Is Softened Water Safe to Drink?

When it comes to your home’s water, homeowners want the best for their families. But as much as anyone wants to believe that their home water is as good as it could be, many homeowners worry that they may need residential water treatment. One common fear is hard water—it sounds scary, comes with a host of potential issues, and is often unavoidable for homeowners in certain regions. However, the solution to hard water is a water softener, which can also affect the taste and feeling of a home’s water. So, what is a homeowner to do? If you’ve ever wondered whether hard or softened water is safer to drink, don’t worry—Florida Energy Water & Air can help. We’re residential water treatment experts with decades of experience helping homeowners tackle their water woes.

Drinking Hard and Soft Water

In Florida and many other regions, hard water is nearly unavoidable. Thankfully, when it comes to hard or soft water, homeowners don’t need to worry—neither is dangerous. You can safely use hard or soft water for cooking, cleaning, drinking, and bathing without any serious side effects or medical worries.

At this point, you may be wondering what the problem with hard or soft water is. While neither will cause harm to you or your family, both hard and soft water have certain characteristics that some homeowners prefer. Read on to learn more about the differences between both types of water.

What Is Hard Water?

Hard water is any water that has a high mineral content, usually magnesium and calcium. These minerals are found in harmless quantities, but they can affect the flavor of water in varying degrees, with the worst examples being particularly unpleasant. Additionally, hard water often causes a number of detrimental effects around the house, like:

• Scale buildup on pipes and appliances connected to the water supply
• Rust-like stains on cookware and metal
• Stiff hair and crunchy clothes
• Skin irritation
• Soap that doesn’t lather

If you’ve noticed any of these issues, a simple test can determine whether your home has hard water. In the case that you do, the solution is a water softener.

How Does a Water Softener Work?

Water softeners combat the additional minerals in hard water with specially formulated salt compounds. These harmless water additives neutralize the effects of magnesium, calcium, and other minerals and eliminate most of the problems associated with them. Softened water cleans better, doesn’t cause limescale accumulation, and many homeowners find that it simply tastes better than their previous hard water.

Consult a Water Expert

Determining whether your home would benefit from a water softener is less complicated than you might think. Meeting with a local residential water expert to explore your options could lead to household water that is more effective and pleasant, especially if you’re in a region that typically experiences hard water, like Florida. If you’re curious about whether your home could use a water softener, turn to the experts at Florida Energy Water & Air. We’ve been working with local homeowners for decades, and our water treatment experts are standing by to help you solve your home’s water issues.