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Water Softener

How to Tell if You Need a Water Softener

Possibilities are if you are living in an area with hard water, you are familiar with the problems of living in an area with hard water.

You may have received calls from water softener sales people, but you have no idea what you should do.

This article will answer the following next-step questions:

  • Do you have hard water in your home?
  • Do you need a water softener?

How to Tell If You Have Hard Water in Your Home

Water Softener

The simplest way to identify whether you are getting hard water is by merely analyzing the damage it does to your dishes, cutlery, and glasses.

The mineral particles found in hard water are harsh and cause stains, resulting in fogginess in glasses and glass crockery.

You can also notice stains on windows cleaned with hard water, and those stains stay even after thorough washing and drying.

Hard water also forms scale. These hard mineral deposits build up slowly inside kitchen appliances (for example, a pot) and develop within pipes and boilers systems.

This scale can make devices inefficient and can clog pipes to the extent where they become far less able to pass water through them.

Replacing defective plumbing is the costliest outcome of hard water.


Humans Suffer from Hard Water, Too

Hard Water Problem

Appliances aren't the only things damaged by hard water. It can harm you, too.

Hard water may cause itchy skin and dull hair, too. This is a result of the growth in magnesium and calcium salts dissolved in the water.

Hard water also combines with soaps and detergents to make them less effective, which reduces your ability to clean clothes and dishes.

Clothes and other stuff are also impacted. White dresses turn grey, and many colors on the clothes become disappeared. Clothes may even feel scratchy and aren't affected by washing powders.


How To Test Your Water for Hardness

Hard Water

If you notice signs of hard water, you can carry out a simple test to examine it.

Follow the given steps below to test your tap water for hardness:

Fill a 360 ml jar with tap water, add ten drops of liquid soap, close the cap and shake it vigorously to mix the soap with the water.

Open the lid and check for soap suds. If there are plenty of soap suds, it is likely that your tap water is soft enough.

Contact your water company to learn about hardness in your water source.

Ask a water softener company to check your water for hardness. Water purifier companies frequently do these tests at no cost.

Send a water sample to them and receive a report.

They might also provide test strips or a test kit to determine the amount of hardness.

You can also order a test kit or test strips from the internet and use them to test your tap water.

When you know how hard your tap water is, the next step is to decide how you want to resolve the problem.

Today, a variety of water softener and water filter systems are available, and you can select the most suitable model that fits your all requirements.


What exactly does a water softener do?

Water softener working

Water softeners remove the damaging effects of hard water by extracting mineral ions and metal ions that make the water hard.

This practice is referred to as ion exchange.

Water softeners are available worldwide and come in a broad range. Seek expert advice before purchasing a water softener system, though, or do a water hardness test yourself utilizing a water testing kit.

A few softeners automatically regenerate while others use a computer to monitor levels of water usage.


Do you need a water softener?

do you need a water softener

If you have hard water in your home, then you should buy a water softener. The precise requirements for your home differ - some areas have more minerals than others.

In the beginning, these problems might not seem drastic - but over time they'll gradually worsen and have adverse consequences on your bathing, dishes and home appliances that come in contact with water.

Even though hard water won't damage your health, it is going to destroy your belongings and reduce the life of your pipes.

The only method to get rid of these problems is using a water softener.

Read our recently-updated buying guide to select the right water softener for your particular mix of minerals and budget.


Additional Reference:

https://www.thewatersoftener.com/5-signs-need-home-water-softener-system/

Ed Carmichael

About the Author Ed Carmichael

Ed is a water specialist in Tampa, FL. He built CleanerSofterWater.com to help his friends and family learn about DIY solutions to common water quality issues in the home.

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