Despite our best efforts to ensure safe municipal water, on any given day there are roughly 1,400 drinking water advisories in effect across Canada. However, you do have the choice to improve your water system, and we’re here to help.
What is Hard Water?
Hard water is classified as water that contains more minerals than regular water – specifically too much calcium and magnesium. Concentrated with dissolved calcium and magnesium, hard water causes difficulty when trying to lather soap or shampoos.
What is Soft Water?
Soft water contains few to no extra minerals and is, therefore, gentler to your fabrics and water systems. Installing a water softener means easier rinsing, no more water spots, less cleaning time, and it can even make your hair and skin softer and healthier.
Signs You Need A Water Softener
Below are just some of the common signs you may want to consider installing a water softener:
- Lime scale build up
- Soap and shampoos will not lather
- Household water-using appliances are breaking down
- Corrosion of water-using appliances
- Dingy or foul-smelling laundry
- Film in bathtubs, sinks, and around faucets
- Water spots on dishes, etc.
Should I Be Wary of Hard Water?
Homeowners should be wary of hard water as the high mineral content can cause water to leave deposits that can eventually clog pipes and appliances, shortening their operational life.
Determining Water Quality
Soft water can be classified in a range of 0 to 17.1mg/l per ppm (grains 0-1), whereas hard water is typically classified as 180+ mg/l per ppm (grains 10.5+). To receive a full test of your water quality, contact your trusted plumber. A plumber will be able to conduct a water hardness test and assess what water softening applications you may require.
Water Hardness in Your Area
Below are some notable areas where high levels of water hardness can be found. Here’s where your town ranks on the hardness scale.
- Barrie – 9.5
- Aurora – 10.5
- Orillia -10
- Newmarket – 10.5
- Richmond Hill – 17.2
The Hazards of Hard Water
Calcium and magnesium are mineral salts that accumulate in ground and rainwater to form “hard water”. This in itself does not pose any health hazards but it can affect your hair, skin, clothes, appliances, faucets, toilets… and wallet!
- Hard water causes soaps, shampoos, and detergents to clean less effectively, therefore, you will tend to use more.
- It binds to the shampoo in your hair and resists rinsing out thus causing limp, lifeless, dull hair and dry, cracked skin.
- Calcium and magnesium form a hard, slimy gunk that sticks to the insides of water pipes. This builds up and reduces the water flow to appliances, showers, faucets, etc.
- It builds up to such extent that it can completely block the water supply lines to refrigerators, ice-makers, dishwashers, washing machines, and shower heads.
- It drastically reduces the life-spans of all your water-loving appliances.
All of these things just cost you more and more money.
How Water Softeners Work
The good news is that all of hard water can be easily avoided with the installation of a quality water softener installed by a qualified, licensed journeyman plumber. The higher the quality, the longer the life of the softener and it’s increased efficiency with water and salt use. You save money, use fewer detergents, have softer, healthier skin and hair and your appliances and clothes last a lot longer. It’s win-win-win! Most water softeners work by exchanging calcium and magnesium for salt ions. The water-softening tank holds resin beads that are covered with salt and swap places in the water with hard ions. Over time, the beads become so concentrated with hard ions that they need to be re-charged with added salt.
Below are just some of the incredible water softener products we recommend and can install for customers looking to soften and improve their water quality:
NOVO Water Treatment: Novosoft 485HE Series Water Softener
Harris Plumbing recommends NOVO water treatment products to remove chlorine, chloramine, pharmaceuticals, and other contaminants in municipal household water. The Novosoft 485HE Series Water Softener preserves unused salts, saves water, flushes stagnant water, has a fibreglass pressure tank, includes LCD display, and so much more.
Hardness, Taste, & Odour Removal System: 485 HTO Water Refiner
The 485 HTO Water Refiner removes hardness and harmful chlorine, chloramines, and chlorine by-products from water. With its unique two-tank system, the 485 HTO Water Refiner keeps the two media beds separate and allows for more carbon contact improving chlorine, chloramines, and organic removal. This process allows you to enjoy luxurious, great tasting, odour-free water.
Reverse Osmosis System: Aqua Flo QCRO Platinum
Municipal water contains pharmaceuticals that enter into the systems from household and commercial disposal. That’s why the Aqua Flo QCRO Platinum was designed with five Micron Sediment Pre-Filters that remove silt, sediment, sand, and other particles. The Carbon Pre-Filter traps minerals and contaminants such as arsenic, lead, chromium, mercury, copper, chlorine, chloramines, and pesticides. The Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membrane allows only clean water to pass through – trapping impurities small as an atom – flushing them to the drain and sending pure water to a storage tank
A customized solution for perfect drinking water, this system is available in a number of colours and styles.
Contact Harris Plumbing Today
At Harris Plumbing, we install high efficiency residential and commercial water softeners and iron filters that use much less water and salt than other companies. For water testing and soft water system installation, we’re your trusted choice for plumbers in Barrie, Orillia, Muskoka, Huntsville, Aurora, Newmarket, and Georgina.
Should you wish to learn more about water softening, contact Harris Plumbing today!
