Introduction
Water hardness is a big issue in the United States and Glendale. It is important to know that this does not mean that hard water is completely bad since it can benefit some people and may not even cause any health issues in some.
In this regard, the main question that people have is, “is it safe to drink hard water or not?”
Most people can drink soft water and hard water safely without any side effects. However, you may be a little concerned about using the water. This can be resolved by installing a water softener with the help of professional companies like Diamondback or with a potassium-based water softening system.
A report shows that drinking hard water may help increase bone health, given its high-calcium composition.
However, aside from health concerns, water hardness is a big concern in industrial settings because using water with a high percentage of minerals comprises the efficiency of certain appliances and can cause some to develop issues faster than expected.
What is water hardness?
Water is hard when it contains a high concentration of specific minerals and metal molecules. When the amount of minerals dissolved in the water goes up, it becomes “harder,” which is responsible for how the water can be used. Hard water is noticeable through grain residual or film inside your glass or dishes after washing or rinsing them.
Drinking hard water may have moderate health benefits for some people. However, there are serious problems in industrial settings. Hence, there is a requirement to meticulously watch and control water hardness to avoid high-cost breakdowns in water heaters, boilers, cooling towers, and other home appliances.
In most common settings, hard water is often indicated by the lack or unavailability of lather formation. For instance, when soap is agitated inside water or when there are traces of forming limescale in water heaters.
Often, there is a need to use water softness to prevent the adverse effect of hard water. Water hardness is often measured in two different ways. It can be measured in milligrams per liter or per gallon.
Understanding the adverse impact of hard water on home appliances has led to the development of certain systems that feature the ability to adjust to the level of hardness in water. You can often see dishwashers with this feature.
Classifying water hardness using the per gallon measurement
- Soft: Water quality that contains minerals below 4 parts per gallon
- Medium-hard: Water quality that contains minerals around 5-7 parts per gallon
- Hard: Water quality that contains minerals 7-10 parts per gallon
- Extremely Hard: Water quality that contains minerals more than 10 parts per gallon
Increased hard water supply in Glendale
Glendale obtains almost 70% of the water for commercial and residential use from the MWD, or the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The MWD, in turn, uses two separate locations to source its supply of water – the state water project in the northern areas of the state and the Colorado River.
The water that’s been supplied to Glendale in recent years has always been treated through plants and undergoes a rigorous purification process. However, the plants that source this water to Glendale have mainly been using the water from the Colorado River for supply needs. This means that rather than two separate sources, most of the water comes just from the River.
Unfortunately, due to the natural conditions around the River, the water that’s obtained from it tends to be filled with minerals and other deposits, and even with purification, the water ends up being quite hard. Still, there was a reasonable reduction in these levels through treatment efforts that helped achieve moderately hard water supplies.
Glendale also relies on groundwater wells for a secondary source of water, which is considered even harder than the treated water from the Colorado River.
As a result, the usage or installation of water softener is recommended for anyone staying in Glendale and its environs. However, installing this system comes at additional money and should be factored into everyday costs as well.
Indications you might have hard water
Hard water can be easily detected if you’re aware of the signs. One of the most common indicators of water hardness is the residue left behind in utensils and other home implements that dry out.
Other ways of determining if you are using hard water include:
Water tasting like metal
Another way to easily know that you are properly using or drinking hard water is that hard water tends to taste like metal. While water is expected to be tasteless, soft water does have an appeasing taste that makes you gulp it down in a few seconds. Hard water, on the other hand, does not taste that way.
Dry and scaly skin
If you notice that you start developing dry and scaly skin, it may be a sign of hard water. This is possible because bathing with hard water is extensively bad for the skin because this type of water cannot adequately rinse off soap from the skin.
Incessant cleaning of your shower
Removing and fixing your shower head to deep clean will become a frequent or even weekly event in your cleaning routine. Also, you will find out that your toilet will start having rust-colored stains in them that must be scrubbed out.
Unclean clothes
If you washed and rinsed your clothes but realized that the clothes were not clean enough, there is a chance that you washed them with hard water. Hard water contains excessive minerals that make it unable to remove stains or rinse off the soap.
Conclusion
Given that this topic has gained the attention of many people and the fact that one expects the water to be extensively safe and the idea of hard water just doesn’t sound good, it is understandable that everyone wants to know whether it is safe to drink the water or not.
Hard water can be considered safe for drinking, washing, and doing other chores. However, hard water is not the best option if you can get a water softener to reduce the mineral level and make the water safe for everyone.
Since residents of Glendale have to deal with a supply of hard water, where appropriate, it is highly recommended to install water softener solutions. With that, you can prevent necessary side effects and avoid long-term problems.
