Fall 2015

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Keep Your Water Fresh this Winter Season, with Water Treatment Systems!

For the vast majority of us, the water that we drink and wash in is put through an extensive amount of treatment before being pumped into our homes. This treatment is conducted by the cities in which we live, in order to protect us from some of the nastier things that can live in natural water. While municipal water treatment is very effective in a lot of ways, it isn’t 100% effective. There are a lot of different things that can make it past the treatment process and into your water supply. While most of them are not physically dangerous, you still probably want to get them taken care of for the good of your house. Let’s take a look at how you can keep your water fresh with a water treatment system.

Hard Water

The bane of plumbing systems everywhere. Hard water is created when water percolates through limestone and chalk layers before reaching the water table. This causes it to absorb magnesium and calcium minerals, which it then carries into your home. Now, these minerals aren’t harmful to you. You probably absorb quite a bit of magnesium and calcium in your diet anyway. While this isn’t a threat to you, though, it is to your home’s plumbing.

As hard water flows through the plumbing system, it deposits tiny amounts of minerals on the walls of the pipes. Over time, these deposits grow into a substance called “lime scale.” Lime scale slowly restricts the flow of water through the pipe, as it grows towards the center. Eventually, it can become so bad that your flow of water slows to a trickle. After that, the only thing you can usually do is replace the pipe. The best way to prevent this from happening is to install a water softener in your home’s water line. A water softener will neutralize the minerals in the hard water before it makes it into your home. That way, your entire home can be protected from the effects of lime scale.

Other Natural Pollutants

There are plenty of other things that can decrease the quality of your water. From chlorine to heavy metals, you really don’t want to be consuming this stuff. They can do something as innocuous as create an unpleasant taste, but some are quite a bit more dangerous. If you know that the tap water in your area isn’t of the best quality, consider installing a water filtration system to protect against it.

Repair or Replace: How Is Your Water Heater Doing?

The replace vs. repair issue happens at some point with all major appliances, including your hot water heater. When looking at this issue, there are three important factors that need to be weighed: age, frequency of repairs and performance. Let’s have a look at each:

Age

How old is your current water heater? The average lifespan for storage tank water heaters is 10-13 years and for tankless systems it is 20 years. Age plays a big role in the overall decision of replacing or repairing your hot water heater because as an appliance ages, the components that make that appliance operate begin to break down. At some point, you may be paying more to keep an aging hot water heater running than is wise.

Number of Repairs

Have you had to schedule a number of repairs for your existing water heater, or are you looking at needing a number of repairs to keep it functioning? You’ll want to assess the age of your hot water heater and the cost of the impending repairs before saying “yes” to moving ahead with those repairs. Why? You may find that it is not worthwhile to put that kind of money into your existing unit.

Overall Performance

Is your hot water heater temperamental? Does it provide you with all the hot water you need or is it coming up short? How much energy or fuel is your hot water heater using – does the amount seem to climb each month? If you aren’t getting the consistent, hot water you need, and/or your hot water heater is starting to make your energy bills rise each month, it may be time to consider the installation of a new unit.

You May Only Need Maintenance

Is your hot water heater relatively new and just seems to be a little sluggish? Then you’ll want to schedule maintenance for it. Just as a heating or cooling system requires annual maintenance, so does your hot water heater. Maintenance for your hot water heater helps make it more energy efficient and prevents repair. It also helps the unit achieve your hot water needs easily because the components have been cleaned and adjusted. Only a trained expert should handle the maintenance for your hot water heater.

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