should be aware of what is happening within your hot water heater and associated pipes, as well.
Growing Problem
When hard water is heated the minerals can leach out and form a deposit or scale that will attach to the surrounding surface. With time this will build up within your shower head and cause a significant loss of pressure, and the same general effect will start to block the pipes that lead from your water heater to your kitchen or bathroom.
Heating Units
The burner inside the heater has to work overtime to try and elevate the temperature of the water through the presence of this scale. As you can imagine, this is not very efficient and you will end up using a lot more energy to do so. Furthermore, you will probably have to replace the heating unit before its due time.
Addressing the Issue
You may be able to treat this condition with a specific water softener but should nevertheless ensure that your pipes and hot water heater are kept as clear as possible. If you suspect that you have problems that have built up over time, get in touch with a hot water plumber to help you out.
