Many Dallas, Fort Worth, and Westoplex residents have wondered why their dishes are left with a cloudy, hazy deposit that dulls the shine of their clean dishes and glassware, why they can’t get rid of the soap scum in their showers, why their soap and shampoo don’t lather up as they should, or why they have dry skin issues they just can’t resolve. The issue might be the water running through your pipes.
Known as hard water, this common household issue is identified by excess amounts of dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium buildup in your water. While hard water poses no risk to our health, it can impact your home and your family in multiple ways and can affect everything from your appliances to your skin and hair.
In this article, we’ll explore how to tell if you have hard water — what it is, how to detect it, and most importantly, how to address its frustrating and often costly presence in your daily life.
Whether you’ve been dealing with hard water for years or are simply curious about your water quality, we’ll help you understand the signs, science, and solutions for this common problem.
What is Hard Water?
Common Indicators of Hard Water:
White Film on Dishes and Glassware: A white, filmy coating that often appears on dishes and glassware after washing.
Reduced Soap Lather: Mineral deposits in hard water make it challenging for soap to lather, resulting in higher soap usage and less effective cleaning. This mineral buildup may cause you to notice your skin feels less smooth, your hair isn’t as silky and clean.
Scale Buildup on Appliances and Faucets: Appliances such as dishwashers and coffee pots can develop a white, scaly deposit and your faucets and shower doors can develop difficult-to-scrub soap scum.
Dry Itchy Skin and Dull Hair: The mineral deposits from hard water can create a barrier that prevents moisture from getting to your skin and hair, leading to dryness and brittleness.
Laundry Issues: Clothes washed in hard water can feel stiff and appear dull due to the minerals binding to the fabric and causing detergent not to rinse properly. You may even notice that you have to use more and more detergent over time to feel like your laundry is clean.
Premature Replacement of Water-Dependent Appliances: Calcium buildup can affect both the efficiency and lifespan of appliances. Sediment buildup in water heaters is a good indicator of hard water.
Determining the Water Hardness
If you recognize any of these signs, it’s important to determine the hardness of your water. Most water softener systems need accurate programming to operate efficiently, and knowing your water’s hardness is a vital factor before installing any type of water treatment or softening system.
Measuring Water Hardness
Units of Measurement: Water hardness is typically measured in milligrams per liter (mg/L) or grains per gallon (gpg). One grain per gallon equals approximately 17.1 mg/L.
- 0-60 mg/L (0-3.5 gpg): Soft water
- 61-120 mg/L (3.6-7 gpg): Moderately hard water
- 121-180 mg/L (7.1-10.5 gpg): Hard water
- Over 180 mg/L (over 10.5 gpg): Very hard water
Interpreting the Numbers
Hardness levels are usually provided as a range or average. We can provide some general guidelines for understanding these figures. First, you’ll need to determine if you use city or well water.
For those with City Water
If you have city water or municipal water, you may be able to check your city’s water report. Many municipalities publish an annual water quality report, known as a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
This report is usually available on your city’s official website or you can get a copy by contacting your local water utility. The Environmental Working Group’s Tap Water Database is another resource.
Look for a section labeled “water hardness” or “mineral content.” If you can’t find it, call your local water supply office for assistance or you can call Elder’s Pure Water for a free in-home water test.
For those with Well Water
Water Testing Kits
Available at most hardware stores or online, these kits come in various forms like test strips, color disk kits, and digital meters. Test strips change color based on hardness and are matched to a chart to determine levels. Digital meters can also give a direct reading of hardness in grains per gallon or parts per million.
Professional Testing
Elder’s Pure Water employs Water Quality Association (WQA) Certified water specialists to test your water at home, providing several benefits over store-bought kits:
Professional Expertise: Our technicians are certified specialists and have extensive training. They can accurately interpret test results and offer insights beyond what home kits can provide.
Comprehensive Analysis: They assess multiple water parameters, including pH levels, total dissolved solids (TDS), and specific contaminants, giving a complete picture of your water quality.
Customized Solutions: Our specialists can recommend tailored solutions based on the detailed analysis of your water, ensuring treatments are suited to your specific water quality issues.
Equipment Accuracy: We use high-precision equipment for testing, ensuring accurate and reliable results.
In-Depth Interpretation: We’ll explain each result, discuss potential health implications, and provide you with options to improve your water quality.
Real-Time Assessment: Our on-site evaluations can reveal localized issues for your home that may not be apparent from a single sample alone.
Quality Assurance: Our WQA certification ensures we adhere to industry standards and ethical practices.
Follow-Up Services: Elder’s Pure Water can provide ongoing support and guidance for your water treatment system.
Addressing Hard Water
A water softener is a proven solution for hard water problems. A water softener is designed to reduce nearly all of the minerals through a process known as ion exchange.
Benefits of Using Elder’s Pure Water
- Effective Ion Exchange Technology: Our line of Kenai water softeners uses ion exchange resin to replace hardness ions with potassium or sodium ions, transforming hard water into soft water. This process improves soap’s effectiveness, reduces scale buildup in your appliances and fixtures, and is gentler on skin and hair.
- Customized Solutions: Elder’s Pure Water offers various models and sizes to meet unique household needs, ensuring efficient and cost-effective water treatment.
- Long-Term Savings: While there is an initial investment, water softeners prevent scale buildup, extending the lifespan of plumbing and appliances. Softened water also improves soap and detergent efficiency, reducing usage which saves you money over time.
- Ease of Maintenance: Kenai softeners are user-friendly with features like high-capacity resin tanks and simple controls, requiring minimal upkeep. Our local and professional service technicians can also ensure smooth operation.
Integrating a water softener from a trusted brand like Kenai into your home can alleviate the everyday issues associated with hard water. With the right system, you can enjoy longer-lasting appliances, more effective cleaning, brighter brights, whiter whites, and softer skin and hair.
Our team at Elder’s Pure Water can help you determine if you have hard water and test for other common contaminants in our area while we’re on-site and can help your family find the perfect water treatment system for your needs.
Call us at 817-901-7775 or contact us here to speak with a water professional today.