During the colder winter months, the effects of using hard water tend to worsen and at this time of year, we can get unexpected repair bills that can be expensive. When people think about a water softener installation, they don’t consider how the unit can save them money. In this article, we will look at three often overlooked costs of hard water usage during winter to help you make an informed decision.
1. Purchasing More Personal Care Products
One of the more annoying characteristics of hard water is that it inhibits the formation of soap suds that deliver the cleaning power that you need. This can be observed on the surface of your skin and hair as dry skin and dull hair. People more susceptible to eczema and other skin conditions may experience itchiness and discomfort. The natural reaction to this is to spend more money on moisturizers and other problems to make your skin feel better. This is also true with your hair. Many of us spend a lot of money on shampoos, conditioners, and other products to improve the quality of our hair. To exacerbate this situation, the lack of cleaning performance encourages people to use more products. This doesn’t make much of an improvement and we tend to use and spend more on these products. When we use soft water, we can use less soap, shampoo, and other cleaners, and the condition of our skin and hair improves.
2. Damage to Plumbing Pipes
The elevated mineral content in hard water causes the formation of limescale and certain other compounds. Over time, this material accumulates on the inner surfaces of pipes and inside the fixtures. As the limescale grows thicker, it will narrow the diameter of the pipes and ultimately, they will become blocked. Dealing with low water pressure issues and fixing blocked pipes when the weather is cold isn’t easy. You will need to hire a professional plumber to fix the problems and this can be expensive when their services are in demand. Switching to softer water will not remove the limescale that is already present, but it will limit damage to your home plumbing system now and into the future.
3. Higher Energy Bills
Our water using appliances such as water heaters, washers, dishwashers, plumbed-in coffee makers, and more are all prone to hard water problems. The limescale problems can affect these appliances in a couple of ways. First, any sensors in the appliances can be coated with limescale and this can affect the end of a cleaning cycle. The second problem is the formation of limescale on the surfaces of heating elements. To reach the correct temperature, the appliance will need to work harder and for longer. This can lead to an unexpected repair bill and higher energy consumption.
In Conclusion
There are a lot of hidden costs when you use hard water in any season. When you look at these costs in more detail, a professional water softener installation looks like a bargain. If you want a water softener system for your home, contact your local water treatment specialist today.