There might never be an empire such as Rome if it weren’t for water.
Many empires were built over the course of man’s history, but over time they crumbled from within, unable to pass the test of time.
Rome also crumbled, but it lasted the longest. Dating back to 27 BC, the Roman empire lasted for 1,000 years.
Not only was it besieged by external threats, but also it had to contend with a smallpox outbreak that killed 2,000 of its citizens daily.
But Rome was not only superior in its military might.
The Italy-based empire prided itself with engineering feats that were years ahead of their time.
Top of the list is its aqueduct system, some of which stands to this very day. You will definitely marvel at how the Romans brought water from miles away to their cities.
Some of these aqueducts are still standing these days. But many have also been made dysfunctional from the inside by one element you may find in your home: hard water.
An example is the Eifel aqueduct in Cologne, Germany. Calcium deposited in the aqueduct over the years has rendered it useless.
Indeed, if you’re careful, hard water can lay waste to your precious abode.
And like the aqueducts of the Romans of old, your plumbing can be rendered dysfunctional if not attended to. Here are expert takeaways to fight back.
The Origins of Hard Water
Being hard is an acquired characteristic in water.
When rainwater falls from the sky, it’s not hard. Rather, it’s soft, free from the impurities that will soon besiege it.
As that purer water flows from the surface and down to the aquifers, it attracts minerals, mainly magnesium and calcium, absorbing them in the process.
The more these minerals are attracted to the water, the harder it gets.
Usually, water hardness is measured in the amount of these minerals per liter, or milligrams per liter (mg/L). Sometimes, it’s also measured in grains of minerals per gallon (GPG).
As per the United States Geological Survey (USGS), water hardness is measured by the amount of calcium per liter. Accordingly, these are the levels of hardness:
- Greater than 181 mg/L: really hard
- 121 to 180 mg/L: hard
- 61 to 120 mg/L: moderately hard
- 0 to 60 mg/L: soft
Growing Pains
You may not think much of the water that’s coming into your house. But hard water is bad news. For one, it can react with your cleaning products.
Worse, as it can create a soap buildup, it can destroy your appliances and fixtures quicker than soft water.
Minerals found in hard water will react with soap creating soap scum and antagonizing the cleaning power of your soap suds. In short, it undermines you.
When that happens, you will have to double down on your soap as it loses its cleaning ability.
All these can also take a toll on your eating utensils, clothing fixtures and even damage your skin and hair.
The following are some signs you’re dealing with hard water:
- Increased damage on clothing when washing
- Ineffective clean on clothes due to lesser suds
- Spots on your kitchen utensils (e.g., dishes, glasses)
- Scale deposits in water heaters
- Problems rinsing soap or shampoo thoroughly, giving you hair or skin that’s dry
- Scale buildup on ceramics
- Scale buildup on water pipes, choking water flow
Plumbing Woes
Over time, you can see the effects of hard water manifest themselves. Scale buildup is one sure sign the process is creeping up on you.
That should compromise your faucets, sinks, showers, and tubs.
What’s more, scale buildup will compromise your pipe system, appliances, and fixtures. In short, you’ll be choked from the insides.
You’ll start to experience clogs, reduced water flow, and showerheads that won’t give water. Damage to appliances can also be severe.
As it creeps up on your appliances, they can wear down a lot faster and operate with lesser efficiency.
For instance, your water heater will have to work harder to heat all the scale buildup.
Pretty soon, you’ll be experiencing inefficient plumbing, needing more repairs over time. Indeed, if your water system gets choked, calling plumbing experts is the best move to make.
That way, you won’t have to waste time and address the problem better.
The Solution
Check your plumbing fixtures. If there’s white scale buildup, then you’re dealing with hard water.
You can also do a quick way to check if your water system is affected.
Just put some dish soap with your water inside a closed container (mineral water bottle). Shake it all up. If suds are not created, then you have hard water. To solve the
is problem, you’ll have to go to the source: water. Turn your hard water back into soft water.
A whole-house water softener should get you going. If your water system is stuck, having plumbers install a water softener system is spot-on. It protects your pipes and fixtures, plus gives you softer and cleaner hair and skin.