Water is classified as hard whenever there is an imbalance in the amount of dissolved minerals within its makeup. Upwards of 80% of homes have hard water, and the real surprise is that many of these people don’t realize they have hard water issues.

Hard water can damage the fixtures around your home and impact the condition of your skin. Learn some of the telltale signs that typically implicate hard water as a problem so that you can resolve this issue.

Tasteful Water

Water doesn’t have taste in the standard sense, such as when you bite into a flavorful burger. When water starts to trigger the taste receptors in your mouth, it’s a clear indication that there is something present in the water. Hard water may take on a bleach, metal, or even a swampy like taste depending on the specific containment present in the water.

For instance, a metal taste is often an indication of excessive iron. Water that is tasteless, but has an unusual smell, such as a rotten egg scent, is also an indication of hard water.

Flaky Skin

Hard water doesn’t break down soap in the same manner that properly balanced water does. Consequently, trace amounts of soap will remain on your skin, even after you’ve rinsed off. Soap residual dries the skin and causes it to feel irritated. Leftover soap combined with the natural drying effects of hard water creates excessively dry and flaky skin.

Additionally, if anyone in your family suffers from dry skin or eczema, you will find that their condition worsens whenever they bathe or shower. Hard water is likely to blame when you can’t seem to keep your skin moisturized.

Fixture Stains

Unsightly stains are a red flag not to ignore. An imbalance in the mineral makeup of water typically causes brown or dark orange stains in your sinks, toilet bowls, or any other areas where water usually rest. When you see this problem in your home, you’re more or less experiencing a symptom of hard water.

As hard water flows through your pipes, it often causes these fixtures to rust. The discoloration you’re experiencing is a result of the rust in your pipes traveling with the water. There are ways to remove this discoloration, but without resolving the problem, it will only reappear.

Excessive Soap Scum

Soap that doesn’t break down properly doesn’t just leave behind a film on the skin; it also settles on surfaces in the form of soap scum, and an excessive amount of scum is an indication of hard water.

In addition to soap scum in your bathroom, you may also notice a film on your dishes and around the inside of your dishwasher. In some instances, the spots aren’t soap scum, but instead a leftover mineral deposit, such as calcium, which is easy to spot on shower doors and glass cups. Either way, a buildup is a sign of hard water.

Combating Hard Water

If you suspect hard water issues in your home, you need first to have your water tested. The scenarios mentioned above are the result of hard water, but they are also sometimes the result of sediment buildup in pipes, particularly older pipes that are starting to deteriorate.

If it’s confirmed that you have hard water, you can install a whole-home softening and filtration system. Whole-home units work similar to faucet filters, just on a much larger scale and use a process known as ion exchange, a process that extracts harmful minerals from the water and replaces them with safer minerals like sodium, to soften the water.

At ACME Plumbing, Drain & Septic, from water testing to softener installation, we’re here to assist with this process: (317) 423-7289