If you’ve ever washed your glassware and let it dry and end up getting a white cloudy substance that coats it? That’s the dissolved minerals in your water which is referred to as Hard Water. You may see it on your faucets, shower doors, and anything that can get wet from your water at home. Our previous home was not far away, so we use the same water company and the hard water broke one of our coffee makers within a year, and it also broke our ice maker from our fridge. The mineral buildup was difficult to scrap off. Using harsh chemicals wasn’t an option. I ended up getting a water conditioner (rather than a true water softener). The conditioner didn’t soften the water. The conditioner gives the minerals an ionic charge that prevents it from clinging to itself. You still get those white spots, but it was much easier to clean off. Wiping it with a paper towel was all that was need to clean it up.
I recently installed a water softener for our new house. It’s awesome and it has been great. I wish I did it when we were living at our old house. South San Jose is notorious for its hard water. According to the USGS Website water with dissolved calcium and magnesium of 7 gpg (grains per gallon) or 120 ml/L (milligram per liter) is considered hard water. According to our water provider, Great Oaks Water, their water hardness is 18 gpg (grains per gallon) or 307.8 ml/L (milligram per liter.) That’s the over 250% over those values.
If you’re struggling to clean up the water spots from your faucets and dishware or your appliances getting clogged up with mineral deposits I highly recommend a softener. There are other benefits such as softer skin and hair. I find myself using a lot less lotion, soap, and shampoo. I have a Fleck 5600STX 64,0000 Grain system that I purchased from Amazon, and I got a plumber to install it. The system requires me to add a 40 pound bag of salt each month.