Hard Water in Durham Region: What It Means

Why it matters

Nobody gets sick from it; the cost is in parts and scrubbing. Scale narrows aerators and showerheads, coats water heater elements, builds up inside tankless heat exchangers, and leaves spots on glass and chrome. Soap also lathers less.

The routine, in order

1. Check the number. The Region of Durham publishes water quality information, including hardness, for its systems. Look up the current figure for Ajax.
2. Look for signs. White crust on the kettle element and aerators, spots on dishes, a stiff shower cartridge.
3. Clean what you can. Unscrew the aerators and showerhead and leave them in a jar of vinegar until breakfast.
4. Drain a few pails from the heater's bottom valve each autumn.
5. Decide about treatment. A softener's resin swaps calcium for sodium, or potassium if you prefer. A scale-reduction cartridge on a tankless heater protects that one appliance.

Mistakes to avoid

• Buying a softener sized for a well when you are on municipal water.
• Softening the outdoor tap line, which wastes salt on the lawn.
• Ignoring the salt tank until it runs dry and hardness returns.
• Scrubbing chrome with abrasive powders.

Where a plumber takes over

Installing a softener needs a bypass valve, a drain with an air gap, and a nearby outlet. Our softener page explains how we do it, and our softener basics manual covers living with one.