If your repair list includes the following, one of the first things you may want to tackle is installing a water softener is your home.

• Repairing dishwasher that no longer cleans dishes well
• Hiring a plumber to unclog pipes because of reduced water flow
• Fixing your washing machine due to clothing coming out gray, dingy and stiff

Installing a water softener provides a significant cost savings in several areas of the home. From extending the life of your water-using appliances and cutting cleaning time and effort in half to providing cleaner dishes and laundry and giving you softer skin and more manageable hair, water softeners benefit a household in many ways.

To find the right water softener for your home, check out our water softener buyers guide. Once you’ve found the right water softener, you can either choose to have someone install it for you or do it yourself. If the DIY option is your thing, we have some easy installation advice for you to make the process less daunting and have time to tackle the rest of your repair list.

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Hard water may be damaging your water-using appliances in ways that you don’t even realize. Here are a few ways hard water effects your water heater, dishwasher, refrigerator, and maybe even your favorite china.

Appliance damage
Hard water causes scale to build up in your appliances. Scale buildup can cause appliances to work less efficiently and can even reduce their life by 30 – 50 percent. And when scale builds up in your water heater, you could be spending an additional 29% on your water heating energy bill.

Crusty, hard-to-clean, scale buildup and stains
Hard water causes white, crusty scale to build up on faucets and showerheads, which decreases water flow over time.

Clogged pipes
Plumbing hard water throughout the home leads to scale buildup, lower water pressure, and clogged pipes. And if left untreated, those clogs could eventually lead to blocked pipes, or even worse – a burst pipe.

The last thing you need on Christmas is an appliance to break down, scale buildup around your faucets, or low water pressure. By installing a water softener you can save your expensive appliances and eliminate the problems from hard water and scale listed above. Making the choice to install a water softener may save your holiday dinner. You can see how hard the water is where you live by looking at the map on our website.

The post Tips to Keep your Water-Using Appliances Strong for the Holidays appeared first on HomeWater 101.

Your municipality is likely adding chlorine or chloramines as a general disinfectant. And while its safe to drink, the extra chlorine in your water can leave behind an unpleasant taste and odor, discolor your produce and affect the performance of some ingredients, including yeast. Excess chlorine in municipal water can change the gluten structure of dough, making it tough or slowing the fermentation process.

Temporary Solutions for Municipal Water
• Use bottled water
• Boil your water

Permanent Solution with Filtering
If you’re concerned about your baking this holiday and want to ensure your water’s taste by removing the contaminants from the city water, you might want to consider the benefits of a water filtration system. Water filtration systems provide great tasting water at significantly less cost than bottled water. A whole home filtration system can provide fresh, filtered water throughout your home with no filters to replace for the life of the system (10+ years) and you can eliminate the need for those expensive refrigerator filters or pitcher filters, saving you hundreds of dollars.
By installing a whole home water filtration system or a 2-in-1 water softener and whole home filter, you can easily filter out chlorine and other impurities from municipal water while improving the taste of your food.
To learn more about selecting the best system for your home, use this handy checklist.

The post Don’t Let Hard Water Minerals Ruin Your Holiday Bundt Cake appeared first on HomeWater 101.

Crusty White Buildup
White crust on faucets and showerheads and cloudy glass on shower doors are telltale signs of hard water. Hard water minerals (calcium and magnesium) are to blame for these bathroom nuisances, causing flaky buildup and inability to fully rinse away soap and cleaners. A water softener removes the excess calcium and magnesium from your water, keeping faucets sparkling and eliminating the problem before the water is even plumbed throughout the house.

Damaged Appliances
Appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, coffee makers and water heaters are cornerstones of the home and see a lot of use. They also rely heavily on the use of water for proper functioning. If hard water is being plumbed to these appliances, scale can build up in the pipes and within the systems themselves. Because of that, there will be reduced water flow to your refrigerator, and your dishwasher will no longer clean dishes as effectively. A thick layer of lime scale may even build up in your water heater, making it less efficient. And that morning cup of coffee that you love so much may taste worse or take longer to brew. In addition to costly damages, the lifespan of these appliances can be reduced by 30 to 50 percent with hard water. A water softener will minimize the need for costly repairs or premature replacement.

Stiff, Discolored Laundry
The minerals found in hard water deposit themselves onto fabrics, which cause discoloration and stiffness. Laundry detergent does not activate and perform well when used with hard water, which minimizes its effectiveness unless you add more soap to the wash cycle. This quickly becomes costly and wasteful. Soft water will allow you to use less laundry detergent while getting cleaner, brighter and softer results.

If using soft water sounds like a good New Year’s resolution for your household, there’s no better time to find the water softening system for your home. Everyone and everything will benefit—and it will be the easiest resolution you’ve ever made.

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