Hard water is a common problem for homeowners in and around Cape Girardeau. Unfortunately, it can do significant harm to your plumbing if left untreated.

Learning the difference between hard water vs. soft water is the first step in protecting your home plumbing Here, the experts at Prestige Plumbing and Air will explain what hard water is, the warning signs you have hard water and how hard water affects your plumbing. Then, we’ll explain how we can protect your home.

What’s the Difference: Hard Water vs. Soft Water?

How do we define hard water? It’s water that contains high levels of minerals like calcium and magnesium. These minerals are harmless to drink but can harm your plumbing.

By comparison, soft water has those minerals removed. Unlike hard water, soft water is doesn’tnot going to damage your plumbing system.

Signs You Have Hard Water in Your Home

There are several signs you may have hard water in your home:

  • A chalky, white residue on fixtures
  • Reduced water pressure
  • Dry skin or brittle hair
  • Stiff or faded laundry
  • Shampoo doesn’t lather very much
  • Spots on glasses after washing in dishwasher

If you experienced any of these issues, call Prestige Plumbing and Air for a professional water quality assessment. Our team will test your water hardness levels (grains per gallon/PPM), so we can accurately measure your water hardness and how to fix it.

Frequently Reported Hard Water Effects on Plumbing

What’s the benefit in knowing if you have hard water in your home? Hard water causes minerals to stick to the inside of your pipes, which forms something called limescale.

Limescale in plumbing narrows the available space inside of your pipes, which can slow water movement and even cause clogs or leaks.

The following are examples of the problems caused by limescale buildup can cause in your home’s pipes:

Pipe Damage and Leaks

Hard water scale buildup within plumbing lines can create irregular surfaces. This speeds up corrosion and raises the risk of small leaks. This is most likely in older metal plumbing.

Damage to Your Appliances

Mineral limescale buildup in your washing machine or boiler can cause serious issues. It forces these appliances to strain to operate by coating heating elements and parts with limescale, causing them to wear out faster.

Low Water Pressure

As limescale builds up inside pipes, it limits water flow. You may notice signs of restricted water flow, such as weaker shower streams or tubs needing extra time to fill with water.

Soap Scum Acculation and Hard Water Stains

Another effect of hard water in your plumbing is unsightly soap scum and hard water staining:

  • Soap scum: Develops when soap reacts with calcium and magnesium in hard water to produce insoluble salts. This cloudy residue doesn’t rinse away.
  • Hard water stains: Created when water evaporates and deposits minerals. It can appear as mineral rings on fixtures, as well as spots, streaks or rings in sinks, showers and bathtubs. It can even cloud the glassware in the dishwasher. Sometimes hard water stains have rust-colored staining if your water contains high levels of iron.

Easy, Afforable Ways to Protect Your Home from Hard Water with Prestige Plumbing and Air

What can you do about hard water? From evaluation and testing to prevention, Prestige Plumbing and Air provides complete hard water solutions in Cape Girardeau. We repair existing hard water damage, offering solutions such as descaling pipes and fixtures to remove stubborn mineral deposits and flushing appliances to restore water flow.

Our plumbing services also stop additional hard water issues before they start with water softener installation. We also can help you find the best filtration system to remove hard water for your home. Water softeners and filtration solutions limit mineral buildup in pipes, providing soft, mineral-free water.

Stop hard water damage today! Contact a local plumber from Prestige Plumbing and Air by calling 573-266-2048 today!