Are You Suffering From Hard Water Hair Problems?

Posted on July 25, 2022 by weilhammerplumbing

Hard water does a lot more damage than just limescale formation and spotty dishes. Hard water has all sorts of negative effects, even on the body. And not just your skin, but your hair too. Has your hair been off lately? Have you had trouble styling or managing your hair for some time? Hard water could be the underlying cause of your hair problems. Fortunately, hard water hair is both treatable and preventable.

Continue reading to learn how hard water might be damaging your hair, plus how to treat the issue known as hard water hair.

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Hard Water is Not Good For Hair

Hard water contains dissolved mineral solids like calcium, iron, and magnesium, which are mostly to blame for the limescale accumulations you often see around faucets and drains in a home or building with hard water. So, if hard water can cause white, cakey, crusty accumulations around your plumbing fixtures and inside of your appliances, who’s to say it can’t do the same to your scalp and hair? Well, it can, and it does.

Signs of Hard Water Hair

Hard water hair is a real result of an ongoing hard water problem. After so many washes, hair will begin to show undesirable signs of damage, like limpness, dryness, dullness, and overall un-manageability. Because hard water does not allow soap to lather well, rinsing your shampoo and conditioner out all the way can be a challenge, or even misleading. As a result, hair cannot get properly cleansed, so it feels dingy or residue-y, and looks greasy or dirty. If your hair is colored, whether permanent or temporary, hard water can cause it to turn brassy or green, or simply fade your color overtime.

How to Restore Your Hair After Hard Water Exposure

If your hair is suffering from this common hard water syndrome, rest assure that it is totally reversible no matter how serious your condition may be. Here are some of the top-recommended options for treating hair that has been damaged or affected by hard water:

▶ Clarifying Shampoo

Also known as chelating shampoo, a good-quality clarifying shampoo is designed to remove excess build-up of hair soaps and products. Although it may take two or three treatments, which can only be done once per week, your hair will be rinsed of all the residual residues and grease on your scalp. It is recommended to ask your stylist for a recommended product if your condition is severe. Expect to spend between $6 and $25.

▶ Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is an excellent, around-the-house product to have on hand for all sorts of applications. As for treating hard water-damaged hair, it is a budget-friendly alternative to buying a clarifying shampoo as it works the same way to remove excess buildup and residues from the scalp. Simply apply it to your scalp right after you shampoo and massage well, then rinse clean. You may need to repeat this treatment a few times for best results.

▶ Water Softening

The above hair and scalp treatments work well to eliminate the damaging and undesirable effects of hard water; however, they are only a temporary solution. So long as you continue washing your hair in the same water you have been using, the issue will remain. Water softening is the best method of hard water removal, and anyone can afford it. Talk to your trusted water softener plumber for information on buying, installing, and caring for an at-home water conditioning system.

Ready to tackle your hard water problems with a long-lasting, budget-friendly solution? Contact Weilhammer Plumbing Company at 317-784-1870 for plumbing services for water softeners in Indianapolis. We serve residential and commercial customers all throughout Central Indiana.

How to Know if a Saltless Water Softener is Right For You

Posted on July 5, 2022 by weilhammerplumbing

Buying a new water softener is a big investment worthy of some long forethought. And with so many options on the market today, your thought process can extend well-beyond the time you expected it would take to come to a decision. One such option is a saltless water softener. You are likely familiar with the conventional, salt-using versions; in fact, you might currently have one. But salt-free water softeners are much different, and not just because they don’t use salt.

Continue below to learn some important facts about saltfree water softeners that can help you make the smartest decision for your home or office.

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What is Saltfree Water Softening?

Conventional salt-based water softening uses ion-exchange technology that replaces hard mineral ions like calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) with softer minerals, like potassium chloride, also known as salt. Saltless water softeners use a different system to abate the negative effects of Calcium (Ca2+) and Magnesium (Mg2+) in hard water. Rather than eliminating hard mineral ions by exchanging them and flushing them out of the unit, saltfree water softeners keep them, but change their form so that they cannot cling to any surfaces. This process is called Template Assisted Crystallization (TAC), which is more similar to water conditioning, not softening.

Which System Should I Get?

Since both water softening systems work well to remove the threats and effects of hard water, your decision to choose one over the other will depend on some specific factors that are unique to your lifestyle.

