It’s a common question among Franklin homeowners: is there anything I can do to improve my home’s water quality? Whether your Franklin home’s water is from a private well or the city’s treatment plant, it comes from the same place. The water you and your family use for drinking, cooking, and bathing is pumped from deep beneath the ground. Melting snow and rain trickle down through lawns and other spaces, down through layers of soil, and eventually find their way into underground aquifers.
While all that water is fresh and clean, it doesn’t always look, taste, or even smell appealing. You see, central Indiana sits atop vast underground fields of limestone and other mineral-rich rocks. As the underground water washes across the surface of those rocks, it picks up traces of naturally occurring chemicals like calcium, magnesium, chloride, and sodium. Those chemicals are the source of many of the smells and tastes that frustrate homeowners, and the cause of what most of us describe as hard water.
Understand your water source
The first step in addressing your Franklin home’s water quality is identifying the source of your water supply, whether that’s a private well or the city. If you’re on a municipal system, the utility should be able to give you a water quality report that provides valuable information about the source of your water, treatment processes, and any contaminants that have been detected. If you rely on a private well, consider having your water tested by a certified laboratory at least annually, because testing can identify contaminants such as bacteria, nitrates, arsenic, and others. Reading reports about your water can draw your attention to issues that are important to you. For example, your water may have levels of bacteria that seem too high to you.
Address hard water issues
As noted earlier, hard water is the result of naturally occurring minerals such as calcium and magnesium that dissolve into underground water. It’s the cause of that scale buildup on your sinks and faucets (and where you can’t see it, on the inside walls of your pipes). It’s why your skin and hair get so dry. Most of all, it’s why you can never seem to make enough suds in the sink or the shower. You can reduce water’s mineral content by using water softeners or newer salt-free water conditioners.
Add water filtration
Water filtration systems can be an effective way to remove impurities and improve the taste, odor, and quality of your Franklin home’s drinking water. There are many different types of water filtration systems, from basic carbon filtration, to reverse osmosis systems that are powerful enough to remove microbial pathogens, to the newest systems that use ultraviolet (UV) light to deactivate and destroy bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. The right choice for your home depends upon the issues with your water supply.
Keep the plumbing healthy
Regular maintenance of your home’s plumbing is crucial for preserving water quality and preventing contamination. That’s why you should regularly inspect plumbing fixtures, pipes, and connections for leaks and have them repaired promptly. Water lines should be flushed periodically to remove sediment, debris, and stagnant water. You also need to clean faucets, showerheads, and appliances such as water heaters and dishwashers to remove mineral deposits and sediment that can affect water flow and quality. Upgrading to water-efficient faucets, showerheads, and toilets can help you meet your family’s needs while using less water.
Turn to the water quality experts
If you have concerns about your Franklin home’s water quality, do what so many of your neighbors have done, and reach out to the local water quality experts from Johnson Heating Cooling & Plumbing. They’ll listen to your concerns and perform tests to assess the quality of your water and identify the causes of any problems. Then they’ll explain the options for improving your water and answer any questions you have. Before you know it, you’ll have water that’s cleaner, healthier, and better-tasting!
