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.
Many people have heard the terms “soft water” and “hard water,” and they may have some idea what they mean. They may have a basic understanding that hard water can be bad for their home plumbing systems and water using appliances, but what about health. We know that the mineral content residue left by hard water can affect our skin and hair, but can it damage our teeth too? Let’s take a closer look at hard water and how it affects our health, our home, and perhaps our teeth too.
Understanding Hard Water
Hard water is a term used for water that has a high mineral content level. On its journey to our homes, water passes through layers of rock and soil where it can collect various minerals. Many minerals have a beneficial effect on our health in minor quantities, but too much can be harmful and affect our homes in other ways. The primary minerals that cause hard water are calcium, magnesium, and to a lesser extent, iron. Water is a very effective solvent; it can dissolve many materials, and this includes these minerals as the water passes through. Essentially, the water takes on the qualities of the material that it comes into contact with on its way to your home.
Evidence of Hard Water
If you’re not sure that you have hard water problems, the evidence is easy to find once you know what you’re looking for. If you can see a build-up of chalky white residue around plumbing fixtures or water spots on your shower screen, it’s likely that you have hard water. The residue or scale is the mineral content that is left behind after the water has evaporated.
This is the same material that will be lurking in your plumbing pipes, water heater, and other water using appliances. If you have hard water, it’s likely that your appliances don’t run efficiently, and they will have a shorter lifespan. In terms of our health and well being, the most obvious signs of hard water are dry skin and brittle hair. The dried minerals on our skin can block pores leading to dry and itchy skin or breakouts. The same material in our hair clings to the follicles, making it hard to manage and brittle feeling.
Continued rinsing with more hard water only exacerbates the problem further until the underlying problem is addressed. The only sure way to prevent hard water issues is to install a water softener to remove the mineral content.
Can Drinking Hard Water Harm Teeth?
The main concern that people have related to drinking hard water is that it may stain their teeth. But, there is no evidence that directly connects hard water consumption with yellowing of teeth. In fact, you may believe that drinking hard water could have a detrimental effect on your teeth, but the elevated levels of calcium are actually beneficial. We need plenty of calcium to protect our teeth and bones and make them stronger. Another key concern is that hard water is too abrasive, and it might damage the surface of our teeth. Again, there is no scientific evidence that supports this claim, and many people drink hard water regularly with no abrasion issues. So, increasing your hard drinking water intake would not damage your teeth, but it can affect you in other ways.
5 Detrimental Hard Water Effects
Here are five detrimental effects of hard water for you, your family, and home.
- Foul Tastes and Odors
If your water supply has a strong metallic taste, it’s possible that you have elevated levels of iron in your drinking water. This may be accompanied by bacterial contamination that smells like “rotten eggs” caused by hydrogen sulfide gas. Another cause of foul odors is bacteria reacting to high concentrations of magnesium in your water supply that create sulfates. Dirty water can be caused by sediment, and if your water tastes moldy, you may have an algal bloom issue.
- Strange Stains
If you have reddish/brown stains in your home that may look like rust spots, the likely cause is iron. This can be cleaned away with white vinegar and a lot of elbow grease, but the stains always return. Unless the underlying issue is addressed, the plumbing fixtures and laundry staining issues will not be resolved. Installing a water conditioner that can handle iron contamination will fix this problem.
- Bathing and Showering
The minerals that cause hard water impede the ability of soap to create suds. This makes it harder to wash, and you often have a thin film or residue left on the surface of your skin after drying. Many people attempt to compensate for this phenomenon by adding more soap, but this is ineffective, and it simply wastes more soap. As we mentioned earlier, this problem is characterized by sore and dry skin and tangled and brittle hair. After they install a water softener, many people are amazed at the difference in the condition of their hair, skin, and nails.
- Clogged Plumbing
A build-up of limescale inside your plumbing pipes will narrow the pipe diameter and lead to a lack of water pressure. Eventually, the problem will become so severe that the pipes will be clogged, and a plumber will be needed. Entire sections of pipe may need replacement, and this can lead to a considerable plumbing bill.
- Laundry Woes
The same hard water residue left on our skin and hair after washing is also found on our laundry. Many people add more detergent, but the clothes are still not cleaned properly, and this may even exacerbate the problem. Clothes that are regularly washed in hard water look dull, dingy, and they typically don’t last as long as they should. This mineral content in the fibers is the reason why your towels may feel rough and scratchy as you dry yourself.
As you can see, drinking hard water is not proven to have a detrimental effect on your teeth. But, hard water can affect your health and home in a number of other negative ways. The only surefire way to deal with hard water is to contact a local WQA certified water treatment specialist and ask about a water softener installation.