A water softener is a whole-house or point-of-entry (POE) water softening system. Your Stafford, VA plumber will install it between your main water line and the rest of your home’s plumbing. The softener will remove the calcium and magnesium that causes water hardness before the water enters the home. This has a wide range of benefits, so let’s explore some of the most important.
Better Skin and Hair Health
Showering in hard water doesn’t feel great — it leaves a sheen of minerals on your skin. It may amaze you how different your first shower in soft water feels. Similarly, the minerals in hard water also stick to your hair and scalp. This makes them more difficult to clean and contributes to bad hair days. These minerals remaining on your skin for long periods of time actually can contribute to drying them out. They can also make skincare products (even soap!) less effective. Also, hard water can also exacerbate eczema and other skin conditions. In fact, dermatologists often recommend water softening systems to patients with these issues. By removing the minerals that make water “hard,” you can often improve the health of your skin and hair.
Tastier Drink and Food
Hard water isn’t ideal for cooking, either. The calcium and magnesium in hard water can actually affect the chemistry of the meals you cook and the drinks you mix. They can affect taste and smell in unusual ways, and making your recipes consistent will be more difficult with hard water. The minerals can also leave a residue on cookware and dishes. This can give off an odd smell and add a stale or metallic taste to food.
Boiler and Water Heater Efficiency and Lifespan
Water hardness is a big deal when it comes to water heaters and boilers. Boilers and tank water heaters have a component known as a sacrificial anode rod. It attracts the minerals so that they don’t accumulate on the tank walls and, if applicable, the heating element. Even with soft water, you should have a plumber flush the tank once a year and replace the rod as needed, which is usually every three years. Tankless water heaters are even more sensitive to the buildup. You should descale them at least once a year and as often as needed.
Soft water will reduce the frequency at which you need to flush the system and replace the anode rod. It will also extend the life of the equipment and lower your total cost of ownership. Monthly operating costs are lower with softer water as well. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that these deposits affect boiler heating efficiency by between 12% and 50%. They can also increase the cost to operate your water heater by 15% or more.
Save on Cleaning Products and Appliances
Hard water makes it difficult to get a good lather. This is true in your shower, as mentioned above, but also in your washing machine and dishwasher. If you have hard water, you’ll need to use more of your detergents than indicated on the instructions, for example.
Softer water is also better for the lifespan of washing machines and dishwashers. Very-hard water will shorten the lifespan of a dishwasher by 30% to 50%. Washing machines tend to last for approximately 11 years or so. However, the average washing machine that relies on very-hard water lasts just 7.7 years.
Are Water Softeners Worth It?
A water softener is absolutely worth it for a Stafford household that has moderate to hard water. That is true whether you have well water or municipal water. In fact, the DOE has called it a system that every home should have. The reason for this is that there are no downsides to water softening for most homes, but there are many advantages. Plus, the DOE estimates that a water softener will pay for itself over the life of the equipment for the average home. This is due to the money saved on your water heater, other appliances, plumbing and so forth.
Water Softener Installation in Stafford
If you’d like to install a whole-house water softening system, Smooth Plumbing can help. Our expert plumbers pipe and repipe gas lines, main water lines, sewer lines and house plumbing. We perform plumbing inspections. Our team installs plumbing fixtures, leak detection systems, water purifiers and tank and tankless water heaters. We hook up appliances, clean drains and diagnose water pressure issues as well. Call us today or contact us through our website with any questions or to schedule a service appointment or in-house consultation.
