Do you know what hard water is?
Do you know what hard water is? You might have heard it had something to do with lime scale. When you have your water come in from a publicly-provided source, it might not be as clean as you expect it to be. It will look clean, for sure, but it might contain calcium and magnesium. While these minerals are good for your body, they’re not good for your home’s plumbing. Let’s see how hard water can affect your various plumbing fixtures.
Your Pipes
Enough hard water in your pipes can cause a buildup of lime scale. Much like how high levels of cholesterol can block affected arteries, hard water and lime scale can clog up your pipes. It will cut off the flow of water, causing your plumbing to have to work harder to compensate for a less efficient output. Steel is greatly affected by this debris, but copper and PVC, are, happily, able to resist its effects. Eventually, the water pressure will get so low that you’ll have no choices but replace your pipes.
Your Faucets and Showerheads
Why does adequate water pressure matter so much? Imagine jumping in the shower on a particularly frigid, windy day after raking leaves or working in the yard all day. You’re expecting this gloriously hot water to come roaring out, and all you get is a drip. Even if the pipes are untouched, faucets and showerheads still tend to develop hard water because of how often they’re used. The hard water can stain surfaces all over your fixtures, not just inside them.
Your Water Heaters
As hard as it is to believe, hard water can build up on your water heaters, too. In fact, anywhere there is a source of water, that source can develop hard water. At some point, the hard water will form a film over your water heaters, making it more difficult for heat to transfer, and reducing the effectiveness of your water heaters. Now imagine this: instead of a dripping shower, you have plenty of pressure – but if sprays out ice cold water instead of a warm stream!
ALL OF YOUR PLUMBING NEEDS FROM ALPHA PLUMBING
Alpha Plumbing is a full-service plumbing and contracting company serving the Baltimore and Annapolis metro area with expertise in all aspects of plumbing. We’re family-owned and operated since 1991 from our office in Pasadena. We offer quality plumbing services at reasonable rates in a timely fashion. Our trucks are equipped with GPS systems to ensure we’re prompt and on time. No job is too large or too small! We maintain a fleet of well-stocked trucks and also own and operate our own backhoes for jobs requiring excavation.
For more information and to get a free no-obligation estimate, you can contact us on our website, send us an e-mail, or give us a call at (410) 255-5998.