Salt-based water softeners are usually the better option for homes and properties with higher levels of hard water. If you suffer from dry, cracked skin, dingy laundry, spotty dishes, and other signs of hard water, it is best to abate the mineral intake and flush them out on a routine basis.

In regions with naturally softer water or water with lower levels of hardness, a salt-free water conditioner could be the right choice. Are you a renter? They are great compliments to your landlord’s water softening system. Furthermore, saltless water softeners are low-maintenance, so they will not require much in terms of electricity, wastewater disposal, and chemicals.

Overall, saltfree water softeners are more like water conditioners, so they work well as a basic form of water purification. For moderate to high cases of hard water, water softeners are the best method of softening. Talk to a trusted Indianapolis soft water plumber for advice on hard water removal and abatement.

Are you ready to improve the quality of your property with a budget-friendly water softening plan? Contact Weilhammer Plumbing Company at 317-784-1870 for professional water softener sales and service in Indianapolis, Indiana. We offer a selection of water softeners and water filtration systems for both residential and commercial clients, and provide installation, repair, and service for them all!

How to Test for Hard Water Using an Empty Water Bottle

Posted on June 27, 2022 by weilhammerplumbing

Living with hard water is a detriment to your quality of life, and one that you don’t have to tolerate. If you suspect that you have hard water, you are likely right. Hard water boldly leaves behind evidence of its damage, from your faucets and drains to your appliances, plumbing, laundry, dishes, hair, skin, and much more. If you are on the fence about having a hard water problem, why don’t you just perform a do-it-yourself test? All you need is an empty water bottle, pure Castile soap, and a working faucet.

Continue below to learn how to perform a hard water test using an empty water bottle, plus what to do if you determine, you do have a hard water problem.

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How to Test for Hard Water at Home

There is really only good news about testing for hard water at home. Not only is it inexpensive, of free if you already have all of the materials, but at-home water testing is also very easy (so easy a child could do it; in fact, you should enlist your children to help you with this really cool DIY science experiment!) and the results are highly reliable. Aside from low costs, simplicity, and reliable results, at-home water testing is also beneficial because there is more than one way to do it.

Here are three, including the water bottle test:

Store-Bought Testing Kits

You could go to the store and purchase an at-home water testing kit that comes with all of the materials needed to test your water for hardness. These kits generally have you send the results into a water testing laboratory, which means you will need to pay for postage and wait for your results to come back. Water testing kits are typically very reliable and accurate.

The Water Bottle Test

A more enjoyable way to test your water would be to implement a water bottle test. All you need is an empty plastic water bottle, a pure Castile soap, and your tap water. Take your empty water bottle and fillet 1/3 of the way with water directly from the top. Then add 3 to 4 drops of soap into the bottle. Screw the lid on tightly and vigorously shake the bottle.

Set the bottle down on a flat surface and observe the bubble formation. If your bottle is filled with suds and bubbles, and the water below is mostly clear, you have little to no hard water. However, if your water is cloudy and there’s only a thin layer suds at the top, you have hard water.

Professional Water Quality Testing

The most accurate and comprehensive method for hard water testing would be to hire a professional soft water company in Indianapolis. They have the proper knowledge, materials, and resources to perform precision hardness testing, plus provide and deliver the most compatible solutions to your water quality problems.

Are you ready to have the best water quality for your home or office? Contact Weilhammer Plumbing Company at 317-784-1870 for professional water softening services in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding counties. We serve residential and commercial clients with soft water sales, service, and repair.

An Explanation of Hard Water

Posted on June 14, 2022 by weilhammerplumbing

It is a well-known fact that the majority of United States residents have hard water. Although the level of hardness varies throughout the nation, it is arguably safe to say that most of us know what it is like living with crusted plumbing fixtures, poor quality laundry, dingy hair, and dishware that looks like it’s never been washed. Although hard water is a continuous problem for many home and business owners, it doesn’t have to be. Not only is hard water treatable, but it is preventable.

Continue reading to learn more about hard water, including how to eliminate and prevent hard water problems in your home or office.

