The Hidden Costs of Hard Water in Calgary.
From your appliances and pipes to your skin and hair, hard water contacts almost everything in your house. Since water is involved in most of your daily routines, hard water effects are felt everywhere – including your wallet. Over the short term, these costs might appear to be insignificant.
However, they can add up over a year. When you multiply this over the lifespan of your water softener, it goes far beyond just pocket change.
Hard Water Reduced Water Heater Efficiency
One of the main reasons hard water is costly is its effect on your water heater. Over time, hard water leaves scale deposits behind, which can continue to coat the inside of your water heater. Your water heater manual will tell you to flush it yearly to eliminate the buildup. However, most owners fail to read their manual and do not perform this critical chore. When left unaddressed, scale buildup can significantly reduce your water heater’s lifespan and efficiency.
The Water Quality Association commissioned an independent study that showed that water heaters operating on softened water could maintain their original factory efficiency rating over their 15-year lifespan. On the other hand, hard water can result in water heaters losing up to 48% of their efficiency.
That amounts to losing hundreds of dollars each year due to hard water reducing the energy efficiency of a water heater.
Your Fixtures and Appliances Might Cost Your More Money
Another effect that hard water can cause is a foggy film left on your dishes. One thing you might not have considered is how your dishwasher is affected by hard water running through it. Then there are your other water-using fixtures and appliances.
Check out the owner’s manual for your dishwasher if you still have it. There will often be recommendations on how much soap to use based on your water’s hardness level. Hard water neutralizes and reacts with soap to produce soap scum. The harder the water is, the more dishwasher soap you will need to clean your dishes – and soap is not free.
In addition, high-end dishwashers include self-contained water softeners to prevent clogs of the many small orifices that dispense the soap. Why pay extra money for these features when you can buy a less expensive dishwasher along with a water softener that works for your entire house?
Other fixtures can also get clogged. For example, the blending valve on your faucet may become clogged and need service. The internal diameter of your faucet can also be negatively affected, resulting in reduced water pressure. Low water pressure is frustrating to owners, and they will end up spending money unnecessarily to replace their entire faucet.
With Hard Water, Cleaning Supply Costs Go Up
As discussed above, hard water reduces the effectiveness of soap and neutralizes it, so you need more soap to achieve the same cleanliness level. More soap means more money each year. How much more exactly?
Hard water increases cleaning supplies for a household of four by $800 per year. With soft water, soap is more efficient, and you don’t have to use as much of it.
Laundry detergent is one of the biggest culprits for overspending on cleaning supplies. The biggest water softener company is Procter & Gamble since their products include liquid softeners. They are aware that these detergents need soft water to work well. They also know that a majority of their customers have hard water. That is why they add liquid softener and then charge you extra money. If you own a water softener, just one tablespoon of powdered detergent is required when doing laundry rather than having to use an entire cup of Tide.
When you have a water softener, the amount you need to spend on cleaning products can be cut up to 50%, saving you hundreds of dollars each year.
More Money on Personal Care Products
This same principle also applies to other products, such as personal care products, including skincare products, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and much more.
The average household in Canada spends around $600 to $700 per year on personal care products, including shaving cream, cosmetics, etc. Why should you spend all that money if hard water makes these products less effective? Why pay more than is necessary and use more products than is necessary?
Install A Water Softener To Save Money
It is more than just inconvenient to live with hard water, as you have seen here. It is expensive as well. No matter how expensive you might think a water softener is, hard water costs will add up to a lot more money over the years.
Hard water causes frizzy hair and itchy skin. However, the costs are hidden, and they secretly sap your finances. Don’t allow that to occur. Furnace Repair Calgary has trained technicians who have years of experience installing, repairing, and maintaining water softeners. Call us today at 403-775-6800 to start saving money now!
