What’s Your Water Score?

Do you ever feel like your water just isn’t…right? Like it leaves behind stubborn stains, doesn’t let soap lather properly or leaves crusty buildup around faucets and showerheads? If so, you might be dealing with hard water!

American Water has a neat little tool that can help you figure it out. Just answer some simple questions about what you’re experiencing with your water. Based on your responses, you’ll learn whether hard water is the likely culprit behind those pesky issues. From there, you can look into solutions like water softeners to get that water flowing clean and fresh again!

Central Texas is no stranger to water quality issues. From strange odors and tastes to hard water stains and scale, your home’s water can significantly affect your daily life. American Water offers powerful Kinetico systems to join teams and work together to solve your water quality issues. Explore some of the signs of water quality issues below and schedule a FREE water quality test today!

Soft Water

Having soft water in your house makes things flow so much better. Appliances like your dishwasher, washing machine and coffee maker should run smoothly without getting clogged up by minerals. You’ll see your dishes come out really clean, with shiny glasses and plates.

Your clothes will feel softer, your soap will bubble up easily and your skin and hair will feel good and clean after you wash – no more itchy or dry feeling! With soft water, you’ll really notice a difference in your home and how you feel.

Somewhat Hard Water

If your water is a little bit hard, you might not notice it as much, but it can still cause problems. You might see your sinks or tubs getting clogged more often, which means a little bit of those minerals are building up. You might also see rings in the bathtub or on your faucets pretty often.

Clothes washed in somewhat hard water might feel a little rough or look dull, even if you use fabric softener. Your glasses might not be as sparkling clean as you’d like, maybe looking a little cloudy. You might also need to use more soap or shampoo to get a good lather, and your skin might not feel very moisturized after a shower.

Severely Hard Water

When your water is really hard, it’s pretty obvious. You’ll probably see a chalky, white stuff building up on your faucets, showerheads and appliances like your dishwasher. This buildup is called scale, and it can block your pipes and even break your appliances over time.

When you open your dishwasher, you’ll often see cloudy glasses or spots on your dishes. Also, hard water can mess with your laundry, making your clothes feel stiff and look faded after you wash them a few times.

Another sign? Soap scum. It builds up fast in showers and can make your skin feel dry, tight and itchy after you take a bath. Your hair might also feel rough and dry, no matter how much conditioner you use.

Hard Water vs. Soft Water In Central Texas

If you’ve noticed any of the symptoms above, your home may fall on the higher end of the water hardness scale. This isn’t surprising, as hard water is common in the Central Texas area. The starting point for hard water is 7 grains per gallon (gpg), and in this region, it’s not unusual to see levels higher than 16!

Does Central Texas Have Hard Water?

Yes, it definitely does. Because there’s a lot of limestone and rocky soil with lots of minerals all over Texas,  calcium and magnesium end up in your water. And that’s what makes water hard!