With more than 30 years’ experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Mark Nelson is a Class 1 Drinking-Water Operator and a CBWA (Canadian Bottled Water Association) Certified Plant Operator. As founder and president of Nelson Water in Ottawa, Mark focuses on dealing with challenging water treatment system designs for problem water. He also heads the largest water bottling plant in the city of Ottawa with a delivery network throughout the Valley.

If you’ve got hard water problems, it’s important to understand that you’re not alone. It’s estimated that almost 90% of homes are supplied with water that’s characterized as hard. Water hardness is measured in grains per gallon (gpg) and harder water has a larger gpg rating. To put this into perspective, the average hardness of water is 13 gpg which is regarded as very hard. Hard water creates scale on plumbing fixtures, it damages pipes, it stains laundry, dries out our skin and a host of other problems. In this article, we will look at three ways to deal with a hard water problem in your home.

Dealing with the Root Causes of Hard Water

Before we begin, it’s important to note that we can deal with the consequences of hard water problems. A prime example would be the scale that accumulates on our plumbing fixtures. This is a consequence of hard water that we can see and it can be broken apart and cleaned away. Spray the scale with white vinegar, leaving it for 20 minutes and scrubbing it will remove the scale. But, the scale will inevitably return because the root causes of hard water have not been fixed. The other key thing to bear in mind is that dealing with these issues only works when we can see and access the problem. To return to the scale issue mentioned earlier, we cannot remove the scale that we can’t see inside our plumbing pipes. So, if you want a lasting solution to your hard water problems, you need to consider how you’re going to reduce or remove the dissolved minerals. Let’s look at some possible solutions in more detail. They are:

1.  Boiling Water

Boiling water can be used to kill waterborne pathogens and to create water that’s cleaner and safer to drink. This is an energy intensive way to remove some of the hardness too, but it’s a little impractical to use on a daily basis. The process is simple, bring the water to the boil and keep it at a rolling boil for at least a few minutes. Then let the water cool for at least a couple of hours before you continue.

When you look at the water, you may notice that there is some white mineral content at the bottom of the pot. This is the excess mineral content that causes hard water and you don’t want that material. Carefully scoop out the water leaving that mineral content behind and you will have softer water to work with.

This process only removes temporary hardness from the water and it won’t be an effective method in every home. This process doesn’t work if you run water from your water heater because that appliance contributes to hardness with mineral precipitation. The heating element in the water heater has accumulated scale over time and this can make the incoming water harder.

2.  Cleaning Scale

We briefly covered this process earlier but a more detailed explanation may be helpful for some people when they want to remove scale from plumbing fixtures. The primary cleaning ingredient is white vinegar that we can use to remove hard spots. The vinegar should be mixed with water which could be produced with the boiling method detailed above.

The vinegar and water should be mixed in a 1:1 ratio and the best way to apply this solution is a spray bottle. This solution can be sprayed on glass, drains, porcelain and even fabrics to break up mineral scale deposits. Leave the surface for a few minutes and then scrub lightly to break the material apart.

This is effective if you have moderately hard water because scale reacts with acids such as vinegar. This solution will also disinfect bacteria, mold growth and certain other pathogens that may be lurking in soap scum. This is a temporary solution at best, the scale will return unless the underlying root cause of hard water is fixed.

3.  Installing a Water Softener System

A water softener represents a significant investment, but it’s the only practical and long-lasting fix for this problem on our list. There are a number of different water softening methods, but the only one that delivers consistent performance is the ion-exchange method. This directs the incoming water supply through a resin media bed where the mineral ions are exchanged for benign salt ions. The salt ions used are typically sodium based, but those sensitive to salt or on a low salt diet can use a potassium salt instead.

The ion-exchange method leaves behind a residue of mineral ions on the surface of the resin media beads. As the surfaces of these beads are covered, the ion-exchange process becomes less efficient and eventually, it would stop working altogether. To deal with this problem, a regeneration cycle is pre-programmed to flush the media clean. This system can be set with a timer or more modern units trigger regeneration when certain volumes of water have been treated.

Some people worry about the salt that’s added to the water and it’s true that sensitive people may be able to taste a little saltiness in their drinking water. But, the amounts of salt added are minuscule and many people cannot tell the difference. To improve the quality of the softened water most homeowners install additional filtration systems. Adding a reverse osmosis (RO) filter to remove other contaminants or a granular activated carbon (GAC) filter to give the water a final polish.

The Benefits of Soft Water

Soft water is kinder to you and your home in many ways and some may surprise you. Hard water inhibits the formation of soap suds, people attempt to compensate by adding more soap and detergent but this is a waste of money. On laundry days, you can wash your clothes and other fabrics at lower temperatures using less soap and get superior results. Soft water is less corrosive, it’s kinder on your plumbing pipes and fixtures. When you shower or wash your hair in soft water you will be surprised at how soft your skin feels and how manageable your hair feels.

If you want to install a water softener in your home, contact your local water treatment specialist today.