What is hard water?
This is water with high content of dissolved minerals, says the USGS. Most common of these are magnesium and calcium. It’s not the hard water that’s the problem, however. Rather, it’s the reaction that happens when the minerals mix in with other minerals, typically resulting in mineral scale. The mineral deposits are often hard and white.
Disadvantages of hard water?
Hard water is pretty rough on appliances, shortening the life expectancy of your water heaters, pipes and more with all the mineral buildup. Your clothes also fade out much too soon since the hard deposits deal extensive damage to the fibres over time. It can also leave a lot of unsightly deposits on your shower doors, walls, sinks and bathtubs. Some of these end up on your dishes too.
What is a water conditioner?
These are electronic devices that stop minerals in your water from binding to surfaces. Changing the interaction of the minerals this way eliminates a lot of problems when you’re dealing with hard water.
Advantages of a water conditioner?
Since water conditioners don’t use salt, unlike water softeners, you won’t have to keep adding salt to the system or worry about dumping it into the environment. That means a whole lot less in maintenance costs. This fits the bill, too, if you’re on a salt-free diet from the doctor. Your water heaters, washing machines and dishwashers, among other things, will run with greater efficiency and last much longer. Even your soap will lather faster. You’ll also see a marked difference in your hair. Your skin and hair will feel smoother and if you suffer from any skin irritations from exposure to hard water, that will go away as well.
So if you have hard water in your home, invest in a water conditioner to manage those hard water issues effectively.