The Dangers of Hard Water in Winter: How It Can Damage Your Plumbing

There are many known dangers associated with pipes bursting in the bitter cold of winter. However, you might not realize that having hard water can make the risk of winter weather damage that much more likely.

Therefore, it’s good to understand the dangers of hard water on your pipes in general and then learn how this can lead to additional damage in the wintertime. Read on to learn more:

What is Hard Water?

Before delving deeper into how hard water can damage pipes, it’s helpful to first define hard water. Hard water is basically water coming out of and through your pipes and faucets that contain high levels of minerals, most often magnesium and calcium, but sometimes other minerals.

Astoundingly, 85% of all American homes have hard water. Hard water is measured in grains of hardness, and then areas are classified from slightly hard to extremely hard. Even a hardness level of 7 grains per gallon (GPG) can begin to cause effects on pipes, faucets and skin. Slightly hard water measures (0-3 GPG), moderately hard water measures (3-7 GPG), hard water measures (7-10 GPG), very hard water measures (10-14 GPG), and extremely hard water measures (over 14 GPG).

Signs of Hard Water

If you aren’t sure your home has hard water or the preferred soft water, then you can look for some key indications that your water is likely hard and address the issues as a result. The following are some key signs to look for:

• Noticing strange stains that appear similar to rust spots on sinks and faucets.
• Strange-smelling water or water that doesn’t taste that good, with a metallic taste or even dirt.
• It’s hard to get soap to lather well when showering or bathing. You might also notice it’s difficult to remove soap and rinse out shampoo and conditioner.
• Soap scum seems to be everywhere and just keeps appearing, and your dishes are spotty.
• Clothing isn’t getting completely clean in the laundry.
• Skin irritation throughout the family, mainly dry and itchy skin. Hard water has even been shown to worsen eczema.
• Appliances wear out faster than they should.
• Clogged pipes due to mineral buildup that constricts water flow.
• Decreased water flow and pressure as minerals build up in pipes.
• Water leaks caused by damaged pipes.

How Does This Problem Get Worse in Winter?

While having hard water is always problematic for skin, appliances, cleanliness and more, hard water combined with freezing temperatures can make an already big problem much worse. The main issue is that the pipes that are already at risk of freezing in extremely low temperatures due to hard water are already damaged or gunked up causing water to remain stagnant for longer. As a result, this increases the chance of that water freezing when temperatures plummet.

Hard water can also cause issues within a water heater, which can be that much more problematic in the winter when hot water is a necessity. This happens when deposits settle in the tank. It can interfere with the heating elements, which makes the entire unit less efficient. This means your water heater has to work that much harder to produce the hot water you need on a frigid morning. While this might not cause instant problems, over time, it could wear out your water heater or lead to it needing to be replaced.

Turn to The Pros at Comfort Systems

Thankfully, if you suspect you have hard water, there is help to fix the issue. The main way to do this is to invest in a water softener system that will reduce the amount of minerals in your water. At Comfort Systems, we are happy to examine your water and determine if your water is hard and then offer solutions on how to go about improving this issue.

We can also examine your pipes and appliances to look for existing evidence of mineral damage. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and to learn more about our services.