8 Signs That You Need a Water Softener or Water Treatment System

by Angela Delong on November 15, 2017 in

Reduce energy costs

The quality of your home’s tap water depends on many things, such as the source of your water, how it’s disinfected, the condition of your city’s water delivery pipes, your well’s location, and more.

Many households deal with hard water, which is high in mineral content that deposits in your home’s pipes. The build up can, among other things, cause a shorter lifetime of your plumbing system, water heater and many other appliances, as well as negatively affecting your skin and increase your water bills.

Shiny bathtub faucet with white bathtub and mosaic wall insert

Solution? A quality Water Softener or Water Treatment System.

Water softeners replace extra calcium and magnesium ions with sodium or potassium ions, extending the lifespan of your plumbing system, your appliances and your clothes – saving you money in the long run. The Water Quality Association showed that installing a water softener system can on average save you nearly $1,000 every year. Considering all their benefits and that they will last up to twenty years, water conditioning systems make a great investment.

So How Do You Know if You Need a Water Softener?

Scale Buildup on Your Appliances

If you notice scale or lime scale on your tea kettle, dishwasher or washing machine, or see stains on your sinks and bathtubs, you have hard water in your home.
Gray and Faded Clothes

If your clothes and bed linen are graying, dull, or feel rough and scratchy, this is a sign that you have hard water.

You may be able to reduce this to an extent by using a liquid water softening detergent; however, washing powders’ effect on hard water may be limited.
Your Skin and Hair Is Dry

Hard water doesn’t nourish your skin, it dries it out and makes it feel leathery. Untreated water can even block pores, causing blackheads and inflammation. Extra magnesium and calcium in your tap water also makes your hair and scalp dry and often itchy. Shampoo, soap, and moisturizers can only prevent this to a certain extent.

Extra minerals get deposited on your skin, and since soap doesn’t dissolve properly in hard water, it cannot wash them away.
Your Water Smells Bad

When water is pure, it doesn’t have a smell. If your water smells like chlorine, metal, rotten eggs or any other strange odor, chances are there are contaminants in your water causing it.

Consider installing a water treatment system to get rid of the contaminants producing the smell.
Your Water Tastes Bad

Water should not have any particularly strong tastes and should be easy to drink. If you find yourself choking down a glass of tap water because it tastes bad, it’s a clear sign that your home could benefit from installing a water treatment system.
Plumbing System Needs Constant Repairs

Excess mineral deposits from hard water damage all pipes, especially copper and steel pipes, leaving your plumbing system ineffective and in need of continuous repair. If you have frequent pinhole leaks in your pipes, hard water may be the culprit.
Your Water Bill Seems Too High

Your plumbing system has to work harder when there are mineral buildups in your pipes and appliances. This can cause a sharp increase in your water bill. If this is the case, it may be time to invest in a water softener.
Your Professional Water Quality Analysis Showed Contaminants

The absolute best way to find out if your home needs a water treatment system is to schedule a professional water quality test. The technicians at UGI Heating, Cooling & Plumbing can test your home’s water for many different contaminants and provide you with a report of our findings. (We’ll even do it for free if we’re already in your home for another service!)

You can then use that information to decide whether or not your home needs a water treatment system and, if it does, to choose the right system for your water’s particular quality issues.

UGI Heating, Cooling & Plumbing stands ready to provide the answers to all of your plumbing questions. Our team of trained and experienced technicians knows just what to do, and provides the experience necessary to repair or replace everything from your water heater to your water softener. We also provide boiler maintenance and repair, sump pump repair or replacement, and much more!

When our plumbing experts are in your home, we will take a complimentary water sample and provide a full report on the condition of your home’s water.

At UGI Heating, Cooling and Plumbing, our trusted team of HVAC experts bring decades of experience to make your home safe, comfortable, and more energy efficient.

We also understand that breakdowns are as unpredictable and inconvenient as stormy winter weather, so we make sure you are covered with a UGI Advantage Service Agreement. It guarantees priority service for breakdowns, any time of the day or night, even on holidays, even in the middle of a cold, Pennsylvania winter night.

We’ll guide you to select a custom Service Agreement that fits your needs, so you can feel confident that if things go wrong, UGI Heating, Cooling & Plumbing will fix the problem for you, without breaking the bank.

If you have hard water and want to benefit from a water softener system, UGI Heating, Cooling & Plumbing offers top-of-the line water softener installation, maintenance and repair. Our skilled technicians are here for all of your heating system needs in Lancaster, PA, Reading, PA, Harrisburg, PA, and throughout the Susquehanna and Lehigh Valley areas.

Don’t deal with pesky plumbing issues for another day! Make an appointment today.