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In this article, we’ll be discussing the long-term benefits of a water softener on your home, including its effects on your appliances, plumbing, and fixtures, as well as its positive impact on your utility bills and monthly budget.

By this point in your journey, you likely know what a water softener is and how it works. Just in case, we’ll briefly cover what hard water is and how a water-softener system has been used to treat this very common issue in thousands of homes just like yours before moving on to a more in-depth look at how this device can make a large impact for your home and your wallet. 

Hard water effects on showerhead

A Brief Overview of Hard Water

According to the United States Geological Survey, water hardness is the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in the water. Hard water is high in these dissolved minerals.

These excess minerals cause mineral deposits in your pipes, fixtures, appliances, and on your skin. This scale can reduce the lifespan of your appliances, raise the costs of heating the water in your home, diminish the efficiency of your water heater, and even clog up your plumbing.

If you have problems with soap scum or scale buildup in your shower, or calcium buildup in your coffee pot, chances are, you have hard water. You’re not alone! 85% of homes in the United States have hard water.

What is a Water Softener System?

In short, Water Quality Products Magazine describes water softeners as point-of-entry applications that provide whole-home benefits. As water flows through the water softener system, positively charged calcium and magnesium ions are attracted to negatively charged ions in the resin bed. They stick to the resin, and at the same time, positively charged sodium ions are released into the water, replacing the calcium and magnesium with sodium. This process helps to keep the buildup of excess minerals out of your pipes, appliances, fixtures, and laundry and off your skin.

Scale on water heater element from hard water

What are the Long-Term Benefits of a Water Softener?

There are some immediate benefits to using a water softener. They can positively affect your hair and skin, but there are some very impactful long-term benefits to using a water softener as well.

Impacts on Household Plumbing and fixtures

Over time, as hard water moves through the pipes in your home, layers of scale can build up inside of them. This mineral buildup reduces the overall diameter of the pipe resulting in less water movement through the plumbing and reducing water pressure to the home or specific fixtures.

With the excess minerals reduced in your water supply, this buildup is much less likely to occur, meaning that your plumbing will last longer and that issues with water pressure, from plumbing at least, will be minimized.

Soft water, clean dishes

Extended lifespan and Increased Efficiency of Appliances

Hard water can create this same type of mineral buildup in your water-using appliances. Soft water can help to eliminate this buildup. Not only does using soft water extend the lifespan of your appliances, but it also increases their efficiency.

The Water Quality Association posted an independent research study conducted by ​Scientific Services S/D, Inc., a research and development laboratory that provides testing services to detergent, household products, and chemical specialty industries. The study showed that dishwashers were able to remove significantly more soil from dishes when run with softened water versus hard water. Dishes also showed fewer spots and less film buildup when the use of soft water was employed.

Depending on the soil level, reducing the hardness was also found to be up to 12 times more effective at soil removal than increasing the amount of detergent used. Hardness reduction was approximately 6 times more effective at reducing spotting and twice as effective at reducing filming than increasing the amount of detergent used.

In another study by Battelle Memorial Institute, whose core mission is to use science to do the greatest good for humanity, they found while testing gas and electric water heaters that none tested with hard water were even able to make it through testing. This was because they weren’t able to maintain sufficient flow due to scale buildup in the outlet piping system. This testing only equated to 1.25 to 2 years of standard use. You can see the summary of those results in the table below.

Cleaner Laundry

This buildup isn’t limited to dishwashers. All major water-reliant appliances are impacted, including your washing machine!

Scientific Services S/D, Inc. also completed a study that compared the impact of the amount of detergent used, water hardness, and wash temperature on the effectiveness of common household laundry detergents in removing stains. Blood, coffee, grass, red wine, barbecue sauce, and ground clay were among the substances that were tested.

The study showed that reducing the hardness of the water was much more effective at removing stains than either increasing the temperature or the amount of detergent used. Even when half of the detergent was used at a lower temperature, soft water improved the quality of the wash compared to when hard water was used.

Using a water softener doesn’t only help keep your laundry cleaner. As a bi-product, your laundry will also feel softer and more comfortable on your skin.

Save money with soft water

This Leads to Improved Household Efficiency

If softened water makes this kind of tested impact on the major appliances mentioned above, you can assume that it impacts other water-reliant appliances and fixtures like your coffee pot, water and ice dispensers, humidifier, and even fixtures like your shower head in similar ways. Less mineral buildup simply means higher efficiency. If your appliances are running more efficiently, not only are they going to last longer and require replacement less often, but they’ll also save you money in other ways.

Soft Water Leads to other Cost Savings

Some appliances, like gas water heaters, use less energy to operate when they are fed with soft water. In the water heater study mentioned above, Battelle found that natural gas savings associated with the use of softened water will lead to direct energy and economic savings, while higher water hardness will lead to greater energy consumption and greater energy costs.

Using soft water, as mentioned above, allows you to use less detergent in washing machines, even at lowering the temperature of your wash while still maintaining or improving performance. This means you can save energy.

You’ll also be able to use less detergent in your dishwasher to achieve the same results. Over time, that adds up to a huge savings for your family. In fact, detergent savings of up to 70% were observed for dishwashing machines when softened water was used compared to hard water. That’s a lot of dishwashing detergent!

You’ll also save hours from scrubbing hard water buildup from appliances, fixtures, showers, and tubs, and we all know that time is money.

