How to Check for Signs of Hard Water

How do you know if you have hard water? Here is a list of things to check around the house for signs of hard water.

If you answer yes to most of these questions, then your water is hard. To find out the exact hardness, either call the city or call a company that deals with water conditioning equipment and they will test your water for free.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Inspect the faucets and shower heads.
   
   Look at faucets throughout the house for white, crusty build-up or brown, rust stains.
   
   Unscrew the kitchen faucet to look for chunks of minerals in the screen.
   Are there white spots on the faucets?

2. Look inside the dishwasher.
   
   Is the heating element (the black coil on the bottom) encrusted with white or off-white minerals? Does it feel smooth and look black, or is it corroded and eaten away, damaged by brown iron rusting the element?
   
   Is your glassware etched, cloudy, or spotted? Minerals act like sandpaper on the glasses and dishes.

3. Pay attention to your laundry.
   
   Do your whites come out nice and white or are they dingy? Do the colors fade easily? Do you use a full cap of laundry detergent for each load?
   
   How much lint are you getting in your lint trap? The more the lint, the harder the water. Minerals act like microscopic razor blades that shave away at the fabric. When the clothes go into the dryer, all that loosened fabric gets caught up in the lint trap.

4. Look inside the shower.
   
   Is there soap scum build-up in the bathtub or shower? Are you spending extra time scrubbing the soap scum or using harsh chemicals to eliminate the scum?

5. Is your skin dry or hair damaged?
   
   Natural oils in your skin can come out and lubricate itself if there are no minerals in the water. Hard water is the leading cause of dry, itchy skin--not cold, dry winter air.

Tips & Warnings

• The lifespan of your water heater is directly related to the hardness/softness of your water. Treated water can increase its lifespan and save you money on the hot water heating part of your utility bill.
• Water softeners do not guarantee completely soft water, so there is always some amount of mineral bleed-through into the house (i.e. the pipes, appliances, etc.)
• Even if your water softener is going through salt, it may not be working. The life expectancy of water softeners are only 7-10 years on average.
• Unseen damage like build-up in the plumbing can be a costly home repair--minerals accumulate in the pipes until eventually they need replaced.

[edieness]

on 5/7/2009 Good to know. thanks

[jcoolcash11]

on 4/20/2009 Checking for signs of hard water is very important! Thank you RRCR5*

[jcoolcash11]

on 4/20/2009 Checking for signs of hard water is very important! Thank you RRCR5*

[jcoolcash11]

on 4/20/2009 Checking for signs of hard water is very important! Thank you RRCR5*

[jcoolcash11]

on 4/20/2009 Checking for signs of hard water is very important! Thank you RRCR5*