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Hard Water Facts

Hard water is water that contains high traces of dissolved mineral salts, specifically magnesium, calcium, and iron, but other hard mineral ions as well. Water becomes infiltrated with these hard minerals after falling from the sky as rain, then permeating the various layers of soil, sand, clay, and aggregate in the ground, before finally reaching the underground water table. This means that rain is free of dissolved mineral ions, making it naturally soft water.

Levels of Hardness in Water

Hard water is measured in grains per gallon (GPG) but can also be read in parts per million (PPM) or milligrams of calcium (Ca). It is then applied to a scale from 1 to 15+, ranging from slightly hard to extremely hard. So, the more grains, the harder the water.

■ Slightly Hard: 3 GPG
■ Moderately: 3 – 7 GPG
■ Hard: 7 – 10 GPG
■ Very Hard: 10 – 14 GPG
■ Extremely Hard: 15+

You might also see hard water measured on a scale that looks like this:

■ Soft Water: 0 to 60 mg/L
■ Moderately Hard: 61 to 120 mg/L
■ Hard: 121 to 180 mg/L
■ Very Hard: Over 180 mg/L

As mentioned, the level of water hardness varies regionally, so a state or town might have naturally softer water than their neighboring district. Here in Indianapolis, we are one of the top 6 cities in the nation with the hardest water, coming in at Extremely Hard (15+). If you are dealing with hard water problems in Indianapolis, contact a licensed Indianapolis soft water company to learn your options, today.

The Disadvantages of Living With Hard Water

Hard water costs you money. In all areas that hard water creates problems, every single one of them comes back to spending more hard-earned money. Some of the most common consequences of hard water include problems with laundry, bathing, plumbing, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, dishes, and hair.

Laundry and Bathing:

Hard water does not lather well, which is where it gets its name. Hard water is hard to wash in because it barely lathers soap and takes a long time to rinse away the residues, let alone the dirt. As a result, laundry and bathing are affected by hard water.

Laundry comes out stiff and faded, while showers become challenging and take up more of your time. By the way, longer showers contribute to higher utility bills from increase hot water usage. You also go through more soap, which sends you to the store for more, thus costing you more money.

Plumbing, Fixtures, and Dishware:

Hard water leaves behind unsightly limescale, which looks like white or green colored crust. Generally, you will see this crust formation around plumbing fixtures like faucets and drains. Unfortunately, limescale formation is more than just unpleasing to the eye; it is also damaging to your plumbing-related appliances, like refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashing machines, water heaters, and water softeners.

The scale can form within the lines and tanks of these appliances, causing the appliance to decline in performance and use too much energy. This all results in higher energy bills, as well as premature appliance repairs and replacements. Those dishes that always look dirty, even right after taking them out of the dishwasher, are also a result of limescale.

How to Solve a Hard Water Problem

Installing or upgrading your current water softener is the best solution for a hard water problem. Water softeners condition hard water using an ion exchange technology. Water softeners are the ultimate luxury that come at an affordable and highly-worthwhile cost. Talk to your local soft water professional about getting started with a water softening plan, today.

Would you like to learn more about water softening and water softener service? Contact Weilhammer Plumbing Company at 317-784-1870 for water softener sales, service, and installation in Indianapolis, Indiana. We serve residential and commercial clients.

Are Water Softeners Worth the Cost?

Posted on June 6, 2022 by weilhammerplumbing

If you are on the market for a new water softener, you might be contemplating your cost-to-value ratios right about now. Water softeners are not cheap, and they shouldn’t be considering the vital role they play in on-demand water quality. However, cars are not cheap either, yet they are a standard, fixed cost in most people’s budgets. Water softeners can be viewed quite similarly, as they are also highly-beneficial assets that enhance the level of convenience and quality in our lives.

So, when shopping around for a replacement water softener, do not let the price tag, nor the cost of set up and installation, throw you off. There are many valuable advantages of having a water softener that make the upfront investment worth it, including, believe it or not, future cost savings.

Continue reading to learn why water softeners are worth the money, plus where you can get top-of-the-line models for economical prices right here in Indianapolis.

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Top Benefits of Water Softening

Are you still reeling on the mention of cost-savings by water softening? Well, it’s true. One of the top-noted advantages of having a quality water softener is that it can save you money. Not only does soft water lower your monthly utility bills (water and energy), but it also helps prevent future breakdowns within plumbing systems and water-related appliances (dishwashers, washing machines, water heaters, etc.). And that’s not all; they also save you money on detergent, shampoo, conditioner, soap, clothing, and much more! How does a water softener do all this? It protects us and our assets against the effects of hard water.

