9 Reasons to Have a Water Softener in Your St. Charles Home

Hard water causes more than just aesthetic problems and cleaning challenges, it reduces the life expectancy of all appliances that use water and can be damaging to your pipes as well.

We know it’s one of the “boring” appliances and we understand it isn’t where you enjoy spending your money, but the fact remains, that having a water softener installed will save you thousands of dollars over the life of your home in St. Charles, IL. That may seem farfetched but we’re going to list out 9 different ways that not having a water softener installed will cause you headaches and unnecessary costs over the years.

The purpose of a water softener is to remove minerals, like calcium, from your water. By removing these minerals, you reduce the amount of buildup in water lines to appliances, reduce corrosion and scale deposits in valves and on fixtures and even reduce the buildup in the pipes themselves.

 

Here are 9 reasons to have a water softener in your home:

 1. Toilets –

We’re starting out our list with the least obvious for most homeowners – yes, that’s right, the commode, the loo, the John . . . however you refer to it, it’s a critical fixture for every home. If you’ve ever really paid attention while scrubbing your toilet, you’ll notice there are tiny holes all the way the inner rim where the water rushes in to fill the bowl. If there isn’t a water softener installed, over time, calcium and other mineral deposits will build up clogging those holes.

 

Inside the toilet tank there are mechanisms that can become corroded and clogged by hard water causing premature expiration. This includes everything from the fill and flush valves to the chains and even the inside of the toilet handle (flush lever).  

 

2. Faucets –

This is the one that is the most visible to both you and your guests. Unsightly spots, white film on fixtures and white crusty build up on the aerator of your faucets are some of the tell-tale signs of hard water.

Without a water softener in your home, not only will you find yourself fighting the constant plague of the ‘white crusties’ with a diligent cleaning schedule, you will have to replace aerators and faucets more frequently than you would if you had a water softener installed.

 

3. Shower Heads –

Although they may be the least damaging to your overall home when they lose their efficiency and the least costly to replace, replacing all shower heads in your home more than you need to is an unnecessary expense.

The build up from calcium happens fast and they’re awkward to clean which means it’s harder to stay on top of scrubbing them to keep all of those jets clog-free. Showerheads are supposed to last a lifetime, so if you have to replace them every five or even every ten years, it’s an added expense you could avoid.

 

4. Dishwasher –

Although they are becoming quieter, that noise reduction comes at a price. If you’re splurging on a higher end dishwasher with life expectancy between 7 – 12 years, you probably would like to see the full 12 years out of it.

If you don’t have a water softener in your St. Charlies, Il home, you might find your dishwasher reaching end of life in half that time. The downside of a dishwasher breakdown is they can die mid-cycle with water still inside.

 

5. Refrigerator –

Who doesn’t love the choice of cubed or crushed ice out of their refrigerator door? That convenience can become an annoyance as water lines become prematurely clogged due to excessive buildup of calcium and other minerals leading to problems with the ice-maker.

The average life of a refrigerator’s ice-maker is only 5 years to begin with so this is definitely an appliance that benefits from a home water softener, which will help keep those water lines clear and prolong the life of your in-door ice-maker.

 

6. Washing Machine –

Another work horse in most homes, the washing machine without a water softener takes a beating. In many cases, washing machines are more resilient than other appliances as they don’t rely on small tubing that is so easily clogged like the ice-maker dispenser tubing in your fridge. However, like dishwashers, experiencing a washing machine breakdown mid-cycle can leave you with a tub full of dirty water.

Another little known fact is washing your clothes with hard water makes them more stiff and a bit rougher than they would be if you had a water softener.

 

 7. Water Heater –

A must-have in every home, the water heater’s life expectancy will be reduced without a home water softener in an area with hard water, like St. Charles, Il. Water heater failure often means a little bit of water leaking which can turn into even bigger problems.

Certainly not inexpensive and usually a bit of inconvenience to replace, it’s not something you want to do more often than you need to.

 

8. Valves –

Corrosion and scale on valves is another downside of hard water. Mineral deposits can affect all types of valves, even brass valves. Just like with everything else, valves need to well-maintained.  Plumbing professionals recommend that once a year you turn on and off valves under your sinks, to your toilets and even the water main valve to help break up any building sediment.

The last thing you would want to have happen is to not have ever turned off your water main, be in an emergency situation and then have it so corroded you can’t  turn it to the off position.

 

9. Pipes -

Hard water causes more than just aesthetic problems and cleaning challenges. Those same mineral deposits that clog water lines to appliances and corrode valves also builds up in pipes. Corrosion and scaling is right up there with freezing pipes – things every homeowner hopes to avoid.

If the previous eight reasons weren’t enough to motivate you to contact us, we’re pretty sure this one will have you calling 1-630-864-7078.

 

No appliance is going to last a lifetime, but with a water softener installed in your St. Charles home you can reasonably assume you’ll get the normal life expectancy out of each appliance. In the long run, avoiding the expense of having a water softener will end up costing you more with the additional expense of replacement appliances, fixtures, valves and perhaps even pipes.

Your house is likely to be the single largest investment you ever make, so take the steps to protect your St. Charles, IL home and give us a call today for your home water softener. Call 1-630-864-7078.