Limescale can be a serious problem in your home, and the solution can be as simple as rinsing your kettle every time you make a cup of tea or coffee. Limescale forms when hard water reacts to metal in kettles, tanks, and other hot appliances, releasing calcium and magnesium oxide. This turns into insoluble calcium hydroxide, which builds upon the inside these items’, potentially causing them to stop operating effectively. Here are tips on how to prevent limescale from forming in your home.
Install a Water Softener
If hard water is a problem in your home, you should consider installing one of the many water softeners on the market. Water softeners aim to remove impurities from your water, preserving its natural mineral content and making it more effective in cleaning, leaving behind less residue and having less risk of limescale building up. Water softeners are very simple to use and need little maintenance.
Install a Water Filter
Another way to reduce or prevent limescale is to install a water filter at the tap. This can remove many harmful substances from your water, including the minerals and chemicals that can come along with tap water, especially hard water. Look for a water filter capable of removing any contaminants and eliminating hardness, thus ensuring that you’re only allowing good quality, pure drinking water into your home.
A showerhead filtering device is also a good option. It uses technology that removes chlorine, heavy metals, and other impurities from the water, giving you softer and safer water in the bath or shower. Purified water is easier on the skin and hair, for example. There are many water filter systems available that use different methods to remove these harmful substances. A water filter usually requires some maintenance, such as purchasing a new insert, but is a great way to reduce limescale in the home. This can improve the quality of your water and save money on your water bills.
Minimize Your Demand for Hot Water
While it is tempting to run your hot water whenever you want to wash, you should remember that doing so can increase the amount of limescale in your home. As limescale forms when water is at a high temperature, try minimizing your time using hot water. Using a washing machine with a cold setting can be very beneficial and minimize energy usage.
Use of Lime Remover
You can reduce limescale formation by regularly using lime-removing products. These products have a very efficient formula capable of removing buildup on your appliances, and they can also be used to clean showerheads, taps, and other items in your home. Another effective solution is to use vinegar and baking soda.
Get a Purifier
Yet another way to prevent limescale is to install a purifier in your home. A purifier is a water softener specializing in removing all contaminants from your water, including limescale. It works similarly to a softener by removing hard water and impurities before reaching your sink or bath.
The most common place you’ll find this type of device installed is in a shower or bath, and it uses small beads of resin to clean the tap’s water flow at regular intervals. Purifiers are very cost-effective and can be purchased at hardware stores. They work to continuously clean your water, ensuring that you always have good quality drinking water available.
Use Vinegar
Vinegar can work amazingly well when trying to get rid of limescale. Dissolve some vinegar in a bowl of warm water and soak the affected area. A vinegar and water solution effectively kills bacteria and removes lime from your pipes, thus preventing any buildup of limescale.
Use Baking Soda
Baking soda works in the same way as vinegar and can be used in the same manner to dissolve limescale. Add a teaspoon of baking soda to a small amount of water before placing it in your tank or kettle. Leave this for about an hour before running until it runs clear. This is an extremely effective way to remove existing limescale and prevent any more buildup.
Change Your Water Supply
Running hot or cold water for long periods can damage the pipes and channels which connect to your shower, bath, or kitchen taps, causing them to corrode faster than usual. If your taps are in an area that is prone to high levels of lime deposits, you should consider getting them replaced by a plumber.
Install a Magnetic Water Conditioner and Descaler System
A magnetic water conditioner and descaler system is an extremely beneficial device that can be installed in your home to prevent limescale from building up. All you have to do is switch it on before you use your taps, washing machine, or dishwasher, and the magnets help remove hard water and contaminants from the water, making it clean and pure.
This can be a great solution if you’re having problems with hard water because it helps you prevent buildup inside your pipes and appliances. Look for something that has an adjustable flow so you can increase the limescale-removing power depending on the level of buildup in your home’s plumbing.
Take Care of Things Quickly
The longer you leave limescale to build up, the harder it will be to remove. Remember that prevention is better than cure, so take the time when needed and prevent limescale from forming in your home. When you notice appliances are not functioning as well as they used to or are clogged up, try cleaning them and see if the problem goes away. You’ll save yourself a lot of time and effort by solving problems before they cause serious damage to your property.
Avoid Dumping Trash in Your Toilet
Trash should be placed in containers such as trash cans, not flushed down the toilet. While sewage pipes are built to withstand a good amount of buildup and usage, water is always left behind after a flush, which can eventually begin accumulating lime deposits. Don’t neglect flushing, of course, but minimizing unnecessary flushes can help prevent your pipes from corroding and limescale from forming.
Take Care of Your Hot Water Heater
Regular maintenance of your water heater is very important, especially if you have limescale forming in your home. The heat will encourage limescale to form faster, so it is recommended that you check your water heater regularly for cracks and leaks. If there are any problems with the actual device itself, make sure you repair it as soon as possible to prevent further damage.
Call a Licensed Plumber
If your plumbing is beginning to rust and become damaged, you should consider having it repaired by a licensed plumber. Some of the most common problems that can cause your plumbing to deteriorate are freezing pipes, blocked drains, and malfunctioning valves. Plumbing problems can be a very common cause of limescale buildup in your home. In conclusion, remember that prevention is better than the need to fix something, so take the time to prevent limescale from forming in the first place.
For all your plumbing issues, rely on our experts at Davis & Green in Richmond, VA. In addition to handling water filtration and softening systems, we perform inspections, repair pipes, unclog drains, install and fix water heaters, and much more. We also offer a full range of electrical services as well as heating, cooling, and ventilation installation, repair, and maintenance. If something in your home requires professional attention, give us a call today.
