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.

Almost 90% of American homes are supplied with hard water which has a high concentration of dissolved mineral content. It’s natural to have minerals in our water, but elevated levels of calcium, magnesium and to a certain extent iron are a problem. If you’ve noticed phenomena such as dry skin, dull hair, soap scum, spotty glasses, scale formation and more, it’s likely that you’re receiving hard water. In this article, we will examine six negative hard water consequences and how to fix the problem.

What is Hard Water?

Water is a solvent, it naturally takes on the properties of materials that it comes into contact with and this includes rock and soil. Water falls as rain, it soaks into the ground and moves to surface water and groundwater sources. Many added minerals are beneficial to our health and this includes calcium, magnesium and iron. Water hardness is measured in grains per gallon (gpg), the higher the gpg, the harder the water is. To put this into some perspective, hard water with 13 gpg of hardness is typical and this is considered to be very hard. Let’s look at how hard water can affect your home in negative ways.

1.  Strange Stains

One of the more obvious phenomena that accompany hard water may be ugly reddish/brown stains on plumbing fixtures and water using appliances. This is caused by high concentrations of dissolved iron and these stains even look like rust. There is a good reason for this, the iron could be emanating from your own plumbing pipes. Hard water can be corrosive and older iron pipes are very susceptible to this damage. Removing these stains is difficult, a lot of scrubbing is required, but an application of white vinegar can make the process easier. But, these stains will always return until the underlying hard water problem is fixed.

2.  A Strange Taste and/or Odor

When drinking water tastes or smells weird, it’s one of the easier ways to understand that something is wrong. Under normal conditions, drinking water should have no discernible taste or odor. When water tastes bad, the cause could be some type of bacterial growth but the exact problem will change depending on the specific contamination. A prime example would be a metallic taste that may be caused by high concentrations of iron. If your drinking water tastes dirty, the cause may be algae, sediment or damage caused to aging pipes by hard water scale. A “rotten egg” taste and smell may be caused by hydrogen sulfide gas which is formed due the combination of bacteria and magnesium which can form sulfates.

3.  The Formation of Soap Scum

An annoying characteristic of hard water is that it inhibits the formation of soap suds. This diminishes the effectiveness of soaps and detergents, but it also causes the formation of soap scum. This hard chalky material can be found on plumbing fixtures and it’s hard to clean without an application of white vinegar. But, the cleaning problems are only part of the problem because soap scum is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. The soap scum that accumulates on a shower curtain can be covered in a microbial biofilm that spreads bacteria to your body when you take a shower. Removing soap scum is difficult and it will always return unless the underlying hard water problem is fixed.

4.  Damage to Plumbing Systems

The formation of hard water scale can cause significant damage to plumbing pipes and fixtures. As the scale accumulates on the inner surfaces of the pipes, it will narrow them and the water pressure may drop. Scale covers heating elements in water using appliances which makes the water heating times longer. This reduction in energy efficiency will raise energy bills and the overworked systems are more prone to failure. This can lead to unexpected repair bills and an earlier than expected replacement.

5.  Skin and Hair Problems

The formation of soap scum can give us some clues about how this material affects our skin and hair. The mineral content can clog skin pores and become tangled in hair follicles. This prevents the formation of natural oils which keep our skin and hair hydrated naturally. This is why many people that shower in hard water have dry or itchy skin and it’s the cause of those dreaded bad hair days. Trying to get truly clean in hard water is extremely difficult, the formation of soap and shampoos suds is inhibited. This leads to a lack of cleaning power and using more soap will not fix the problems.

6.  Damaged Appliances

We mentioned this briefly above, but water using appliances are very prone to damage from hard water. The formation of scale can damage appliances, such as washers, dishwashers, high-end plumbed-in coffee machines, water heaters, and more. The heating elements are covered in scale which increases the water heating times. The pipes are narrowed by scale which lowers the water pressure required to run the appliances efficiently. The consequences are more frequent and unexpected repairs and higher energy bills. According to the American Water Works Association, hard water will wear out a washer 30% faster than soft water!

Can Drinking Hard Water Harm My Health?

The short answer is no. In most cases, the consumption of hard water when drinking or eating foods cooked in hard water will not harm your health. Some people even believe that the consumption of extra minerals will even boost their intake of essential minerals. This is incorrect, the uptake of minerals is inconsequential from hard water and it’s still better to get these minerals in food or via supplementation. There is some evidence that hard water consumption can offer some protection for children and teens against atherosclerosis. Water rich in calcium and magnesium may help to protect against certain types of cancer, including gastric, pancreatic colon, and rectal variants. Again, the consumption of calcium and magnesium is more efficient when it’s present in food and specific supplements.

If you want soft water for your home, contact your local water treatment specialist and ask about a water softening system installation today.