Water Softeners, Hard Water and Soft Water Systems

Scale and lime deposits take their toll on other water-heating appliances such as dishwashers and coffee makers, increasing the need for repairs. Worse, scale cakes onto interior surfaces of water heaters, making them less efficient and more likely to fail.

According to a study at New Mexico State University, commissioned by The Water Quality Research Council, water heaters operate from 22 to 30 percent less efficiently when plagued with hard-water scale.

Hard water problems are more obvious as a nuisance where you cook and bathe. Calcium and magnesium react with many soaps and detergents, diminishing their lathering or cleaning capability and forming a scum--sometimes called "soap curd"--that is difficult to rinse away.

In the kitchen, this translates to spotted dishes and scale on cookware. In the bath, it appears as bathtub ring and tile scum. In the laundry, it means gray, stiff clothing. And in house cleaning it means more scrubbing and rinsing.

When bathing, you generally need more soap or shampoo and must rinse more thoroughly. Additionally, certain hard-water minerals, such as iron and manganese, can also have an undesirable appearance, odor or taste.

Hard water does enter the health arena in one area: People who have it are more prone to rashes and skin problems because it changes the skin's pH and soap remains on the skin, clogging pores.

Complete services

In addition to selling and installing a water softener, some softener firms provide a service where they regularly exchange exhausted with charged units. This type of service is a good bet if you live in an area where wastewater from sewers is recycled for municipal watering because sodium may be considered a pollutant.

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