All this means longer appliance life, lower energy usage, and less detergent, soap, and cleaning products down the drain.

Soft water, soft skin

Enhanced personal benefits

If you require less soap for laundry and dishes when using a water softener, you’ll also need less soap and shampoo when bathing. Soap is just more effective when used with soft water. You’ll even get a better lather. How nice!

What’s not nice is the fact that hard water builds up on your skin, causing a layer that inhibits the body’s natural oils. These oils are what keep your skin from drying out. This interference with the body’s natural process can lead to excessively dry skin, clogged pores, and even acne. It also makes your lotion less effective.

When you use a water-softening system, you can protect your skin from this buildup. Your skin will feel cleaner, it will look healthier, and you won’t have to apply lotion nearly as often.

At EcoWater SoCal we’ve been helping families in the Southern California area soften their water for over 19 years. It’s more than a water-softening system to us, it’s the health of our local homes and the overall impact on the lives of those in our community.

Call us today at 760-259-2306 or fill out the form below to have your water tested and see which system is right for your home.

Fill out the form below or call 760-259-2306 for more information & a free quote!

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Verified Southern California Reviews

Abby Pollock
Abby Pollock
21:53 07 Feb 25
Jonah was Knowledgeable and helped me schedule an... appointment and let me know all the filters that were needed to be changed.read more
Kurt Englund
Kurt Englund
22:23 06 Feb 25
Jonah was extremely helpful with my re-order of filters. It... had been a number of years and he took the time to identify the correct items.read more
don sovie
don sovie
00:16 05 Feb 25
Miguel Reyes, of ECO WAter Systems So CAl was terrific. He... was of good temperament, efficient and resolved my request for services immediately and to my complete satisfaction. HE reflects the high quality of customer service I have experienced from the company since 2017. Kind regards, Don Sovieread more
Linda S Mckinney
Linda S Mckinney
19:27 30 Jan 25
I called Eco Water to come & check our Drinking water... system at our Kitchen sink. I talked with Jonah Rivas about scheduling service and he was very Friendly & Efficient& though about arranging a day ,Time & writing an Detailed explanation for the Tech that will be coming out to service our Eco Water system problem.Thank You , Don & LindaSan Juan Capistranoread more
Dana Giardina
Dana Giardina
17:49 16 Jan 25
Alsan was very helpful and walked me through the process... for ordering replacement filters. He was great!read more
Sara Ortiz
Sara Ortiz
23:32 13 Jan 25
I called Ecowater to purchase filters and was assisted by... Tiffany G. She was extremely helpful and helped me each step of the way. Thank you for the great service.read more
Emam El-Hout
Emam El-Hout
02:59 04 Jan 25
Excellent service with great attitude. Always there... whenever you need help or support.High skills of technical support and knowledge.I highly recommend them if you are looking for a peace of mindread more
Adriana Bedoya
Adriana Bedoya
18:21 30 Dec 24
I have more than once worked with Asian Pagakis, asking for... filters and/or service, and always was and is a very pleasant experience.read more
JENNIFER BOOSE
JENNIFER BOOSE
19:03 29 Dec 24
Everyone was very nice and helpful. Kevin Johns went out... of his way to go the extra mile to make sure we were satisfied. We love our water system!read more
nancy arneson
nancy arneson
23:02 27 Dec 24
Jonah worked patiently and politely to resolve my issue.
Eber Rodriguez
Eber Rodriguez
03:47 13 Dec 24
We are very pleased with our water Softener ERR3700,... reverse osmosis system ERO385, and the alkaline EACW. After doing extensive research to find the right system for us and meeting with different companies...Luke Pelbath was very knowledgeable and answered all my questions. He was very easy to work with. We have a household with varying needs and we were very specific about what we wanted. We wanted alkaline water coming from our kitchen sink and reverse osmosis water coming from our fridge (for our kids). Luke responded to my many questions on a Saturday while we were still determining what we needed and trying to understand the process. He helped us find a way to make our requests possible and we are very grateful for that. We've had the system installed for over two weeks and since my first shower and my first glass of water you can tell the difference right away. Even my wife is pleased, no buyer's remorse over here! Luke has continued to follow up with us and make sure everything is working properly. We purchased through Costco and since our first conversation, everything from inquiry, installation, and follow up has gone very smoothly. I highly recommend EcoWater SoCal for both the product and the customer service. We are continuously surprised by the difference this system has made in our water quality. The price was higher than some of the other companies we considered but the quality of product made in the U.S. and a lifetime warrantee make it worth it.read more
Gamache Inc
Gamache Inc
23:23 06 Dec 24
Jonah was awesome on my support call!
David Stewart
David Stewart
20:10 04 Dec 24
The customer service at EchoWater SoCal is great, one of... the best experiences I have had with customer service. My customer service representative name was Jonah Rivas, he was friendly and knowledgeable of the system I had and was able to translate my limited understanding of the product to a working order for an experienced tech to understand before his visit to my location. Great work by your employee Jonah, Echo Water SoCal hopefully you are aware of how lucky you are to have him as an employee.D.S. Of San Diegoread more
Fon-nie martin Ortega
Fon-nie martin Ortega
18:11 04 Dec 24
Good customer service.
Gale Mosher
Gale Mosher
18:19 02 Dec 24
Jonah was very pleasant and helpful and guided me through... the ordering process on line.read more
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