Why Hard Water is Bad

Hard water contains dissolved minerals, such as iron, calcium, and magnesium, among other contaminants and constituents. These hard mineral ions cause limescale buildup, which is often seen around plumbing fixtures and drains. Limescale can also build up inside water heater tanks, washing machines, dishwashing machines, and water lines. Because of limescale, hard water can negatively affect your hair, skin, dishes, laundry, and overall budget plan.

Hard water does not lather or rinse very well. As a result, it can leave behind a residue that makes skin feel dry and irritated, while causing the hair to look greasy and dingy. Additionally, people tend to use more soap, shampoo, and conditioner just to get a good lather, which leads to more frequent product replacements, thus costing more money.

As for laundry, hard water can fade and dry out fabrics. Not only does this make your clothes and upholstered items look more worn, but it can cost you money by forcing you to replace laundered items that have been damaged by hard water.

Because hard water leaves behind limes residues, it can make your dishes look cloudy and spotty. This often prompts homeowners to run the dishwasher cycle over again to get a better clean, which ultimately costs them more money in water and electricity bills.

Water Softening Costs

The average cost of buying and installing a new water softener is around $3,000. You could be spared from a large bill by opting for a magnetic or ion-exchange manual regeneration water softener. These tend to be the least expensive to install, usually between $100 and $400. As for buying price, you can buy a quality make and model for as low as $500 or $600. This could be one of your cheapest options.

How to Ensure You Get all the Benefits of Water Softening

Having a water softener installed in your home is one of the best methods of water softening and overall asset protection. However, in order to get the best results from your water softener, it is important that you make the right size selection. Not only must you choose a quality water softener, but you need to select the right capacity water softener.

You can make this determination based on the number of occupants within your home and the level of water hardness. On average, the water in the United States contains nearly 10 grains of hardness per gallon, while the average person uses 80 gallons of water per day. So, if you have 4 people in your home, your calculations will look like this:

▷ People: 4
▷ Gallons Per Person: 80
▷ Grains of Hardness: 10
▶ Gallons Used Per Day: 80 x 4 = 320
▶ Total Grains Used Each Day: 320 x 10 = 3,200
▶ Water Softener Capacity: 3,200 x 10 = 32,000

In this example, you would need a 32,000 grain water softener. Most homes use a 33,000 grain water softener, but for larger homes with more occupants, more conditioning is required. Overall, water softeners are worth the cost because they start saving you money as soon as they get to work.

Are you ready to learn your options for affordable water softening at home or in the office? Contact Weilhammer Plumbing Company at 317-784-1870 for professional sales, installation, service, and repair for all make and model water softeners, including saltfree water softeners.

What is the Hardness Level of Well Water?

Posted on May 24, 2022 by weilhammerplumbing

Are you on the market for a new home or business location? Do some of these properties operate on well water? Perhaps you are considering the addition of a well water system to your current home or office? If so, you are likely filled with all sorts of well water questions, namely about hardness. Continue reading to learn whether well water is hard or soft, plus how to test for and get rid of hard water.

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Well Water Comes From the Ground

Rain falls from the skies as naturally softened water. Once it permeates the varying layers of soil, sand, aggregate, bedrock, and more, it accumulated hard solids and minerals, like calcium, magnesium, and iron. Seeing as though well water is generally sourced from a natural or man-made water table beneath the ground, you can safely assume that well water is harder than your standard, municipal tap water.

Hard water cannot always be seen by the naked eye, but you can often spot the signs. Hard water causes limescale buildup around plumbing fixtures like drains and faucets. Water can appear cloudy or have a metallic taste. Dishes tend to accumulate spots or look cloudy after washing them. Laundry and bathing can feel less effectual because hard water does not rather or rinse well. Hair can feel dry or dingy. Skin can feel itchy and dry. There are many signs of hard water. But the guaranteed way to know is through hard water testing.

Testing Well Water Hardness

It is important to test well water for hardness. The level of water hardness varies, regionally. One town might have naturally-softer water than the town next door, and so forth. Testing well water is an important part of the hard water solution process, but also for ensuring safe drinking water.

