Written on: April 17, 2023
Here in Central Maine, hard water is common as many homes use wells for their water supply.
If you are facing problems caused by hard water, AFC is here to help!
We sell, install, and service a comprehensive selection of Water-Right water treatment solutions including water conditioning, whole home filtration solutions, point-of-use filtering needs and ultraviolet/cartridge filters. We’ll evaluate your water and make sure you get what you need to make your water better.
Our team of licensed, insured, and experienced service technicians and plumbers will expertly install and service your hard water treatment equipment. As with all our equipment work, our water treatment services are backed up by the AFC Comfort Guarantee.
With us, you get top-quality equipment that will make the quality of life in your home exponentially better.
Hard water, which contains a high concentration of minerals such as calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates, and sulfates, is formed when groundwater passes through beds of limestone or chalk.
Hard water can pose a great deal of problems. Not only does it create an excessive amount of buildup in pipes and plumbing fixtures, but the long-term effects include scale build-up inside pipes that restricts flow.
As hard water navigates through confined areas such as shower heads and dishwasher arms, its propensity to cause blockages increases exponentially, ultimately inhibiting the performance of your plumbing fixtures or appliances. The greater the number of jets that become either partially or completely blocked, the less water passes through them, impeding cleaning performance and putting strain on the device.
When hard water accumulates in boilers, it limits the heat transfer to water and reduces heating efficiency. Overheating of boiler components then ensues due to the pressurized system, which can cause your entire boiler unit to break down.
Having hard water can increase your energy costs as it reduces the efficiency of boilers, water heaters, dishwashers, and washing machines.
Keeping your bathrooms and kitchen clean is more challenging with hard water, as it causes scale buildup on your fixtures, a filmy coating on glassware, white spots on silverware, and soap scum residue in your tub, shower, and tiles.
Hard water also poses problems for bathing and laundry. If you have hard water, it can be difficult to create suds with your soap products, leading many people to believe that more cleaning product is needed. However, using extra cleaning products does not only cost more money every month but can also harm the functionality of your appliances in the long run.
With small amounts of animal fat present in some soaps and fabric softeners, over time this substance can build up inside appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, and sink drains. This accumulation can lead to an unpleasant odor exemplified by the common smell in a front-loader washing machine.
In laundry, hard water can fad color on fabrics, prevent detergents from removing stains, and potentially create enough wear on fabrics to create holes and tears.
Hard water can wreak havoc on your skin, particularly if you are light-skinned or suffer from acne, eczema, or sensitivity. Bathing and washing with this type of water will clog pores and cause intense itching as well as irritation.
Get rid of hard water problems in your home with water treatment solutions from AFC! Contact us today for your FREE estimate.