When a person turns on the faucet, he usually doesn’t need to worry about the water that comes out of it. After all, water is water and that is all there is to it, right? Well, that’s a wrong assumption that can cost a lot of people money.
The truth is that there are two types of water: hard and soft water. The main difference between them is their mineral content. An article by Scott Gavura entitled “The Hard Facts About Soft Water” that he posted in his blog Skeptic North briefly describes the difference between soft and hard water:
“Put simply, hard water has a lot of minerals in it – usually calcium and magnesium, sometimes iron or other metals too. These minerals affect the water in several ways. Most immediately and obviously, they stop soap and shampoo from lathering easily. The water feels “hard” because of this effect. The minerals can also interfere with the water supply by slowly clogging pipes, faucets, water heaters, and appliances like kettles (that’s the white material inside your kettle). Depending on where you live, your municipal water ranges from soft to moderately hard. In Canada, Vancouver and coastal cities have soft water, and the rest of the country’s water is moderately hard.
There are no health risks due to hard water, but it’s usually felt to be undesirable. […] Softer water feels nicer on your skin. Soap lathers and rinses off easily. There’s less scale build up in pipes and appliances, too.”
Why should homeowners be wary of hard water? This is because the minerals in hard water can cause a lot of damage. As mentioned in the article, high mineral content in water causes it to leave deposits that can eventually clog pipes or appliances, which could end up shortening their operational life. This should be reason enough for any homeowner to be concerned and inspired to call on a plumber in Barrie or Newmarket, wherein both areas have high grain per gallon (gpg) ratings in their water ranging from 10.5 (hard) to 22 (very hard) gpg.
Thankfully, hiring a plumber in Newmarket or Barrie is an easy proposition, with excellent choices like Harris Plumbing Inc. available. A plumbing company would be able to install a water treatment and conditioning system to avoid all of the problems associated with hard water like damaged pipes, funny-tasting water, and worn clothes. Of course, installing a water softener can be expensive and there are maintenance costs, but avoiding the problems caused by hard water is well worth the expense.
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(Source: The Hard Facts About Soft Water, Skeptic North)
