Anyone who lives in New Mexico knows that we’re notorious for having hard water. Just comes with the territory. In fact, some parts of the state have harder water than others, like Placitas, Rio Rancho, and Corrales.
What does it mean to have hard water? It’s the excessive presence of calcium and magnesium in water. The kicker about these two minerals is that they naturally occur in water. Hard water is formed when water travels through deposits of limestone, chalk, or gypsum, which are largely composed of calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates, and sulfates. A couple ways to know if you have hard water in your home is if your skin is more dry than normal or if you see water spots on your shower door or dishes.
Consider A Water Softener
An option to consider for your home is getting a water softener. When properly installed by a licensed plumber, water softeners remove the magnesium, calcium, and other minerals from the water and replaces it with sodium or potassium. This makes your water “softer,” your skin less dry, and your glasses and shower doors free of water spots.
I’m going to digress for a moment. My new house used to have a water softener before I closed on it. The seller decided that she was going to take it with her to her new house. Bummer for me, but then I realized that if I wanted a water softener in my home, I happen to work at a company that could help with that. Plus, I figured that if I made it this far in my life without one, I could go a little longer. It’s on my list of things to add to the house, though. The water spots are quickly developing on my shower door, and those suckers are hard to get off.
Something I learned when I started working for Albuquerque Plumbing Heating & Cooling was that a water test was necessary before installing a water softener. Why? Not all water softeners are appropriate for all houses or neighborhoods. Remember that part about some areas having harder water than others? This is exactly the reason a water test is done – to see which kind of water softener will work best with your home and what kind of softener you will need for it.
Contact Our Water Softener Experts
If this is something you’re interested in, make a call to Albuquerque Plumbing Heating & Cooling to request a water test and then an estimate for the water softener best suited for your home. It’s definitely an investment and will help prolong the life of your home’s plumbing. Talk about a perk!