How Water Hardness Affects Your Plumbing

Hard water is simply fresh water supply with a lot of calcium, magnesium, and a range of trace minerals in it. The mineral content determines the level of water hardness, which is measured in grains per gallon (gpg). Anything above 10.5 gpg is taken to be extremely hard, whereas 3.5 gpg is considered to be on the lower level of hardness.

Hard water doesn't pose health risks. Some studies suggest that it can aid heart health. Unfortunately, the supposed health benefits come at the expense of your plumbing system.

Clogged Pipes

As hard water continually passes through your plumbing system, the minerals start building up inside your pipes and restricting water flow. The reduced flow of water may not always be harmful, but it's annoying and inconveniencing. With time, the scale deposits from the hard water could clog your pipes leading to complete blockage or increased stress that results in leaks.

Reduced Water Heater Efficiency

Hard water lowers the efficiency of your water heater. If you ignore regular maintenance, a significant amount of mineral scale can build up at the bottom of your tank. The water heater will have to heat the water as well as all the scale that has built up, thereby using more energy than necessary.

If you have a tankless water heater, scale can build up in its heat exchanger. That not only makes your heater inefficient but could also cause overheating and burnout.

Damaged Plumbing Fixtures

Hard water can negatively affect any of your plumbing fixtures. Damaged seals and washers, valve blockages, and ruined finishes are some of its common effects.

Hard water can do damage behind the scenes for quite some time before resulting in clogged pipes, a failed water heater, and damaged fixtures. Therefore, it's best to be proactive by maintaining your water heater frequently, finding out how hard your water is, and installing a water softener if you find the hardness to be over 3 gpg.

For assistance with dealing with water hardness or any other plumbing issues in the Broken Arrow area, contact the HVAC and plumbing experts at Air Assurance.

Save Water With These Plumbing Fixtures

A plan for residential water efficiency and conservation should include the installation of water-saving plumbing fixtures.The following list includes some of the more common types of these fixtures and what you should look for when choosing water-saving plumbing equipment for your home.

WaterSense Certification

The WaterSense program is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and exists to help consumers better understand water efficiency and conservation. Any plumbing fixtures with WaterSense certification have been tested and proven to be water efficient. By using these fixtures you'll be able to reduce your monthly household water consumption and, at the same time, trim your water bill.

Hands-free Faucets

Hands-free faucets do not have standard on-off handles. Instead, they contain a sensor that activates the fixture when you place your hands under the faucet. Water continues to run while your hands are in place. When you remove them from the faucet's proximity, the faucet shuts off in just a few seconds. This helps prevent wasted water and ensures the faucet won't be left on by small children or others who may forget to shut the water off.

Dual-flush Toilets

Dual-flush toilets give you two levels of water use for flushing. The low-water option uses less water and is intended primarily for flushing liquid waste. The higher-water option needs more water to effectively remove solid waste. By using the low-water option more frequently, you'll save water by not being required to use the same amount of water each time the toilet is flushed.

High-efficiency and Low-flow Fixtures

Faucets and toilets are available in styles that automatically use less water than standard models. They provide enough water for the task, but use significantly less of it. Low-flow fixtures, such as aerators and showerheads, restrict water flow, reducing the amount of water available for bathing, cleaning, or similar tasks.

Tulsa and Broken Arrow residents can count on Air Assurance for professional heating and cooling services, including sales, installation, maintenance, and repair. Contact us today for more information on how installing water-saving plumbing fixtures can save substantial amounts of water in your home every month.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about TOPIC and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “OpenClipart-Vectors/Pixabay”