What is Soft Water?

Do you hear people refer to water as soft water or hard water?  Our world is made up of two different types of water, soft water and hard water.  Soft Water refers to water that has low concentration of calcium and magnesium minerals and low PH.  Hard water refers to water rich in calcium and magnesium minerals and has high PH.  Soft water is water that comes from rainfall.  It’s safe to drink but how it impacts our lives and our pipes is a different story.

The Impact

This type of water can lather with soap, cleaning scum and dirt off easier than hard water. Household cleaning is performed more efficiently, leaving clothes and hair softer and cleaner.  Thus, little detergent or soap is used, saving you money and prolonging the life of your dishwasher and washing machine.

Soft Water in your Pipe System

How does this impact our pipes? This type of water can affect how long your metal pipes will last and how fast the pipes will corrode. Water that is soft will not create mineral build up within the pipes but it can create pinhole leaks as soft water is lacking in minerals making it aggressive towards unlined metal (copper) pipes.  The reason is as this type of water is lacking minerals, it will pull minerals such as copper as it travels through the pipe systems.  Eventually, the corrosion will perforate the pipe walls, creating pinhole leaks.

CuraFlo’s Epoxy Lining System can create a barrier between the pipe and water.  This will stop any future corrosion as the water has no contact with the pipes.

Knowing the type of water you have in your area and how it affects your pipe system can help determine how to maintain your pipes in your home.