You can contact your local Indianapolis soft water plumber to schedule an on-site well water test. They have the proper resources and technologies to obtain an accurate reading. You can, however, purchase your own well water testing kit, but these are not always as accurate, and accuracy counts when it comes to developing a viable soft water plan for a well water-using property.

Hard Water Solutions for Wells

Whether your property operates on a well or municipal water, the most effective and proven solution to hard water is water softening. Installing a quality water softener that is the correct size and capacity for your soft water needs is the smart approach to hard water removal. Not only does soft water feel better, taste better, and perform better, but it saves you a lot of money. In addition to saving on water and energy bills, you will also save on shampoo, soap, detergent, clothing, and premature appliance repairs and replacements!

Are you ready to save loads of money by implementing an innovative soft water plan? Contact Weilhammer Plumbing Company at 317-784-1870 for professional water softener service and repair in Indianapolis, Indiana. We serve residential and commercial clients with the most effective and affordable plumbing and water softening services around!

Best Salt Options for Residential Water Softeners

Posted on May 17, 2022 by weilhammerplumbing

Water softeners are excellent, money-saving appliances that significantly contribute to your quality of life. Not only do water softening systems remove solid and dissolved minerals from water, making them an effective solution for hard water removal, but they also reduce monthly utility costs by saving homeowners energy and water. Even better, water softeners protect other important plumbing appliances, such as water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers, piping, and more.

By having a water softener, you have already made a wise and impactful decision for your home. Nonetheless, using the right softening salt is another important element of soft water maintenance at home. But which softening salt is best for your water softener? What are the differences between potassium and sodium chloride salt pellets?

Continue below to learn some of the best salt options for residential water softeners, plus where you can get more advice and service for your water softening needs in Indianapolis.

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Top 2 Water Softener Salt Options

When it comes to choosing a water softening salt, it is important to select a quality product. Lower-quality water softener salts contain high traces of contaminants and water-insoluble matter. Such contaminators can leave behind residues in the water softener tank, which can lead to breakdowns and costly repairs. Although brine tank cleaning can abate the likelihood or frequency of water softener malfunctions, using a good quality water softening salt can eliminate the risk of long-term damage.

Sodium Chloride and Potassium Chloride

The top two options for water softener salt are sodium chloride and potassium chloride. Each water softener salt product is acceptable in most types of water softeners, but one might work better than the other for your water softener unit or softening needs.

Sodium chloride is your traditional water softening salt. Common types include evaporated salt pellets, solar salt pellets, rock salt, and block salt, all of which comes in three forms: pellet, crystal, or block. Evaporated salt is the highest purity water softener salt at 99.9% pure salt, and it comes highly recommended. Solar salt is a close second being 99.6% pure salt.

Rock salt contains high calcium sulfate levels and does not dissolve well. For these reasons, rock salt is not usually recommended because it cause a lot of water softener maintenance issues. Sodium chloride water softener salt will be the more economical buy, as it tends to be less expensive to potassium chloride water softening salt. It tends to be more available as well.

Potassium chloride is another type of water softening salt that works well to regenerate the softening resin. Potassium chloride is great for anyone looking to reduce their sodium intake because it is 99.9% sodium-free. Although a bit pricier and more challenging to come by, potassium chloride water softening salt is an excellent alternative to the traditional water softener salts on the market.

Switching Water Softener Salts

If you have been using sodium chloride and wish to make the switch to potassium chloride water softener salts, you may need to increase the salt dosage by up to 10% to accommodate proper resin bead regeneration.

If you have been using potassium chloride and now wish to switch back to sodium chloride, you can do so without making any major modifications or adjustments. If you increased the salt dosage on the valve when you originally switched to potassium chloride, you may need to adjust this again to accommodate for sodium chloride water softening.

Would you like to learn how to improve your soft water quality at home or in the office? Contact Weilhammer Plumbing Company at 317-784-1870 for licensed and insured water softener services in Indianapolis, Indiana. We serve residential and commercial clients, offering water softener sales, service, and repair! Ask us about our saltless water softeners!

