If you have hard water, you’ve probably experienced limescale. If you haven’t, consider yourself lucky. Chances are your luck will run out eventually. You’ll start noticing chalky, whitish deposits on your shower head, sink, and kettles. This is limescale. If you see it in your bathtub or teapot, it is probably in your water heater as well. If you have a hot-water heating system, it is probably affected by the deposits as well.
Limescale is a result of the calcium and magnesium suspended in hard water. Water picks up these ions naturally. When the water evaporates, it leaves behind the calcium and magnesium. These ions adhere to whatever they come in contact with. In this case, that would be your appliances. The buildups reduce the diameter of your pipes, cause obstructions, and attract pathogens. Because the ions are so adhesive, they are incredibly difficult to clean as well.
Sometimes, limescale isn’t off-white. Sometimes it is colored because it contains trace amounts of iron. These trace amounts of iron will quickly start to rust. If they are on any other iron-containing metal, that rust will start to spread, jeopardizing that appliance.
Chemicals
You can try a chemical lime scale remover, but they are dangerous and exhausting. With a chemical product, you are usually instructed to apply it to the affected area then wait a while. After waiting, you don your rubber gloves and start scrubbing. If this is even effective, it will take quite a lot of time and effort. Not to mention, the chemicals are usually not safe to be inhaled.
Also, a chemical approach might work on the sink or the teapot, but what about the inside of the pipes? What about the inside of the water heater? Obviously, you can’t run dangerous chemicals through your water supply. What option do you have? The only option is to soften the water.
Water Softener
If you effectively soften the water, the calcium ions are reshaped to be no longer adhesive. This frees up space, so to speak, in your water. That means your water will start to dissolve the calcium deposits left behind when your water was hard. You can reduce your problem without scrubbing and without a chemical lime scale remover.
Limescale can be removed with chemicals or with plain scrubbing, but that is incredibly tiring. Sometimes, it is even dangerous. Most importantly, though, limescale is a symptom of a bigger problem: hard water. If you want to treat and prevent buildup from occurring, you have to soften your water. The best way to do that is with an electronic system that reshapes the calcium ions, so they are no longer adhesive. Once they’re no longer sticky, they won’t build up on your appliances.
