The signs you have hard water—and what to do about it

By Mathew Lajoie

What are the telltale signs you have hard water in your home?

You may have noticed scale build-up in your sink and tub. It’s a white, crusty substance that builds up over time, and you’re likely to see it on your faucets and shower head. Not only is it unsightly and hard to remove, it can also damage your fixtures and create issues with your pipes and water heater.

The reason this occurs is because hard water contains high levels of dissolved calcium, magnesium and other minerals, which create scale when the water comes in contact with air or is heated. These hard water minerals attach themselves to your kitchen and bathroom fixtures, pipes and appliances, forming a hard layer. 

If you can see scale build-up on your bathroom fixtures, you can imagine what the inside of your pipes might look like. Significant build-up can restrict the flow of water through your pipes and affect the functioning of your appliances. Some of this damage can be costly to repair.

As the amount of scale increases in your home it can become more and more difficult for water to flow through your pipes which may cause a decreased water flow and pressure loss in your plumbing. 

Another unpleasant effect is that it can increase your hydro bills. Your water heater simply won’t work as efficiently, taking more time and energy to heat and pump water throughout your home.

A water softener can help reduce hard water and the effects scale can have on your home. The Water Treatment Experts at Water Depot can provide a solution that is right for you and your family.

Sulphur

Once you have a water treatment system in place, a simple add-on feature can even further improve your home’s water quality. By adding an iron filter to your water softening system, you can reduce the amount of iron and sulphur in your water as well.

If your water has a bad smell, it can be quite off-putting. A strong rotten egg smell coming from your sink would indicate that there may be sulphur in your ground water. Sulphur in your water system can create hydrogen sulphide gas, which may be the reason for that unpleasant smell and taste. In some cases it can become so strong that your home and laundry takes on the scent permanently.

Iron-reducing filtration products have proven quite effective at reducing the chemicals in water that cause it to smell and taste bad. Water Depot offers the Iron Slayer, which uses air injection technology to reduce hydrogen sulphide from your family’s drinking water. It does not add any chemicals in the process. The Iron Blaster uses a special filter media and an ozone generator to reduce the level of hydrogen sulphide from your home’s water. The result is clear, fresh water for your family without any added chemicals.

Iron

High levels of clear iron in your water may not be detectable at first, but over time you will notice the signs. You’re likely to find rust stains in your sink, tub and toilet; this occurs when the clear iron dries and is exposed to the air.

Water is referred to as “nature’s solvent”, because as it moves through the environment it absorbs a little bit of everything it comes in contact with. This can result in unpleasant staining, odours, taste and colour. 

If you have red iron in your water, it will be much more obvious. The water coming out of your tap will be coloured and may have a metallic taste to it.

Both clear and red iron can build up inside your pipes and fixtures, causing clogs to form. Certain bacteria feed off the iron and produce a slime inside the back of toilet tanks and a smell from your water heater. 

Filtration products can reduce chemicals, iron, sediment, rust, stains, odour, bad tastes and cloudiness, resulting in cleaner water that won’t stain your fixtures. Water Depot’s Iron Slayer can reduce both clear and red iron from your family’s drinking water and it doesn’t require the addition of any chemicals to do so. The Iron Blaster can reduce rusty-coloured water from your home; both are also safe for your septic bed.

Franchisees Bruce and Cindy Bresee own the Water Depot stores in Kanata and Kemptville, and have just opened a third location in Carleton Place. Visit the Kanata location at 462 Hazeldean Road, the Kemptville store at 2878 County Road 43 and the newly opened Carleton Place at 320 Coleman Street. To arrange a free water test, call 613-257-2197.
 

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