Appliances That Can Be Affected by Hard Water Damage
While you know that hard water may cause problems in your home, you may not realize how many appliances are affected by hard water damage. Hard water damages appliances throughout your house, making them less effective and reduces their lifespan. Over time, these problems can lead to increased costs.
Here are several household appliances that are affected by hard water:
Dishwashers
Hard water affects how well your dishwasher cleans your dishes. Glasses and dishes will come out cloudy or with spots. Those spots not only look bad, but they are also hard to remove.
In addition to making your dishes less clean, hard water damage can affect your dishwasher. Hard water creates a mineral buildup throughout the inside of your dishwasher. This includes parts like pipes, pumps, and heating elements. This buildup can eventually cause these parts to break down. Left untreated, hard water can lead to expensive repairs or force you to replace your dishwasher much earlier than you should.
If you aren’t using a water softener to treat your water, you will need to flush your dishwasher regularly to keep your dishwasher and dishes clean. Even then, it may not remove all the mineral deposits.
Water Heaters
Hard water can affect water heaters in different ways. In all water heaters, hard water will leave deposits in pipes and other mechanical components. In water heaters with tanks, the minerals in hard water will deposit on the bottom of a tank, leading to limescale buildup. This buildup makes it harder for your water heater to heat the water inside the tank. These problems will lead to higher energy costs and parts breaking down quicker.
If a water softener isn’t used, a water heater needs to be flushed regularly to avoid hard water damage and increase efficiency. Depending on how hard your water is, you may need to flush your water heater every few months.
Washing Machines
Hard water causes damage to clothing run through the laundry. This includes dingy fabrics and weaker fibers. Hard water also keeps your detergent from producing suds. To get clothes clean, you may need to use more laundry detergent than usual, and even then, it may not be enough.
In addition, hard water damage can occur on the metal components of a washing machine. It will leave residue and deposits throughout the washing machine drum, which may cause corrosion. Additionally, it will clog up the pipes leading to your washing machine and damage the pump mechanism and other moving parts. This build-up will reduce the lifespan of your washing machine.
Kitchen Appliances
Any kitchen appliance that uses water can be affected by hard water damage. These include:
- Ice machines
- Refrigerator water dispensers
- Coffee machines
These appliances are especially susceptible to hard water because they need water to run through their basic components. Hard water will reduce the quality of your coffee or ice. It also will damage the insides of these appliances. Often times, these appliances will not last as long as usual and will need to be replaced years earlier than they should.
Have questions about preventing hard water damage? Contact us today!
As you can see, hard water will damage your home appliances. It makes them work less effectively and costs you more money in repairs and increased maintenance costs. You also will spend more time maintaining your household appliances. If you want to prevent hard water from damaging your appliances, think about installing a water softener in your home. It will save you time and money.
If you are looking to install a water softener in your house, contact us today! We can discuss your options and help you choose the best water softener for your home.