Where to Start When You Need to Buy a Water Softener

Posted on January 27, 2022 by weilhammerplumbing

If you have thought about adding a water softener to your home or office, there are a few things to consider first. These considerations will help you determine which type of water softener best suits your water softening and conditioning needs.

Continue reading to learn where to start when choosing a new water softener for your home or office.

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Step By Step Guide to Buying a Water Softener

Buy a Hard Water Testing Kit

The first thing you need to consider is the hardness of your water. The degree of iron and other minerals in the water supply will give you an understanding on how necessary it is to purchase a water softener. Depending on where you live, the hardness of water can differ substantially. Typically, hard water is influenced by the amount of region rainfall and drought patterns. It can fluctuate from city to city. Once you have tested your water, you can continue on the path of choosing the right water softening system for your individual needs.

Determine What Size You Will Need

Choosing the right size water softener can be complicated. This is a good place to ask a professional for assistance. It is helpful to understand exactly what a water softener does before attempting to calculate the proper size might need.

A water softener basically removes hard mineral from water, (i.e. iron, calcium, etc.) and trades it in for softer minerals like sodium. Inside these appliances are things called ion exchange resin. These act as little “chemical magnets”. The more ion magnets a water softener contains, the higher its capacity is.

The capacity refers to the number of gallons a system can purify before it needs regenerated or recharged. The capacity is measured by grain removal per gallon. The average water supply in America has around 10 grains of hardness per gallon. Since you have used a hard water testing kit, you already know the degree of hardness in your water.

Calculate Your Occupancy

In order to calculate how much water your home or office needs to purify, multiply the number of people in the home or building by 80. The number eighty comes from the statistic that the average person uses 80 gallons of water per day. Simply use the formula to calculate the capacity requirements. An average family of four would require a 32000 grain water softener once the math is calculated. Refer to the example below for a better understanding.

People in House: 4
Gallons Used Per Person: 80
Gallons Used Per Day in House: 80×4=320
Grains per Gallon: 10
Grains Used Per Day: 320×10=32000

What You Need to Know About Water Softener Regeneration

A water softener requires recharging after an extended amount of usage and time. The rate at which a water softener needs regenerated is determined by its capacity. There are three different regeneration options: meter regenerated, timer regenerated, and manual regeneration. Meter regenerated water softeners are highly efficient because they are programmed to acclimate to changes in water usage.

It only regenerates when it needs to, saving energy and money on salt pellets in the long run. Timer water softeners use a time clock to schedule and execute regeneration. No matter how much water is used, it will regenerate as programmed. Manual regenerated softeners are pretty self-explanatory at this point. These systems do not use timers or meters to track the amount of water used per day. They require manual draining and recharging every time.

Is your water softener in need of service or repair right now? Do you need a new water softener? Contact Weilhammer Plumbing Company at 317-784-1870 for Indianapolis Indiana plumbing services for water softeners, today. We provide residential and commercial plumbing services all throughout Central Indiana.

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Top 3 Ways to Test For Hard Water

Posted on August 11, 2021 by weilhammerplumbing

Nobody should have to live with the negative effects of hard water. Not only does hard water cause problems for all of your plumbing systems and appliances, but it also reduces the quality of living in terms of skincare, laundry, dishes, and even nails and hair. First of all, hardware can increase your energy and utility bills every month as a result of your need to use more and because plumbing systems are working harder to perform the same duties they are programmed.

Fortunately, there are several solutions to resolving a hard water problem. But your first step is to determine the level of hardness in your area and compare it to how hard the water is in your home or office. There are a few different approaches for testing hard water, all of which are easy to do and involve very little labor on your part.

Continuing reading to learn the top three ways to test for hard water, and where to find trusted water softening plumbing services in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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Hard Water and Soft Water Basics

Hard water forms when rainwater enters the ground and filters through the various levels of soil and aggregate, collecting hard minerals such as calcium, iron, and magnesium along the way. These hard minerals latch onto the oxygen hydrogen molecules in the water and change its properties altogether.

The good news is that hard water can be reversed through innovative water softening processes that incorporate ion exchange technology using resin beads and water softening salt pellets. This is traditionally achieved by installing a water softener.

You can also couple water softener system with other water purification options such as whole house water filters and reverse osmosis systems. Talk to a professional Indianapolis water softener plumber for personalized advice on which water softening and water purification systems are best for your home or office.

