You can see it on your showerhead. You can see it on your kitchen faucet. In extreme cases, you can even see it as white dust on your clothing.
What is it? Mineral buildup and scale thanks to having hard water.
Let’s face it. Scrubbing your bathtub clean on a regular basis or using a scale removing chemical for your faucets and fixtures is a royal pain. High scale levels can even impact the quality of the water filters you may be using.
Knowing how to remove mineral buildup and scale will do more than just improve your drinking water. It will also extend the life of your fixtures, improve faucet flow, reduce the workload of your plumbing systems, and be gentler on your clothing.
Now here’s the good news: you don’t need to use a salt-based water softening system to improve the quality of your water. Here are some modern options to consider.
#1. Salt-Free Water Softening
Salt can create corrosive conditions within your plumbing system. No-salt systems accomplish the same mineral reduction outcomes by using ceramic media to initiate an ion-exchange process that removes magnesium and calcium salts from the water. They also reduce the ongoing costs that a traditional water softener requires with weekly sodium replacements.
#2. Water Filters
Some water filters are specifically designed to remove scale at the same time they are removing potentially hazardous contaminants from your water. Use the best water filter reviews to look at the exact contaminants that a filter can remove. Many whole house systems are rated to remove the typical components of hard water to immediately improve the quality of water that’s at your tap.
#3. Automatic Regeneration Systems
This type of system works much like a water softener, except that you don’t have the ongoing maintenance requirements. It uses ion-exchange columns to exchange calcium and magnesium for sodium and potassium as water flows through the column. Then the columns will regenerate the ions so that the exchange can take place repetitively.
#4. Water Conditioners
One innovative product that can help to remove mineral buildup and scale is called ScaleBlaster. It uses a wave current that sweeps through your water supply 20 times per second through 1,000-20,000 Hz. This causes the ions to collide or precipitate with each other, which then changes the molecular structure of the water. It can break-up scale buildup and allow water to flow freely without crystal adherence. It works on hard water levels that are up to 325 parts per million and requires a minimal amount of space for installation.
More information about ScaleBlaster can be found here.
If a water filter is not rated to work with hard water, then you will see the same scale buildup occur within the filter as you do on the surface of a showerhead. Take steps to remove this mineral buildup by having the right supplementary water enhancement products in your home and you’ll be able to have healthier water in 30 days or less.