Hard water can cause some challenges for maintenance managers, leading to damaged appliances, reduced efficiency, higher bills, and shorter equipment life spans.

Some of the common effects of hard water include:

• Build-up on pipes that can restrict flow, increase the risk of blockages, and lower water pressure throughout the building.
• Scaling on water heaters that can cause heaters to run longer to heat up the water or cause cracking or burning and cause boilers to overheat.
• Hard water can also cause unsightly spotting on metal and porcelain and degrade fixtures like taps and faucets, affecting the impression you leave on your visitors and their restroom experiences.
• Increased energy costs can add up, and as the buildup insulates heating elements, water flow is restricted, raising water consumption up to 25 per cent more as more energy is needed to reach the desired temperature.
• Safety can also become a concern. As sediment layers inside pipes, bacteria can be harboured, creating sanitation concerns from the water.

A proactive approach to hard water

Maintenance managers can try to limit the damage that hard water causes with a proactive approach that works to soften the water and prevent scale buildup. Routing maintenance can help address this issue, including:

• Drain and flush commercial storage tanks and boilers annually to clear accumulated mineral sediment.
• Inspect heat exchangers and monitor fuel efficiency drops, signaling early scale presence.
• Descale aerators, faucets, and specialized water-using appliances on a scheduled rotation to stay ahead of buildup.
• Continue to test incoming and treated water to assess and address any changes.
• Adjust chemical dosing. Implement polyphosphate feeds or anti-scale systems where full softening is impractical.

Upgrading your system

• Eliminating the hard water in your building completely means attacking the problem directly by eliminating the problem. Some of the steps that can be taken include:
• Consider installing a commercial-grade ion-exchange water softener to remove the calcium and magnesium from your water. When purchasing, test your water hardness in grains per gallon (GPG) or parts per million (ppm) to properly size equipment. The testing can be simply completed with use a liquid titration test kit, dip test strips, or by sending a sample to a certified lab.
• For sensitive equipment, adding point-of-use reverse osmosis systems is an option to protect hardware by removing dissolved minerals, metals, and ions that cause scale buildup, corrosion, or clogging.

Hard water can cause damage to your plumbing, shorten the lifespan of your equipment, affect the water quality in your building, and cost you money. Maintenance managers need to be aware of the effects of hard water to be able to determine the best course of action for the building.