Testing for Hard Water

The top three easiest and most economically-priced options for testing or determining hard water levels, either regionally or at home or in the office, including using an online resource, implementing a visual water test, or using a hard water test kit.

❶ Online Resources – Go online and check your city’s annual water quality report. This will give you information on the various levels of hard water in the surrounding regions. Some regions have harder water than others, so this data can play a vital role in determining which water purification systems are most compatible with your home or office.

❷ Visual Water Test – You can also perform a visual water observation test with nothing more than some pure Castile soap and a clean, plastic bottle. Simply fill the plastic bottle halfway with water directly from the tap, then add a few drops of the soap. Vigorously shake the bottle and then begin to observe how the water reacts. If the water is cloudy and there is only a thin layer of bubbles on the surface, you have hard water. Soft water would present itself with clear water 1/3 of the way up and nothing but foamy bubbles the rest of the way.

❸ Hard Water Test Kit – You can purchase a hard water test kit at any local department store or online retailer for under $20. Such kits vary in price and the things they test for, so pay close attention to which kit you choose. It is wise to select a comprehensive hard water test kit that will also check for other common water impurities such as heavy metals and inorganic contaminants. Simply follow the manufacturer’s instructions that come with the hard water test kit, and you will find that the process is very simple.

Are you having trouble determining the level of water hardness in your area and wish to learn more about water softening? Contact Weilhammer Plumbing Company at 317-784-1870 for residential and commercial water softener services in Indianapolis, Indiana. We sell, repair, install, and replace water softeners, plus offer free advice anytime.

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How Hard Water Problems Can Cost You Money

Posted on August 5, 2021 by weilhammerplumbing

Living with hard water will pose all sorts of problems around the house, from laundry and bathing to dish washing, skincare, hair care, plumbing, appliances, and much more. But what many homeowners do not realize is that hard water can also affect the bank account, especially if they’ve been living with hard water for a very long time.

Continue reading to learn how hard water problems can cost you money, and how a water softener can solve this issue and it improve your overall quality of life.

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What is Hard Water?

Hard water comes from the ground. It starts as rainwater, which is naturally soft; then it permeates the ground and seeps deep within sand, soil, and rock. As its saturating the ground, rainwater collects mineral deposits, such as magnesium and calcium, which cause water to be hard. Hard water is measured in grains per gallon. The more salt minerals water contains, the “harder” the water is said to be. Depending on local water treatment centers and plumbing developments, the degree of hardness in a person’s water will differ.

The Cost of Living With Hard Water

When you are dealing with a hard water problem in your house, you may face additional expenses that you will have to pay for out-of-pocket. Hard water can cause your appliances to break down because sediment will accumulate within their systems causing them to work in overdrive. This leads to premature appliance placement is very costly. Furthermore, because your appliances are working harder, your utility bills are going to skyrocket, which means you are paying more for energy and electricity and water each month.

Another way hard water will cost you money is in terms of water consumption. Your water bill will also skyrocket because you will have to use more water to rinse things, such as cleaning your clothes or washing your hands. Because hard water doesn’t lather well, you’ll take longer to rinse your shampoo and conditioner of your hair, therefore using more water. The same theory applies to washing your hands or washing your clothes in the laundry machine.

In a less obvious way, and perhaps less impactful, hard water can also cause you to spend more money on things like shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, and similar cleaning supplies since hard water makes it more difficult to get things clean. As a result of this, you tend to use more of these items each time.

How to Solve a Hard Water Problem

A quality water conditioning system, such as a conventional water softener, is the best solution for solving a hard water problem, whether at home or your place of business. A water softener eliminates all of the hard mineral ions in your water supply that makes water hard, such as iron, magnesium, calcium, and possibly heavy metals like lead and mercury. Talk to your local Indianapolis plumbing company for advice on which water softener is best for your home or office.

Are you ready to install a new water softener or have your current water softener repaired? Contact Weilhammer Plumbing Company at 317-784-1870 for water softener services in Indianapolis, Indiana. We serve both residential and commercial clients and offer free advice anytime!

You Should Also Read:

5 Signs of a Hard Water Problem
The Top 3 Advantages of Owning a Water Softener
Do Not Make these Common Plumbing Mistakes as a New Homeowner