Most homes in North America have hard water—89.3 percent in the U.S. and 85 percent in Canada.
It’s OK to drink hard water, but it can cause problems in your Elkhart home:
- Mineral collection in plumbing and appliances
- Reddish stains in toilets
- Shabby clothing and scratchy towels
- Lackluster skin and hair
- Splotches on dishes, flatware and glasses
- Low flow rate during showers
Water softening solutions from BW/Cook Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can take care of your home water trouble and bring you better-tasting drinking water.
Whether you’re starting to look into water softeners or you need water softener repair, our team of professionals are here to help.
Interested in getting a new water conditioning system for one affordable monthly payment? Ask us for more information about our Advantage Program™.1
Benefits of Using a Water Softener
It’s low-cost to use a water softener. It needs less than $3 in electricity per year.2
A water softener only needs about 2.5 pounds of salt. That’s 80 percent less salt than dial-style softeners.
Soft water can make cleaning take less time, help your appliances last longer and help you avoid plumbing clogs.
Clog-Free Plumbing and Fixtures
Soft water helps water flow easily in plumbing. Hard water causes mineral sediment to build up in your pipes and fixtures. This can lead to clogs and lower water pressure.
Showerheads in homes with hard water can lose 75 percent of their flow rate in fewer than 18 months. Soft water preserves the brilliance and full flow for faucets and showerheads, nearly as well as the day they were installed.
Soft water is lacking minerals. It doesn’t leave deposits in pipes or limit water flow in fixtures.
Longer-Lasting Appliances
Over time, hard water can cause minerals to build up in your washing machine and dishwasher.
The mineral deposits in hard water turn into limescale when they become warm. This can coat the heating elements in your appliances, decreasing life span and efficiency.
As a result, your appliances may need repeated repairs or need to be replaced earlier.
Efficient Water Heaters
Soft water protects the efficiency of water heaters.
Gas storage and tankless water heaters operating on soft water keep the factory efficiency rating over a 15-year lifetime. In comparison, using hard water for a gas water heater can reduce efficiency by up to 48 percent.
If you own an electric water heater, up to 30 pounds of rock-like scale can pile up in the tank from hard water. The scale is an inferior heat conductor. It can reduce the life of your heating element, because it has to work harder to heat water.
Soft Skin, Brighter Laundry and Cleaner Dishes
Hard water minerals collect on your skin and in your hair, causing it to dry out. It can also cause painful razor burn.
Soft water is superior at cleaning soap residue, so you’ll have smoother skin and sleeker hair. Plus, your clothes will look less faded and your dishes will look cleaner.
Less Soap and Cleaning Time
When you have hard water, you have to use additional soap for a satisfactory lather. The minerals in hard water react with soap. This creates a scum on showers.
With soft water, you won’t need to waste as much time cleaning to get rid of soap scum. You’ll also use less soap.
What You Need to Know About Hard Water and Water Softener Systems
What is Hard Water?
Hard water has more minerals than soft water.
What is a Water Softener System?
It’s an appliance that takes out additional minerals like calcium and magnesium. It also reduces chlorine, iron and volatile organic compounds.
How Long Does a Water Softener Last?
A water softener that’s the appropriate size for your home will last for a long time. Its life span depends on the manufacturer and how much you operate it.
How Much Does a Water Softener Cost?
Some water softeners are more efficient than others. As a result, the total may differ.
Costs can also be different based on how hard your water is and how much water you use. If your water is extremely hard and is used excessively, softening costs will rise.
Is Softened Water Safe to Drink?
Softened water has all the natural minerals we need. While a little bit of sodium is mixed in during the softening process, softened water is perfectly safe to drink.
What’s the Quality of My Drinking Water?
Water quality varies by geography and processing levels. It can also be affected by construction, mining, agriculture and mineral deposits your groundwater travels through.
You can discover if there are pollutants in your home’s drinking water.
The Environmental Working Group has a free database of more than 30 million state records of tap water tests. About 81 percent of community utilities analyzed in the U.S. have chemicals connected to cancer, according to the group’s research.
Can Brine from Softeners Damage my Septic Tank?
A study by the Water Quality Association found a septic tank can’t be harmed by brine released by a water softener. The tanks that were monitored were correctly placed and working properly.
Softened water may help reduce detergents being released into your septic tank.
Softer Water, Guaranteed
Hard water problems? Call us at 574-218-6404 or request an appointment online.
One of our professionals can determine if you need a water softener.
We back our work with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee3 for a year. That means we’ll get the job done right the first time, whether you need us to repair your water softener or install a new one.
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1Some exclusions apply.
2Based on manufacturer’s information and assumptions. Savings may vary based on the type of system you use.
3Not applicable to the Advantage Program. See your signed Advantage Program Agreement for full details and exclusions. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is subject to certain restrictions and limitations as set forth in the applicable terms and conditions.