Perhaps you’ve heard the term “hard water” before. It may sound a little alarming in regard to your water quality, but it’s actually okay–for you that is. It’s another story when it comes to your plumbing system.
Hard water is water with a high level of minerals in it. Namely, we mean calcium and magnesium, and sometimes even a bit of iron. But like we said, while these are harmless to you, we can’t say the same for your pipes and plumbing appliances.
Scaling–or the deposits that get left behind from hard water–will impact your water heater worse than any other part of your plumbing system. While it’s relatively easy to clean scale out of a faucet, the same can’t be said when it comes to your tank water heater.
If you’re like most homeowners, you probably don’t think very much about how much work your household’s water heater actually does. There is a much higher demand on it than say for your furnace, air conditioner, or other home comfort system because it must heat water 24/7 for use any day of the year, any time of the day. No matter the season, hot water must flow, right?
Water heater trouble can manifest itself in a number of different ways, depending on the problem. One of the most common symptoms, though, is difficulty providing enough hot water.