If you live in the Inland Empire, you have hard water. You can see it in the white crust on your faucets and feel it in the way soap never quite rinses off. It is more than a nuisance, though. Hard water quietly wears down your plumbing. Here is what it does, and what you can do about it.
A whole-home water treatment system we installed to fight hard water.
What hard water actually is
Hard water simply means water with a high level of dissolved minerals, mostly calcium and magnesium. It is not harmful to drink, but as it moves through your plumbing it leaves those minerals behind as scale. Over years, that buildup adds up.
What it does to your home
Scale is the problem. Inside your pipes it narrows the path water flows through, which drops your pressure over time. Inside your water heater it settles as sediment, making the unit work harder and fail sooner. It clogs faucet aerators and shower heads, spots up your glassware, and leaves laundry feeling stiff. Appliances like dishwashers and washing machines wear out faster too.
- Scale buildup inside pipes and lower water pressure
- Sediment in the water heater and a shorter lifespan
- Clogged aerators, shower heads, and fixtures
- Spotty dishes, dingy laundry, and dry skin
Signs you have a hard water problem
Most homes here do, but the tells are white crust on faucets and shower heads, soap that will not lather, spots on clean dishes, and a water heater that does not last as long as it should. If that sounds familiar, your plumbing is paying the price.
How to fix it
The long-term answer is treatment, a water softener or filtration system that pulls the minerals before they reach your pipes. That protects everything downstream, from your water heater to your fixtures. In the meantime, flushing your water heater once a year clears the sediment that hard water leaves behind. Our water treatment service handles the whole setup.
A couple of common questions
Is hard water dangerous? Not to your health. The harm is to your plumbing, fixtures, and appliances over time.
Does a softener help my water heater? Yes. Less scale means less sediment, which keeps the heater efficient and helps it last longer.
Tired of Hard Water in Your Home?
We will test your water and lay out your options, with a free quote up front.
Call (951) 833-3006Since hard water is what kills most heaters around here, it is worth knowing what a water heater replacement really costs and whether a tankless or tank unit makes more sense for your home before you buy.
KDP Plumbing installs water treatment across the Inland Empire, including Corona, Riverside, and Norco. See our water treatment service, our water heater service, or request a free quote.