If you live in a hard water area, then in a sense yes, they are. Any appliances that combine heat with water are subject to that silent appliance killer – limescale.
We need to heat water in our homes for all sorts of reasons and so we have very clever machines to do this for us, without us even having to think about it. From our washing machines, to our dishwashers, taps, showers, kettles, irons and of course the central heating system, all of them are busy heating our water and all of them are subject to limescale build up in hard water areas.
Living with limescale
Limescale for most of us is just annoying, leaving flaky bits in our tea, causing taps and shower-heads to get blocked and shoot water in random directions, causing unsightly stains and marks around sinks and on surfaces and occasionally making the iron spit out disgusting brown stains onto our laundry.
The solution is to use abrasive cleaners and descalers, which are costly and time consuming. However, limescale is also at work in hidden areas of our homes, blocking up pipes and clogging up heating elements in our appliances, chipping away at efficiency and eventually causing them to breakdown.
There is a better way
Limescale is a result of minerals such as calcium and magnesium, that are found in hard water, leaving calcium carbonate deposits behind as the water evaporates. Remove these minerals and you remove the limescale. Greatly reducing the chances of limescale forming at the source water comes into your home, is a far more effective way of dealing with limescale in your home with remarkable results.
Various studies undertaken by the Energy Saving Trust and The Water Quality Association estimate that running appliances such as your dishwasher and washing machine on soft water could increase the lifespan of these machines by up to 3.3 years. Similarly, a report released by New Mexico State University estimated a 29% energy saving on gas heaters run with soft water and a 21% saving on electric heaters.
To discuss these and the many other positive benefits to installing a water softener in your home, call us on 01202 983858.