With the recent and consistently large amount of rain and wet weather we have been receiving this spring, it seems fitting to discuss what is affected by quality of water IN our homes. In this month’s blog post we will help you gain a full understanding of the various impacts that water quality has both on ourselves as well as our homes!
Water quality can often be something that is overlooked in our busy lives or simply addressed by buying bottled water that we believe to be better than what is coming from our faucets. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and in some circumstances, can even be worse than what we have coming from our faucets. Additionally, the quality of water in our home involves much more than just drinking water. Water quality can affect our bodies, skin, hair, and can even affect our home’s appliances, pipes, efficiency, and longevity of fittings.
As you can see water effects much more than just what initially comes to mind when we consider water quality. We will discuss below the most common types of water pollutants, the signs that they are present, and what we can do to help counteract the effects that they have on our homes and bodies.
Water Hardness
Hard water is defined as dissolved calcium and magnesium in water. It is most often identified by white scale build up that can be present on dishes, shower heads, and faucets. Water hardness seems harmless enough and often we simply wipe off our dishes and go on with our day. However, what we are failing to see is the effects that hard water has over time as it begins to build up in our pipes, settled in our water heaters, and ultimately reduce the overall efficiency of our homes. A water heater can loose as much as 20% of its efficiency over 5 years as a solid layer of buildup settles to the bottom of the tank and creates an energy consuming barrier between the heating source and the water above that we are trying to heat. Proper whole home filtration or purification systems can ensure that these solids are filtered from our water helping to keep our homes safer and more efficient.
Acidity
Acidity is another issue commonly found in household water. Acidity can cause damage to your home’s appliances and metal surfaces by slowly deteriorating them over time. It also causes dryness of skin, is damaging to your hair, and reduces the effectiveness of soaps. This is because most soaps are alkaline based cleaning products and mixing them with acidic water reduces their alkalinity and therefore their effectiveness.
Iron
Iron is most often visible as red or orange rings that are present on toilets, sinks, and can even stain cloths and other fabrics. Iron often becomes an unsightly nuisance and can affect the clarity and smell of the water that you are consuming.
Chlorine
City water contains chlorine that is added by water treatment facilities in order to kill and prohibit the growth of bacteria in city water and water systems. While it is effective in keeping our water safe, homes in cities with higher levels often have unintended side effects as a result. Chlorine will destroy rubber and even metal over time as it slowly eats away at piping and appliances. Additionally, when this water is used to bathe and shower it can also cause skin irritation, dryness, and is unhealthy for our bodies when consumed in high levels.
For many the extent and long-term effects of the quality of water in our homes can be surprising. Even more surprising is learning that many of these quality issues still exist in some brand name bottled water products (See article). The good news however is that these issues can be properly treated with a whole home water treatment system. These systems ensure that we are using the best possible quality of water for consumption, bathing, and cleaning. The most effective way to determine the extent of water purification needs that your home’s water supply requires is to have a water analysis completed. Progressive Service Company proudly offers our customers FREE in-home water quality analysis appointments to help ensure our customers are properly caring for their homes and family. Please feel free to call with any questions or to setup an appointment today!
