Hard water has a way of sneaking up on you and wasting your money before you know it. If you’re noticing white scum building up in your kitchen sink or the corners of your bathtub, your appliances are dealing with even worse.

Since many household appliances use water to clean your dishes or wash your clothes, they process minerals inside the water every time you turn them on. Similar to the scum build-up on your shower walls, they stick inside your appliances and damage them from the inside.

How can you prevent hard water from damaging your appliances? We’ll break down how hard water works, then explore how water filtration and water softeners can keep this annoying issue at bay. 

Hard Water 101: How This Problem Works

This term refers to a water supply with a higher-than-average amount of minerals like calcium and magnesium. It’s important to note that drinking this water is perfectly harmless and can actually be healthy for your daily mineral intake. 

The problem is that some drinking water has too many minerals that can’t drain properly, leaving residue all throughout your house. 

You’re more likely to have higher mineral levels if your local water supply has a large concentration of rocks like granite, limestone, or chalk. These porous stones have a tendency to shed more minerals into drinking water reserves, resulting in the white scum you’re constantly scrubbing off your shower tiles. 

While Massachusetts has softer water on average compared to other states, sometimes your home still ends up with a higher concentration. The state’s complex geography and diverse rock formations mean some homes can have very high mineral levels, while other homes have no problem at all.

The 5 Appliances Impacted Most By Hard Water

Hard water appliance damage starts off annoying and ends up expensive. While any appliance that uses water can be affected by poor water quality, some deal with it even worse than others. 

1. Washing Machine

You know you’re dealing with excess minerals in your home’s water when your clothes keep coming out stiff or discolored. Over time, your washing machine may need more repairs due to scum sticking inside its pumps and making it work far too hard. 

2. Dishwasher

Do you hate pulling out your dishes after a wash cycle and seeing your glassware still covered in spots? This annoying issue is a surefire sign that your dishwasher is attempting to clean with hard water. 

3. Refrigerator

Your refrigerator may be dealing with mineral buildup if you notice reduced water flow to your ice maker or water dispenser. Scum gradually clogs nozzles, resulting in reduced water pressure and ice that tastes a little ‘funny’. 

4. Water Heater

Your tankless water heater needs to be flushed at least once per year to break up mineral deposits. Water heaters with heavy build-up will struggle to heat quickly or consistently, resulting in higher energy bills as they attempt to reach a boiling point.

5. Coffee Maker

Whether you enjoy drip coffee or espresso, coffee makers also struggle with hard water build-up. You may notice your coffee taking longer to brew or your morning cup tasting unusually stale. 

Hard water and appliances eventually lead to your hard-earned investments breaking down prematurely. Thankfully, whole-home water filtration and water softening can easily fix that.

How Does Water Filtration and Water Softening Work?

There are two main solutions to hard water appliance damage: water filtration and water softening. Neither of these is better than the other, offering unique benefits depending on the kind of water issues you’re dealing with and your personal preferences.

Water Filtration Removes Excess Minerals

Have you ever used a portable filter for better-tasting tap water? Water filtration services give you an even more reliable way of trapping excess minerals before they can damage your appliances. Unlike portable filters, which only work for a specific part of the house, whole-home water filtration systems attach to your home’s main water line to trap minerals at the source.

Water filtration can trap all kinds of minerals and even additional contaminants like excess sediment, metals, and chemicals. 

Who Should Use This?

If you’ve had water quality testing and found you have several minerals that need removal, use water filtration. You can enjoy highly specialized filters that can trap a wide variety of contaminants beyond calcium and magnesium. 

Water Softening Keeps Excess Minerals From Sticking

Do you suspect hard water problems have been shortening your appliances’ lifespan? If you’re tired of dealing with issues like faded clothes, spotty dishes, and bad coffee, try a water softener.

Water softening works through a complex process called ion exchange. Simply put, these softeners change the properties of primary minerals like calcium and magnesium so they no longer form a sticky residue. Instead, the water softener makes it so they can’t harden and simply get washed away.

Who Should Use This?

If your home mainly has a calcium and magnesium problem, you’ll do well with a water softener. You’ll notice a major difference in your home, such as cleaner dishes and softer clothes. 

How Can Notturno Improve Your Water Quality?

Hard water causes a domino effect. It starts with scummy sinks and funny-tasting water, then ends with failed appliances that still had a few years to go. With Notturno Home Services, you can finally enjoy the benefits of filtered or softened water year-round. 

Our plumbing services have been helping homeowners across the MetroWest reduce their hard water for several years. We offer dependable whole-home water filtration and water softening services to target excess minerals at the source, protecting your appliances and hard-earned money.

If you’re not sure about your water quality and whether you’d benefit from a new installation, we can also test your water for you. Our water quality specialists will perform an in-home test to look for important details such as:

• Hardness levels
• pH balance
• Chlorine levels
• Sediment
• Solids

We have even more benefits you can enjoy on your way to softer, cleaner water. If you join our membership program, you can get discounts on related services like water heater tune-ups and plumbing inspections.

Call Notturno Today to Enjoy Better Water

Protect your home from hard water damage to appliances. Fill out our short online form to schedule an appointment with a water quality specialist!