Whether your industrial facility depends on soft water for efficiency or you’re worried about your home’s water quality, Complete Water Solutions will help you identify the signs of hard water. Our water softener repair and installation services have made us the experts in soft water.

1. Check for “scale” around your faucets, pipes, and drains. “Scale” is a white, flakey mineral deposit left from hard water. This can build up over time and eventually lead to clogs or blockages in your pipes. Faucet and shower heads will be the most likely locations of scale deposits.
2. A murky appearance. If your water is not completely clear when it comes out of the tap, there is a chance it is because of unwanted minerals. Pools and baths are where it is most obvious, as larger bodies of water are more likely to be fully settled whereas a glass from the tap might appear clear due to movement. Still water should be clear.
3. Dry skin and hair. If you find yourself needing more lotion after a shower, it may be minerals in the water drying out your skin. Hair that no longer feels clean after a shower may still have shampoo and conditioner residue, which is harder to wash out when minerals are present in your water.
4. Dull clothes. Whether you have a single washing machine or an industrial strength laundromat, clothing and fabrics losing their color and vibrancy are a result of hard water. The minerals make it harder for detergent to do its job, leaving clothes unclean even after multiple wash cycles.
5. Inefficient or expensive water heater. Minerals reduce the ability of your water heater to properly disperse heat, leaving you with a cold shower or high energy bills. If you have a new water heater, then a failing water softener might be to blame.
6. More repairs to your water system. The buildup of scale, the less vibrant clothes, and dry skin are all obvious to home and business owners. Damage to the inside of your water pipes, however, is much harder to detect. Minerals in hard water can wear away at all parts of your water system, leading to more and more repairs over time.

If there are a lot of bubbles and foam present, your water is soft and your water softener most likely functioning fine. However, a lack of bubbles and foam or cloudy water at the bottom of the bottle is a sign of very hard water.

Once you’ve determined you have hard water, a new or repaired water softener is an easy way to correct the problem. If your test seems inconclusive, Complete Water Solutions technicians can perform more extensive tests to determine exactly what is wrong with your residential or industrial water system and fix the problem for you.