Can Hard Water & Corrosion Cause Pipes to Burst?
What’s coming out of your taps could be causing chaos inside your pipes. Hard water causes mineral scale to build up in your pipes until there’s a burst. The buildup of scale leads to corrosion and a “narrowing” of a pipe’s diameter. The added pressure from all that extra “gunk” in your pipes makes them vulnerable to cracking and bursting. Are you wondering if your pipes are at risk for a plumbing catastrophe because your home has hard water? Keep reading to learn how to fix the problem.
What Is Hard Water?
Hard water is water with heavy mineral content from limestone, chalk, and other natural deposits picked up from the environment. Large calcium and magnesium deposits reduce your water’s ability to “later” with soap. This creates that visible scale and soap scum you see in your home’s sinks, tubs, and showers. What you don’t see is the corrosion inside your pipes that’s also caused by the corrosive minerals in hard water. Hard water is even known to dry out hair and skin.
How Hard Water Leads to Pipe Damage at Your Home in Melbourne
Hard water damages pipes from several different angles. Over time, pipes can easily become overwhelmed by the extra “weight” and pressure added by the minerals in hard water. Take a look.
Scaling
Mineral buildup is the most dramatic symptom of hard water. Calcium, magnesium, and other minerals begin to line the interior of your pipes. Over time, the pathway for water is narrowed. There’s your burst risk!
Uneven Water Flow
Hard water makes your pipes “tighter” because walls are lined in thick layers of mineral deposits. Over time, this can reduce water flow to your home’s faucets. Your plumbing system is essentially working overtime.
Increased Pressure on Weak Spots
Hard water creates the perfect storm of mineral buildup and corrosion. As pipes become tighter and narrower, spots that are weakened from the simultaneous corrosion caused by hard water are put under more pressure. Just think of a gush of water pushing through a weakened, narrow spot to picture why leak and burst risks are so high.
Water Heater Strain
One little-known fact about hard water is that it can kill your water heater. When your home’s water supply is weighed down with calcium, magnesium, and other minerals, your water heater is destined to develop a layer of thick sediment within its tank. This layer makes it harder for your water heater to actually transfer heat to water. If undetected, your water heater will work overtime to get water to the set temperature until it breaks down. Even minimal hard water will still reduce a water heater’s efficiency and potentially shorten its lifespan.
What Is Corrosion?
We’ve mentioned corrosion a few times here without really going into what’s happening when corrosive substances flow through your pipes. Corrosion happens when minerals and heavy metals “eat away” at your piping. Here’s a look at how corrosion can play out for plumbing in a home with hard water:
- Galvanic Corrosion: Pipes begin to deteriorate when water filled with dissolved metal ions from calcium and magnesium come into contact with pipes.
- Oxidation: Oxidation is common when copper piping comes into contact with oxygen and water. You may notice green stains around your drains or green-hued water coming out of your faucets.
- Chemical Reactions: If you have hard water, the chemical reaction you’re most likely to see is the metal ions in your water reacting with soap to form tenacious and persistent soap scum. If it feels like stains return regardless of how thoroughly you clean, it’s important to note that no amount of cleaning can solve the chemical reactions happening in your pipes because of hard water with high mineral content.
Warning Signs Your Pipes Are at Risk for a Plumbing Emergency Caused by Hard Water
We’ve already covered many of the signs that your pipes are at risk for cracking or bursting because of hard water. The mere presence of hard water alone is a risk factor. However, any changes in how your faucets perform can be red flags. Signs that hard water is weakening your pipes include:
- You can see white, flaky, or powdery mineral deposits in your sink, tub, or shower.
- There’s a film on your glass surfaces.
- Your drains are draining slowly.
- Your skin and hair feel dry and itchy after washing.
- You can’t get soap to lather properly in the shower.
- You’ve noticed that colors on your laundry are fading quickly.
- The dishes you put in your dishwasher never feel totally clean.
- Your home has low water pressure without explanation.
- Your pipes are corroded.
How Melbourne Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Fixes the Problem
Your friendly local plumbers at Melbourne Benjamin Franklin Plumbing deal with hard water on a daily basis. Depending on the severity of your hard water, we have multiple options for saving your pipes.
We can offer you:
- Water Testing: Let’s confirm if your home has hard water. We have quick tests that indicate mineral levels in your water. As local experts, we’ll probably be able to tell you if you’re at risk for hard water simply based on our familiarity with data from local water companies.
- Pipe Inspection: We can detect telltale signs of bursting risks with visual inspections. Let us point out any weak pipes that need attention right away.
- Water Softener Installation: Luckily, solving hard water woes is as simple as installing a water softener in most cases. This is a cost-effective, noninvasive solution that can save your pipes. Our pros will help you select the right softener for your water heater and household usage.
- Pipe Replacement or Repiping: We’ll replace any compromised pipes that are at risk for bursting or cracking due to corrosion. Some homeowners also choose to upgrade to PEX piping that handles hard water better by resisting scale and corrosion compared to metal pipes.
Don’t Wait Until Hard Water Problems Cause a Plumbing Emergency: How to Protect Your Pipes from Hard Water and Corrosion
Homeowners have more control than they think when it comes to protecting their homes from plumbing problems caused by hard water. Most plumbing issues can be solved with the following:
- Install a water softener or filtration system to naturally remove calcium, magnesium, and other minerals from your water.
- Flush your water heater annually to remove sediment buildup that’s creating a layer within the water heater’s basin. In addition to keeping minerals out of your water supply, this affordable task can preserve the longevity of your water heater and reduce monthly energy bills.
- Schedule regular plumbing inspections to get an idea of what’s happening inside your pipes. A simple annual check that you schedule automatically can provide peace of mind and save you thousands in emergency plumbing repairs.
- Replace aging metal pipes. Consider upgrading from copper and metal pipes to modern PEX piping made from corrosion-resistant plastic.
- Watch for leaks early. Bursting pipes often start off as small leaks. At the first sign of a drip, consider shutting off your home’s water supply and calling a plumber.
Why Staying Ahead of Hard Water Matters in Melbourne, FL
If you’re a Melbourne homeowner, you’re actually at elevated risk for plumbing emergencies compared to the average person for one small reason. The Florida Aquifer System contains high amounts of calcium and magnesium because the water supply is rich in limestone. No, it’s not your imagination if you’ve noticed issues like non-lathering soap or stained drains at your Melbourne home. It’s all owed to the limestone tunnels that deposit minerals into the water that eventually comes out of your home’s faucets.
Why Choose Melbourne Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
Melbourne Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is the name your friends and neighbors trust for plumbing repairs and emergency plumbing services. Ideally, we’ll get your hard water problems taken care of before you need extensive pipe repair because of bursting or cracking pipes. Let us help you manage hard water the easy way. Book your appointment today.