Have you noticed limescale in your home? Limescale isn’t just a nuisance; it can lead to things like dull hair, skin irritation, and even damage to appliances. Luckily, limescale isn’t something that you have to be stuck with.
Here at Bardi Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, we’re your home-comfort experts in the Atlanta area. Read on to learn how you can prevent limescale in your home.
What Is Limescale?
Limescale is the white, chalky, and hard substance typically found around water spots. This substance is most notably found around toilet bowls, sinks, bathroom tiles, taps, and inside appliances like washing machines.
Limescale can easily make a home look neglected and can sometimes present a pink or red-brown appearance like rust. If you have limescale in your home, it will be hard to remove, which is how homeowners can tell it apart from old food particles.
What Causes Limescale?
Limescale is made of calcium and carbonate ions. Limescale first lives as calcium bicarbonate, which is eventually broken down into insoluble calcium carbonate. These compounds are found in hard water.
Is Limescale Poisonous?
Thankfully, limescale is not a poisonous substance. However, it can lead to a variety of problems that homeowners should be aware of. Here are a few effects of limescale.
Unappealing Stains
One of the first things that you’ll notice about limescale is that it has an unappealing appearance. Seeing a white, chalky substance around water spots doesn’t necessarily scream a clean home. In addition to this, limescale has a tendency to form brown rings around toilets and sinks, which add to its unappealing appearance.
Damage to Appliances
A more serious issue associated with limescale is that it can potentially damage appliances. Ultimately, limescale will form on any substance that has exposure to hard water. For this reason, it’s not uncommon for limescale to destroy appliances, such as washing machines and dishwashers.
Faulty Taps, Showers, and Plumbing
As limescale accumulates over time, it can cause faulty taps, showers, and plumbing. This is because accumulated limescale can clog anything from your faucets to showerhead holes and even your entire plumbing system.
Even more, without intervention, limescale will continue to accumulate until your pipes are completely sealed, which is a major problem for homeowners. In fact, when pipes become sealed, your only option is to replace them.
Damage to Skin and Hair
Hard water certainly has a negative effect on skin and hair. Unfortunately, so does limescale. When limescale in hard water reaches your hair and skin, it leads to scalp irritation. In addition to this, limescale can potentially clog your pores. This leads to rough, dry skin that is constantly prone to irritation.
5 Ways to Prevent Limescale
Limescale can certainly disrupt your home environment. If you’re dealing with this stubborn substance in your home, don’t worry. There are various things you can do to prevent limescale from occurring in your home.
1. Invest in a Water Softener
A water softener is a type of filtration system that is designed to remove high concentrations of calcium and magnesium that cause hard water. With that said, a water softener is an excellent way to combat limescale buildup in your plumbing fixtures.
Water softener systems come in a variety of types, including those that use water softening powder, gels, or tablets. What’s even better is that water softeners can be used with daily cleaning detergents and soaps, allowing you to seamlessly carry on with your regular cleaning routine.
2. Invest in a Water Filter
A water filter is something that is used to filter out harmful chemical compounds, organic and inorganic materials, and biological contaminants from the water. If your home has limescale or you want to prevent it from occurring, a water filtration system is one of the best ways to stop limescale from building up.
A water filter can be placed on faucets and taps to help filter out magnesium and calcium, which is the main cause of limescale. It’s important to note that water filters will need to be replaced every so often. The frequency will depend on the type of water filter you get and how many contaminants are present in your water.
3. Regularly Clean Your Appliances
One simple way to prevent limescale from building up around your faucets, taps, and plumbing fixtures is to regularly clean your appliances. Limescale is a stubborn compound that’s difficult to remove. For this reason, the best option is to not let it settle. You can easily avoid stubborn limescale buildup by wiping over wet fittings after every use until dry.
More specifically, homeowners should practice wiping down areas where water can easily sit, like sinks, baths, and showers. With this regular cleaning practice, you will prevent water from evaporating and leaving mineral deposits behind.
In general, you should be cleaning limescale as soon as you see it to prevent it from settling. Additionally, it’s a good idea to wipe down your appliances around once a week to prevent limescale from building up.
4. Magnetic Water Conditioner and Descaler System
Another option to prevent limescale in your home is to invest in a magnetic water conditioner and descaler system. This conditioning process uses electromagnetic coils to separate specific particles, like calcium and magnesium, away from water.
Essentially, this system can effectively prevent the formation of limescale on plumbing fixtures within the entire system. The system is installed and attached to the main water supply pipe of your home.
What’s even better is that it will begin to work immediately after it has been installed. The conditioner and descaler ultimately work together by magnetizing the water, which minimizes the risk of limescale accumulation on pipe walls and other surfaces.
5. Use Vinegar and Lemon Juice as a DIY Method
If you’re on a budget or looking for a quick and easy way to remove limescale, consider making a DIY limescale remover using vinegar. All you need to do is mix one part white vinegar and one part water. You can use this mixture to either spray on surfaces that have limescale or you can soak a clean towel with your mixture and wrap it around fixtures that have limescale buildup.
You can use this DIY mixture as needed. However, if you find that your DIY mixture isn’t working effectively, you may want to consider investing in a water softener or water filter.
Limescale is an issue that many homeowners experience. The good news is that there are strategies you can implement to prevent limescale buildup in your home. Here at Bardi, we are your trusted plumbing, heating, and air company serving Norcross, GA and the entire Atlanta area. We provide drain cleaning, water treatment, and a full range of additional plumbing services alongside heating and cooling repair, maintenance, and installation. You can also turn to us for air purification services. If limescale is affecting the plumbing fixtures in your home, contact Bardi today to see how we can help.
