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5 Signs Hard Water Is Quietly Wearing Down Your Utah County Home

Most people think it's just how things are. It's not. Here is what to look for.

Do you wipe your faucets, and the white spots come right back? You are not a bad cleaner. In much of Utah County, the water itself is the reason.

Our water comes from wells, springs and mountain runoff. On the way, it picks up rock. Two of the main rocks are calcium and magnesium. When there is a lot of them in the water, we call it hard water.

The cities tell us how hard it is. Provo says its water is about 10 to 15 grains per gallon. Orem lists a range of about 7 to 25, based on where the water comes from. Some parts of Pleasant Grove are even higher.

The U.S. Geological Survey has a simple scale. Anything over about 10.5 grains is called "very hard." So a lot of homes here are in the top group.

1White crust on your faucets

Look at the tip of your kitchen faucet. Look at your shower head. Do you see a white or chalky ring?

That is not soap. It is rock. When the water dries, the water goes away, but the rock stays. Each drop leaves a little bit more behind.

2Spots on your "clean" dishes

You run the dishwasher. You open it up. The glasses look cloudy, and there are little white dots on them.

It's the same rock again. It dries onto your glasses the same way it dries onto your faucet. Rinse aid can help a little. But it can't take the rock out of the water.

3Soap that won't make suds

Hard water and soap don't get along. The rock in the water grabs onto the soap. So you get fewer suds, and you need more soap to get things clean.

Provo's own water report says this. Hard water can make soap work less well. That means more shampoo, more dish soap and more laundry soap, every week.

Some people also notice their skin feels tight or dry after a shower. Or that a film stays on their hands. That film is often soap that did not rinse off.

4Stiff towels and dull clothes

Do your towels feel scratchy, even right out of the dryer? Do dark clothes look a bit gray?

When soap can't do its job, a little of it and a little of the rock stay in the cloth. Over time, towels get stiff. Colors look tired. Washing them again doesn't fix it, because you are washing them in the same water.

5A water heater that pops or rumbles

This is the one most people never see. It happens inside your water heater.

When you heat hard water, the rock falls out and sinks to the bottom of the tank. It builds a layer, like sand. The heater has to push its heat through that layer. Sometimes you can hear it pop or rumble.

Provo's water report says hard water can shorten the life of the things in your home that use water. Think water heater, dishwasher, washing machine and faucets.

Why scrubbing doesn't fix it

Most of us try the same things. Vinegar on the faucet. A spray for the shower door. Rinse aid in the dishwasher. A filter on the shower head.

These can help for a few days. But they all clean up after the rock is already there. The next time you turn on the tap, new hard water comes in. And it starts all over again.

The water heater is the hardest part. You can't scrub the inside of a tank.

What does work: a water softener

A water softener sits where the water comes into your house. All the water goes through it first.

Inside is a tank full of tiny beads. As the water flows past, the beads grab the calcium and magnesium. The water that comes out the other side is soft. Every so often, the softener rinses the beads with salt water, so they are ready to grab more rock.

Since it works on all the water, it helps every faucet, shower and machine in the house at once. That includes the water heater you can't see.

Provo's report even says many people here choose a softener. It also says you should set it to match how hard your water is. That is why the first step is to know your number.

The first step: know your number

Hard water is not the same on every street. The city ranges are wide, and your home could be at the low end or the high end.

So before you buy anything, find out how hard your water is. Then you can decide if a softener makes sense for your home, and what size it should be.