How To Choose The Best Hard Water Solution For Your Home

While not a health hazard, hard water issues in your home can certainly be a nuisance. 

Hard water is water that is high in certain minerals, like calcium and magnesium. 

These minerals can build up quickly in pipes and heating systems inside your house, causing severe water flow restriction over time. 

When heavy minerals are present, even the water itself doesn’t perform as well with soaps and detergents compared to water without these high mineral concentrations. 

Hard water can also :

• Taste and smell off
• Cause irritating skin issues
• Cause discoloration and staining in your bathtubs and toilets
• Prematurely wear on your dishwasher, shower head, and washing machine

Beyond the mineral build up, and the lack of performance, hard water can also cost you significantly more on your utility bills. 

According to Aqua Genesis, 

“When you consider that ¼ inch of scale in your water heating element will cause you to use 40% more energy to heat up water, lime scale can have a significant impact in your wallet as well as environmental consequences.”

Today we will discuss water softening options for your hard water problem, and how to pick which option is best for you:

Water Softeners

In the past, salt based water softeners were the solution of choice for hard water issues in homes nationwide. 

According to Idaho Water solutions, 

“Salt based water softeners use an electronic metered valve mounted atop a fiberglass resin tank that meter water by the gallon and then run a cleaning cycle when the ion resin bed reaches a saturation point. 

During the cleaning cycle, the electronic valve cycles a series of back flushes to purge the hardness particulates that have been captured from the system and flush them down a drain line. The sodium is also replenished in the resin bed during the cycle and all is ready to go again.

In the salt based process above (true water softening), hardness minerals are actually removed from the water.”

It’s true that salt based water softeners are effective, and can remove nearly all of the mineral build up in your hard water.

However, a major downside of a salt based water softener is that water is continually wasted as excess minerals are being flushed out of the system.

These types of water softeners also require a good deal of upkeep. The addition of salt is needed periodically to keep these water softeners working, which can make salt based softeners difficult and expensive to maintain. 

Because this type of hard water treatment has a negative impact on the environment, San Benito county has actually banned salted tanks, and they even offer a rebate for homeowners who will remove them.

If you’re a resident of San Benito county, or any other county that has banned salt based water softeners, there is a better and more compliant solution to your hard water issues. 

Water Conditioners

Unlike a salt based water softener, a water conditioner actually alters the makeup of the minerals in hard water instead of just removing them. 

Any water softening solution that is salt free is actually considered a conditioner – not a softener. 

The NuvoH2O Home Water Softener System

The NUVOH20 Home Water Softener System is a water conditioner that treats hard water in more ways than one. 

By isolating the calcium ions present in your water and lowering the water’s pH level, hard water is prevented from building up scale. 

The breaking technology within the NuvoH2O eliminates hard water issues by making the minerals separate and stay apart from the water. 

Since these minerals are bound, they can easily pass through your pipes without the risk of build up. 

The NuvoH2O Home Water Softener System is an eco friendly, efficient solution to hard water problems. 

It requires less upkeep, no real cost to maintain, and is the preferred system for San Benito county residents and those who are environmentally conscious. 

A Better Solution

In light of the ban on salt based water softeners in San Benito county, and the fact that water conditioners are effective and environmentally friendly, Marquez Plumbing only recommends The NuvoH2O Home Water Softener System for our clients homes. 

If you’re sick of insoluble soap deposits on your dishes, or you’re struggling with water flow restriction from your pipes, it may be time to address your hard water issues. 

Contact Marquez Plumbing for a FREE estimate on an in home water softener system today.