Hard water is a common concern among homeowners. Although it isn’t a serious threat to your health, it can create many irritating problems. Fortunately, treating hard water is fairly easy. You should understand what hard water is, how to identify it, and what solutions are available.
How to Test for Hard Water
Use DIY Test Strips
There are plenty of ways that you can test your hard water. However, if you’re looking for something a bit more straightforward, you should consider opting for DIY test strips.
DIY test strips are strips that you can purchase online or in various stores that will test for the presence of certain minerals and metals. All you have to do to use these products is to fill up a container with unfiltered water from the tap, dip your test strip in, and then read the results based on the corresponding color chart. It’s a quick and easy way to test for water hardness.
Just make sure that you’re using reliable test strips. Test strips that aren’t made by trustworthy manufacturers can give you false negatives that will make you believe water hardness isn’t an issue in your home.
Try the Soapsuds Test
The way soap reacts to your water can be a strong indication of hard water in the home. This is why the soapsuds experiment or the soap test can be another easy way to test for the presence of minerals and metals.
All you have to do is find a container that has a lid, fill it about one-third of the way up, and then add ten drops of dish soap. Screw the lid back on, and then shake your container for around ten seconds. Let it settle and observe the behavior of the soapy water.
If you see that the container does not have a thick layer of foam on it, this could indicate hard water as hard water makes it much more difficult for various soaps to suds up. If you’re looking for additional proof, check the color of the water. Clear water indicates that you have softer water. If you have water that is cloudy or has chunks that have settled toward the bottom of the container, you have hard water in your home.
Reach Out to Your City’s Water Supplier
Reaching out to the city to learn more about your water and whether it’s hard can be a bit tricky. Water suppliers may not keep data about water hardness on hand or have the up-to-date data they need to be able to tell you definitively about the state of your water.
Still, it is a useful resource if you can manage to find out more about your water directly from your city’s supplier. Reaching out to them and expressing your concern about your water will likely elicit a response that either tells you more about what you’re looking to learn or lets you know that they don’t have enough information at this point.
Either way, you’ll receive an answer!
Turn to Benjamin Franklin Plumbing for Hard Water Support
Hard water isn’t something to be extremely concerned about. However, it can lead to various unsightly problems throughout the home that can become tiresome rather quickly. There are plenty of ways to test for water hardness, but you may want professional support to ensure that you’re getting definitive results so you can take action confidently.
If you’re looking for support to test the water in your home and provide you with the water softening services you require, look no further than Benjamin Franklin Plumbing! We offer professional water testing services to those who don’t want to turn to DIY water testing in the event that their results are inconclusive or even wrong. If you live in the Pensacola, Florida area, we’re here to help you learn more about your water and provide you with the actionable services needed to address water hardness so you can say goodbye to sink and wall stains, dish stains, and calcium buildup.
Ready to get started? Book an appointment with us now or contact us if you have any questions!