Most homes in North America have hard water—89.3 percent in the U.S. and 85 percent in Canada.
It’s all right to drink hard water, but it can cause trouble in your Albany home:
- Mineral accumulation in plumbing and appliances
- Reddish streaks in toilets
- Shabby clothing and coarse towels
- Lackluster skin and hair
- Spots on dishes, flatware and glasses
- Low flow rate during showers
Water softening solutions from D.A. Bennett Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning can address your home water trouble and bring you better-tasting drinking water.
Whether you’re starting to check out water softeners or you need water softener repair, our group of professionals are here to help.
Want to get a new water conditioning system for one reasonable monthly payment? Contact us for more information about our Advantage Program™.1
Benefits of Using a Water Softener
It’s low-cost to run a water softener. It consumes less than $3 in electricity per year.2
A water softener only needs about 2.5 pounds of salt. That’s 80 percent less salt than dial-style softeners.
Soft water can make cleaning take less time, help your appliances last longer and help you avoid plumbing clogs.
Clog-Free Plumbing and Fixtures
Soft water helps water flow easily in plumbing. Hard water causes mineral sediment to accumulate in your pipes and fixtures. This can create clogs and lower water pressure.
Showerheads in homes with hard water can lose 75 percent of their flow rate in fewer than 18 months. Soft water maintains the shine and full flow for faucets and showerheads, nearly as well as the day they were put in.
Soft water is doesn’t have a lot of minerals. It doesn’t cause deposits in pipes or constrict water flow in fixtures.
Longer-Lasting Appliances
Over time, hard water can cause minerals to build up in your washing machine and dishwasher.
The mineral deposits in hard water turn into limescale when they get hot. This can spread over the heating elements in your appliances, decreasing life span and efficiency.
As a result, your appliances may need frequent repairs or need to be swapped out sooner.
Efficient Water Heaters
Soft water protects the efficiency of water heaters.
Gas storage and tankless water heaters operating on soft water hold on to the factory efficiency rating over a 15-year period. In comparison, using hard water for a gas water heater can reduce efficiency by up to 48 percent.
If you own an electric water heater, up to 30 pounds of rock-like scale can build up in the tank from hard water. The scale is an inferior heat conductor. It can reduce the life of your heating element, because it has to work longer to heat water.
Soft Skin, Brighter Laundry and Cleaner Dishes
Hard water minerals build up on your skin and in your hair, making it dry out. It can also cause painful razor burn.
Soft water is better at rinsing soap residue, so you’ll have silkier skin and glossier hair. Plus, your clothes will look brighter and your dishes will look more flawless.
Less Soap and Cleaning Time
When you have hard water, you have to use extra soap for a satisfactory lather. The minerals in hard water react with soap. This creates a scum on sinks.
With soft water, you won’t need to spend as much time cleaning to get rid of soap scum. You’ll also use less detergent.
What You Need to Know About Hard Water and Water Softener Systems
What is Hard Water?
Hard water has more minerals than regular water.
What is a Water Softener System?
It’s an appliance that eliminates extra minerals like calcium and magnesium. It also minimizes chlorine, iron and volatile organic compounds.
How Long Does a Water Softener Last?
A water softener that’s the right size for your home will last for a long time. Its life span depends on the manufacturer and how much you run it.
How Much Does a Water Softener Cost?
Some water softeners are more efficient than others. As a result, the fee may differ.
Costs can also vary based on how hard your water is and how much water you consume. If your water is especially hard and is used heavily, softening costs will go up.
Is Softened Water Safe to Drink?
Softened water contains all the natural minerals we need. While a small amount of sodium is put in during the softening process, softened water is absolutely safe to drink.
What’s the Quality of My Drinking Water?
Water quality varies by geography and processing levels. It can also be impacted by construction, mining, agriculture and mineral deposits your groundwater runs through.
You can discover if there are chemicals in your home’s drinking water.
The Environmental Working Group manages a free database of more than 30 million state records of tap water tests. About 81 percent of community water plants analyzed in the U.S. carry chemicals associated with cancer, according to the group’s analysis.
Can Brine from Softeners Damage my Septic Tank?
A study by the Water Quality Association found a septic tank can’t be damaged by brine discharged by a water softener. The tanks that were monitored were correctly placed and working normally.
Softened water may help limit detergents being let into your septic tank.
Softer Water, Guaranteed
Hard water problems? Call us at 518-205-3324 or request an appointment online.
One of our professionals can check if you need a water softener.
We stand behind our work with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee3 for a year. That means we’ll get the job done correctly the first time, whether you need us to fix your water softener or install a new one.
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1Some exclusions apply.
2Based on manufacturer’s information and assumptions. Savings may vary based on the type of system you use.
3Not applicable to the Advantage Program. See your signed Advantage Program Agreement for full details and exclusions. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is subject to certain restrictions and limitations as set forth in the applicable terms and conditions.