Have you been noticing that it’s hard to clean things lately? Maybe your hands feel filmy no matter how hard you scrub them, you’ve been using more detergent in your laundry than you used to, or you’re going through shampoo quicker than you ever had before.
These signs are evidence that you have a hard water problem in your house. Though they may be more subtle than the more obvious giveaway of seeing spots on your silverware or glasses when you empty the dishwasher, they’re no less telling.
But if you live in Irvine, how do you know if your water is hard or soft? Is Irvine tap water safe to drink? In this article, we’ll discuss everything you might be wondering about Irvine water hardness. From its safety to the severity of the problem, we’ve got you covered.
When you call water “hard” or “soft,” it has nothing to do with the actual texture of the water. Hard water is just water with a high concentration of minerals and chemicals dissolved in it. The two most commonly found in hard water are calcium and magnesium.
The extra amounts of these in your tap water can cause more severe issues than your laundry needing extra detergent. These issues include:1
The potential consequences of ignoring water are no joke and could cost you in terms of repairs or new appliances if you don’t deal with the issue.
Now that you know what hard water is, you’re probably wondering if Irvine has a hard water problem. The short answer is yes. Hard water is classified on a sliding scale. This scale measures the concentration of dissolved minerals and chemicals in the water in terms of milligrams per liter. If water has dissolved minerals in the amount of:2
According to the 2021 water quality report, Irvine’s water qualifies as hard. Its average local treated groundwater has a PPM of 119, its average local treated surface water has a PPM of 308, and its average imported treated water from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) has a PPM of 265.3
This hardness is due to the water source, as Irvine imports its water supply from the Colorado River and Northern California. Since both places tend to have naturally hard water, the water Irvine residents get is also hard, although the level of hardness changes depending on the time of year or your specific location.3
Since hard water can make it more difficult for cleaning products to do their job and causes harmful buildup and deposits, does that make it inherently unsafe to drink? The answer to that is no.
Hard water is still safe drinking water, though doing so comes with its list of pros and cons.
The positives include a boost in your mineral intake. If you have type two diabetes, you’re probably naturally low in magnesium. As a result, drinking some hard water could improve your levels and provide some benefits. Those low in calcium would also experience a similar effect.
However, there are also drawbacks to drinking hard water. It can have an off taste when the calcium in it gets above a certain level. This means it can also give any drinks you make with it or food you cook in it an odd flavor as well. Hard water can also seem cloudy, which can make it very visually off-putting to consume.
Why wait for your appliances or pipes to become casualties of hard water? Save time and money by using one of our Water Softener Systems to eliminate hard water in your home.
We have a variety of top-notch Water Softening Systems to address whatever hard water problems you have. Whether you have a large home that needs more capacity, or a smaller place where space is a premium, Rayne Water has got you covered.
So don’t wait for your pipes to get clogged or for the dishwasher to start staining your plates. Instead, try one of our Water Softening Systems today, and get six months for free.
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