Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Water Quality’

Water Quality and Plumbing Issues in Silver Spring

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

Your water quality is an important part of living healthy and well inside your home. You want to have the best quality water flowing from your faucets and showerheads. But you also need clean water for your appliances as well—water quality isn’t only an issue with your health, it can also damage your plumbing and devices such as your washing machine and laundry. Lower quality water often means a need for plumbing repairs.

We’ll explain how your water quality affects your plumbing in Silver Spring, MD. If you need repairs done on any part of you plumbing, contact Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating, where we also specialize in plumbing repair.

How water quality affects your plumbing

The major threat to the health of your plumbing and fixtures is hard water. Hard water means water with a high level of minerals suspended in it. The most common minerals are magnesium and calcium. Fortunately, hard water is rarely dangerous for you to drink (although it will affect the taste of the water). But it is bad news for your plumbing.

Hard water leaves calcite deposits on the inside of pipes and along the edges of drains and faucets. If you notice a white or yellowish hard substance appearing along your fixtures, it’s likely calcite from hard water. The great threat this poses is reducing the space inside the pipes. As calcite buildup restricts the water flow, it will cause the water pressure to grow—leading to leaks and eventually to burst pipes. You will find yourself making numerous plumbing repair calls if you have hard water. There are treatment systems designed to remove the minerals of hard water and balance your water supply with salt, “softening” it.

Another trouble you may encounter with your plumbing because of water quality is high corrosivity. All water is somewhat corrosive, but with low pH levels and alkalinity, water can begin to cause serious corrosion in pipes. If you notice a blue-green stain on sinks and showers, then you likely have highly corrosive water, and it will cause your plumbing to age rapidly. Unlike hard water, this can also pose a risk to your health as well. Water treatment systems can reduce water corrosivity.

Call in plumbing experts

If you have concerns about your water quality, have professional plumbers test your water and inspect your pipes to see where there might be issues. Plumbers making repairs from damage due to hard water or corrosivity will be able to identify the source of the trouble and suggest solutions. Contact Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating for effective work on your plumbing in Silver Spring, MD.

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