Why You Should Get a Water Softener for Your Home

If you don’t already have a water softening system in your Metuchen, NJ area home, then there’s a good chance that hard water is flowing through your plumbing system. Hard water is water that contains the minerals calcium and magnesium, which get picked up as the water flows through the ground on the way to your house. Although you may not realize it’s happening, hard water can cause a wide variety of negative effects on your finances, comfort, and day-to-day lifestyle.

At First Choice Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electrical, our plumbing experts can install a water softener in your home, which will remove the problematic mineral ions from your water. The hard water will pass through several layers, which will filter out contaminants and replace the hazardous minerals with others that are benign. Here, we’ll take a look at the many benefits that you can start enjoying if you invest in one of these quality systems.

Fewer Plumbing Problems

When hard water flows through your household pipes, the minerals cause it to leave behind a residue called scale. Although a little bit of scale isn’t a huge deal, it can start to cause issues when more of it accumulates over time. Eventually, scale buildup in your plumbing system can cause your pipes to become clogged, which can worsen your water pressure and negatively impact the drainage in your home. As scale lingers inside your pipes, it can also gradually cause damage to the pipes themselves, which can result in significant leaks. That can lead to all sorts of frustrating problems, such as flooding, water damage, and a major uptick in your monthly water bills.

With a quality water softener in your home, calcium and magnesium ions will be replaced with other harmless ions through a process called ion exchange. As a result, the water flowing through your pipes won’t leave the nasty residue behind. This will allow your pipes to stay healthier and your plumbing system to function better. And that means you’ll avoid quite a bit of hassle and save some money when it comes to bills and costly plumbing repairs.

Healthier Appliances

In addition to impacting your plumbing system, hard water can negatively affect any appliances in your home that use water. That includes your dishwasher, laundry machine, and water heater. In fact, it can even be detrimental to smaller systems like your ice machine and coffee maker. Because of hard water’s composition, it’s rougher on your appliances than other water would be. For one thing, this forces the equipment to work harder to do its job effectively, which means decreased energy efficiency and higher monthly bills.

That’s not all, though. The scale left behind by hard water can also cause some serious problems for your household systems. For example, it can significantly increase the chances of your water heater, dishwasher, and laundry machine experiencing mechanical problems. When those issues occur, you’re often stuck with a hefty repair bill to get the machines working properly again. Plus, worsened efficiency and more problems also tend to shorten the overall lifespans of the units. So, with hard water flowing through your home, you may have to spend money replacing major appliances several years sooner than you’d otherwise need to.

Water that’s been softened is much easier for your household appliances to deal with. With the problematic minerals removed, the systems can operate smoothly and efficiently, allowing them to have long, productive lifespans.

Healthier Skin and Hair

The benefits of having a water softener aren’t only noticeable when it comes to your household’s plumbing system and appliances. With one of these systems in your home, you can actually expect your hair and skin to be cleaner, healthier, and more comfortable. Because of the minerals that the water contains, soap isn’t as soluble in hard water as it is in water that has been softened. That means that when bathing, you don’t get as deep of a clean with hard water, and you also typically have to use more soap each time. If you ever come out of the shower feeling like you aren’t as clean as you should be, hard water could very well be the culprit.

The calcium and magnesium in hard water also make it harder for your skin to retain moisture. For one, the minerals prevent your skin from absorbing the water as effectively, which can leave you feeling itchy and uncomfortable. Plus, those minerals actively remove the natural oils from your skin. Many people who bathe with hard water regularly notice that they feel itchy and uncomfortable afterward. With softened water, that problem would disappear entirely.

Hard water can be detrimental to the health and appearance of your hair, too. The natural oils in your hair help keep it looking and feeling silky smooth. But when the mineral ions remove those oils, your hair can end up being dry, frizzy, and brittle. When you have our team at First Choice Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electrical install a quality water softener in your home, it won’t be long before you start noticing that you feel and look better than ever.

Cleaner Clothing

Due to hard water having solubility issues with soap, it also tends to be ineffective for cleaning clothing. If you don’t have a water softener, you may often observe that your clothes aren’t getting as clean as they should be after running them through the laundry. Because of the minerals in hard water, the detergent isn’t able to penetrate into the dirt and other stains on the fabric. Additionally, your clothing may start to feel stiffer. The colors may even start to fade. As a result, you might find yourself going through clothing much more quickly than you’d like, which can become quite expensive.

With a water softener, you should immediately notice that your clothes feel softer, look cleaner, and maintain their vivid colors more consistently. Plus, you probably won’t need to use as much laundry detergent for an effective cleaning cycle.

Better-Tasting Water

Have you ever drank a glass of tap water and grimaced at the unusual flavor? If this is something that happens regularly in your home, it could be due to the minerals in your water. When minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, and sulfur build up in your drinking water, it can cause it to have an unpleasant, acidic taste. Because of this, many families end up spending tons of money every month on bottled water.

If this describes the situation in your household, then a water softener would undoubtedly be a prudent investment. The system would remove those minerals from the water, which would give your tap water the clean, refreshing taste that it’s meant to have. The money you’d save on bottled water alone would help ensure that the water softener paid for itself over time.

For more than 20 years, we at First Choice Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electrical have been faithfully serving residents of the greater Metuchen area. We prioritize exceptional customer service, integrity, and high-quality solutions. Whether you need plumbing, heating, cooling, water treatment, or indoor air quality services, our team will be up to the task and ready to assist you. Contact us at First Choice Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electrical today if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment!