You are alive because each and every one of your ancestors sought out clean water. Many of today’s benefits of clean water were unknown to our ancestors. This is partly because science has advanced over the years.
When we talk about water quality today, we’re not just discussing whether it’s safe to drink. We are measuring many other containments in our water, such as Bacteria, Coliform, Nitrates, Arsenic, Magnesium, Fluoride, Lead, Iron, and Hardness. Bacteria and chemicals are harmful to your health as well as water quality can affect your appliances, clothing, and dishes!
Water Quality Affects Your Health
Good water quality prevents you from getting ill. When groundwater becomes contaminated it is possible for dangerous microorganisms to seep into a home’s drinking water. These bacterial microorganisms can be but limited to E. coli, S. Typhi which causes Typhoid fever, Y. enterocolitica which causes gastroenteritis, and a long list of other horrible little things that you don’t want anywhere near you.
High-quality water isn’t just devoid of microorganisms, however. There are many heavy metals that, when consumed in great enough quantities, can also make you sick. We all know that arsenic, lead, and mercury is extremely bad for us, but other heavy metals pose health risks as well.
Water Quality Affects Your Appliances
Hard water contains high concentrations of calcium and magnesium. Unfortunately, these minerals are not so good for your appliances. If water accumulates excessive minerals before reaching your home, then it may deposit them inside of your plumbing as limescale. You may have noticed hard white crust building up on your shower head – that is the substance that is gradually narrowing your pipes.
Hard water can lessen the life expectancy of water appliances as well. The average water heater should last for about 10-12 years, its lifespan is typically halved as the result of hard water. Dishwashers and washing machines lose about 30% of their lifespans when they run on hard water, and a toilet may give out after only two years of use.
Water Quality Affects Your Clothes
You’re going to start noticing a theme here: Hard water is bad for everything it touches. Your laundry is no exception. Those pesky minerals can make your whites look gray and dingy and put light-colored streaks in your dark-colored clothing. Exposure to hard water can also make your clothing feel stiff and abrasive, and even weaken it until it tears easily in the wash. Hard water also makes laundry detergent less effective. Studies show softened water requires only half as much detergent to do the same job as hard water!
Water Quality Affects Your Dishes
Have you noticed a hard white film accumulating on your dishes? Then you already know what to blame: hard water. Descaling your dishwasher with baking soda and vinegar can help your dishes achieve a better sparkle, but to eliminate the problem altogether, softened water is the key.
Water Quality Affects Your Hair
Let’s cap off hard water’s long list of offenses by pointing out one of its most grievous. The minerals in hard water don’t just stick to plumbing, clothing, and dishes. They also form a thin film on your hair, which can dry it out and make it brittle. In some cases, hard water can tint your hair orange from the iron minerals found in the water.
How Do You Improve Your Home’s Water Quality?
We can help you avoid the nuisances of hard water. We install and service water softeners, as well as regularly deliver the water softener salt you need to keep magnesium and calcium at bay. We also install highly effective reverse osmosis systems and even deliver fresh bottled water to your house.
Are you uncertain whether your home has hard water – or water that contains even worse threats to your health? If you live in Albany, Avon, Cold Spring, Eden Valley, Freeport, Kimball, Lake Henry, Paynesville, Richmond, Rockville, St. Joseph, or Watkins, Minnesota, then we welcome you to contact Gilk Plumbing, Heating & A/C today to schedule our free water testing service. Our third-party lab report is definitive, and when we deliver it we will also recommend everything you can do to enjoy the highest-quality water possible.
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