Hardness is an interesting conversation to have with clients, as hard water does not have serious health side effects. Note: Hardness changes drastically from source to source, if one is reading this outside of the target market of South Carolina. In Charleston, we have slightly hard water with an average of 56mg/L in 2021. Soft water is below 17.1zmg/L or less than 3.5 grains per gallon. This water quality is remediable, but some clients are against reducing the hardness for taste. Hard water is dissolved in magnesium and calcium in the water. Hard water will leave skin and hair dry after showers or baths. Hard water will leave water spots on glass and residue in heat exchangers (including water heaters) and the bottom of coffee pots or tea kettles. Hard water congeals in hot water heaters as heating speeds up the process of bonding. This shortens the life expectancy of the water heater. Tankless hot water heaters should have the coil flushed annually to extend the life expectancy as well as keep optimum flow performance. See the manufacturer's recommendations. 

Side note: For those coffee lovers, the morning brew bonds to the hard water for a more flavorful-tasting coffee. Often in commercial applications, for example, a coffee shop, we run a bypass around the softener and directly to the coffee makers to make the best-brewed coffee available, while treated water offers protection to the fixtures and appliances that do not require hard water for peak outcome. A cup of coffee consists of about 96-98 percent water. Too soft or too hard of water can really affect the coffee. The coffee needs minerals to bind to. "According to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), the ideal level of hard water for brewing coffee is between 75 and 250 parts per million (ppm), with the optimal range considered to be around 150ppm [8.8 grains per gallon]; essentially, a moderately hard water is best for extracting the full flavor of coffee beans without causing excessive bitterness." - pactcoffee.com

Tea is recommended to use soft water.

"The quality of a good cup of tea depends 20 percent on the tea itself and 80 percent on the water used."

- Zhang Dafu, tea master of the Qing Dynasty

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) are scaled with reference to the levels of dissolved minerals in the water. These minerals include calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and nitrates. They occur in water after it naturally filters through soil and bedrock. In Charleston, we have acceptable levels and we do not have to dive too deep into this topic. High levels of TDS offer health concerns as well as a light sandblasting effect on plumbing over time. TDS is invisible to the naked eye, but damaging over years of exposure.  

Iron in a severe case results in a sludgy rich red color. Again, fortunately, in Charleston, we have very low levels of iron in our water. Iron levels exceeding 300mg/L result in dull, stained, grey-ish laundry. Fixtures and grout lines will stain the rich oxidized-iron red color and will strip finishes such as porcelain. Health concerns related to high iron levels in water lead to an overload of iron which can cause diabetes, stomach problems, hemochromatosis, and nausea, as well as,  cause damage to the liver, pancreas, and heart (link).

Lead in water has been a news headline in recent years, especially after Flint, Michigan's horrible event from 2014 to 2019. Syracuse, NY (August 2024) has an even more recent Lead crisis. Lead has become a publicly known health concern since the late 1970s. One of the most effective ways to filter one's drinking water of lead is to use a National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) 53-certified filter. This quality of filter is often found in refrigerator filters. NSF 53 is for Health Effects. For more information please see the NSF website. We do not recommend this type of filter as a whole house filter as it will result in a significant flow restriction. The flow is restricted to extend contact time with the filter resulting in removed or reduced levels of contaminates.