The Hidden Summer Appliance Killer in Florida Homes: Hard Water

Florida homes often struggle with hard water, which comes from mineral-rich limestone aquifers that supply tap water with calcium and magnesium. However, it can become a full-scale appliance crisis in the summer, when high temperatures cause these naturally occurring minerals to build up inside every hot-water appliance in your home.

This blog will explain exactly what is happening, which appliances get more affected, and what Florida homeowners can do to stop it.

Why Summer Makes Florida Hard Water Dramatically Worse

Florida’s tap water is generally hard throughout the year, but during summer, these issues get worse because high temperatures speed up the mineral separation and scale buildup. 

Some of the main reasons hard water worsens during summer include:

Evaporation: High temperatures accelerate evaporation and increase the concentration of minerals, which degrades the quality of water.

High Water Demand: The average Florida home’s water usage increases to 3X during summer, which increases the pressure on appliances. 

Excess Mineral Buildup: Due to high temperature, minerals get separated from water rapidly, which leads to scale buildup in appliances such as water heaters, pipes, and more. 

A ¼ inch layer of scale buildup on a water heater element reduces heating efficiency by up to 40%, and in summer, this layer builds faster. As a result, appliances that might survive 10-12 years wear out in 6-8 years in a Florida home with untreated water.

Appliances Hard Water Destroys First in Florida Homes

The effect of hard water appears gradually on your appliances throughout your home. Here are some of the appliances that are mostly affected:

Dishwashers: When hard water flows through the spray arm, it starts building up, and after a few months, its pressure reduces, leading to lower efficiency.

Washing Machines: Hard water reduces detergent lather and forces machines to do the hard work. Scale buildup on inlet valves and drum heating elements restricts water flow and causes early wear on pumps and seals.

Coffee Makers: These machines have small narrow tubing and small heating coils that quickly clog with mineral deposits that make the machine brew slowly or stop working entirely.

How To Fix Your Hard Water in Your Florida Home

Hard water often sounds like the biggest problem, which it is, but it can be easily treated with the right solutions. The first step toward treating hard water is water testing from a professional water treatment provider. Atlantic Coast Water Clinic is a prominent water treatment company, offering reliable water treatment solutions throughout Southwest Florida. With over 30 years in this business, we provide a wide range of water treatment solutions, including: 

Water Filtration: Our water filtration systems use reverse osmosis (RO) filtering methods to filter impure water coming from the tap. The impure water passes through a semi-permeable membrane to remove impurities and gives you safe and clean water for cooking and drinking. Our water filtration in Vero Beach systems are WQA certified to NSF/ANSI standards.

Water Softeners: Water softeners in Vero Beach are known for removing high concentration of minerals from hard water and providing you with soft, clean, and better-tasting water. It also enhances the efficiency of your plumbing and appliances. 

Reverse Osmosis: Our reverse osmosis water filtration system filters contaminated water through its semi-permeable membrane and gives you pure water, which is safe for drinking and cooking. 

Whole Home Water Filtration System: These systems use an ions-exchange process to remove excess minerals that cause hard water. Our whole home water filtration systems in Vero Beach are powered by the movement of water and require no electricity to give you clean, odor-free, and better-tasting water right at your faucets.

Treat Hard Water in Your Florida Home

It’s time to treat your Florida home’s hard water with efficient water treatment systems from the Atlantic Coast Water Clinic. We assess the water quality of your home and then recommend the best water treatment solutions tailored to your specific needs. Call us today to schedule a consultation.