3 ways which hard water is damaging your home and your wallet
Hard water is caused by limescale. If your water supply has lime in it then this is slowly chipping away your home and your money. If you’ve noticed stains on your kettle and shower door then it’s likely that you have lime in your water. Here’s 3 ways how hard water is affecting your home and your money.
1. Limescale is rapidly destroying your appliances
Limescale destroys the heating element in your home appliances, such as kettles, showers and washing machines. When water is heated, the minerals in the hard water settle down on the heating element and create a limescale build-up. Over time the limescale build-up increases and forms a thick layer, encrusting the element. The appliance has to overwork to produce the same amount of heat and this eventually causes failure of the appliance.
*http://www.which.co.uk/documents/pdf/p36-39_washing20machines-254029.pdf
2. Limescale is increasing your gas, oil and electricity bills
Limescale can build up inside your water pipes. It forms a layer on the inside of the pipe, which reduces the water flow and the pipe’s thermal efficiency. Limescale can even block the pipe in extreme cases.
In your hot water cylinder, Limescale build-up strangles the heating element, effectively insulating it in a thick crust, so it takes longer to heat your water to the required temperature. Taking longer to heat the water means leaving the gas, oil or electricity on longer, which inevitably costs you more money. At a time when oil and gas prices are at an all-time-high it makes no sense to be paying more unnecessarily.
Heating efficiency comparison: Heating element exposed to soft water vs. Heating element exposed to hard water
3. Limescale is increasing the money you spend on detergents and cleaning products
Limescale reduces the effectiveness of soap, shampoo and detergents. Hard water produces less lather than soft water therefore you need to use higher quantities of soap, shampoo and detergent each time you have a bath or a shower or do the washing.
Limescale requires more cleaning. The stains on your shower door, kettle or kitchen sink are formed by limescale. Once hard water evaporates, it leaves the stains of lime salt and other minerals on the surface, requiring strong detergents to dissolve it. More limescale= more money.
Hard water is literally washing your money down the drain, limescale removing chemicals and washing machine tablets are only treating the problem not preventing it. By removing the limescale at source you will stop limescale in its tracks saving you time and money.
