How clean the water in your plumbing system is depends on where you live, and the efficiency of your city’s water treatment plant. No matter how good your city’s municipal treatment systems are, though, they cannot be 100% effective. There will always be some level of contaminants that manage to escape the treatment process and make it into your home. Not to mention that if you get your water from somewhere other than the city in which you live, it may not be getting any treatment at all. It’s important that you take steps to protect your home from the dangerous contaminants that might infiltrate it through the water supply. The best way to do that is to install a water treatment system. Read on for some of the warning signs that you need to install a water treatment system in your home.
Lime Scale
Hard water is what happens when water absorbs a lot of magnesium and calcium molecules, usually during percolation through rock before being collected. It’s not harmful to you, but it can be to your plumbing system. As the water flows through your plumbing pipes, it will deposit small amounts of these particles on the walls. These will eventually form mineral deposits called “lime scale.” As the lime scale builds up in the pipe, it will restrict the amount of water that can flow through the system. If the lime scale isn’t caught quickly enough, it will harden and become impossible to remove without damaging the pipe.
The best way to check for lime scale buildup without professional equipment is to have a look at your faucets, bathtub, or shower. If you notice a sort of white, chalky substance in those areas, that’s probably lime scale. If it’s present in those areas, it’s almost certainly in your pipes. It’s a good idea to install a water softener at that point, to filter out the extra particles and protect against lime scale.
Odd Colors or Tastes
Few people actually enjoy the taste of unfiltered tap water. However, there’s a difference between the taste of normal tap water and a taste that indicates something is seriously wrong. You should have a professional evaluate your home for a water treatment system if you start to detect a strong metallic taste in your water. Really, any kind of strong taste in your tap water is probably worthy of testing. It could be harmless, or it could indicate the presence of contaminants like copper.
Also, it should go without saying that tap water should not be all the colors of the rainbow. Brown or red coloration could indicate rust in the pipes, which you obviously want to get checked. Other colors like green or blue could have a number of different causes. Without professional water testing, it’s hard to tell for certain what might be causing such a symptom. One thing that you should never do, though, is ignore it.
Performance Plumbing provides water treatment system installation services in St. Louis, MO. Contact us today for an appointment with one of our experts.