Did you know that approximately 85 percent of homes in the United States have hard water? This is such a common occurrence that you may be tempted to just shrug it off and assume you don't have to do anything about it. Water softeners are not cheap, and if so many people have hard water, it must be just fine, right? Well, not necessarily. Failing to treat your hard water will probably end up costing you more money than just installing that water softener. Here are four ways hard water costs you more money in the long run.
Hard water ruins your appliances.
Think of all your appliances that use water. There's your coffee maker, your washer, your ice machine, your dishwasher, and maybe even a water dispenser. Hard water causes minerals to accumulate in all of these appliances. The minerals may settle out of solution into the lines and pipes in the appliances. Once the appliances are clogged with minerals, they are usually ruined and need to be replaced. Add up all of the money you spend on prematurely replacing your appliances over the years, and the costs will be alarming.
Hard water keeps your soap from sudsing.
The minerals in hard water interact with the components of soap that make it form suds and they stop the suds from forming. So to generate a lather with hard water, you have to use a lot more soap. You'll go through everything from dish soap to body wash more quickly. Granted, this one won't cost you thousands, but it does adds up.
Hard water ruins your supply pipes.
The supply pipes, which are the pipes that bring water into your home and to your taps, are under a lot more pressure than your drain lines. The increased pressure encourages more minerals to settle out of solution, forming blockages inside these pipes. As a result, your pipes will slowly be ruined when you permit hard water to run through them. You can't clear mineral deposits out of supply pipes -- you have to have the pipes replaced, which is not cheap. Galvanized steel pipes are the most susceptible, though copper pipes will have problems, too.
Hard water bothers your skin.
The minerals in hard water make your skin and hair feel dry. As a result, you may buy extra lotions and creams to add moisture to the air. Some homeowners even install humidifiers, figuring that their dry skin is due to dry air, when really it is the water. You could avoid this spending -- and the discomfort -- by purchasing a water softener.
