Get the Facts About Hard Water and Your Water Heater
If you are dealing with a water heater that is not as efficient as it should be, it may be that it’s old, it was poorly installed, or maybe even poorly designed. There is another potential reason: It may be that you have hard water. Keep reading to learn what hard water is and how it can affect your hot water heater. Then contact The Stanley Louis Company at 800-217-6527 if you have questions or need to schedule an appointment.
The Basics of Hard Water
First, let us discuss what hard water. It has nothing to do with what the water feels like, it is all about the mineral content. Hard water has higher levels of magnesium and calcium. Most experts believe that small quantities of these minerals in your drinking water are safe and could even have health benefits.
However, it can be bad for your appliances, plumbing system, and residential water heaters. This is because they do not always wash away – they may stay behind and cause filmy buildups on dishes, showers, and inside your water heater.
How Hard Water Affects Your Unit’s Efficiency
If you have hard water sitting in your hot water heater, the minerals will build up on the sides and eventually settle in the bottom of the tank. This residue, which is known as limescale, forces the hot water heater to work harder to keep the water hot. It prevents the most efficient transfer of heat from the heating element to the water. This results in wasted electricity and higher utility bills.
Hard Water Can Cause Unwanted Heat Buildup
As limescale coats the walls of your water heater, you get an extra layer of insulation. This may sound great but in fact it is not a good thing. This thick layer can result in overheating, which can burn out your water heater. If this happens, it is a serious, emergency situation that will likely require you to have your water heater replaced.
Hard Water Treatment Options
There are two main ways to deal with a hard water issue. The first is to treat the water itself. You can have a whole-home water softener that removes the hard water from all the water in your home. This prevents buildup not just in your hot water heater but throughout your home.
Second, if you have a water heater that already has limescale, then you need to have the tank drained. Once that is done, we can look at the tank to determine if repairs will work or if replacement is necessary. However, note that this may give you some time but the sediment will build up again as long as you have hard water.
At The Stanley Louis Company we can help treat your hard water issues. If you have questions or want to set up an appointment, call us at 800-217-6527 right away.
